The Impact of Climate Change on Glaciers and Global Ecosystems

Introduction

• Awe and beauty of glaciers, admired by extreme mountaineers like Danny Arnold.
• Global warming's effect on glaciers: Growing scientific consensus on the potential disappearance of glaciers due to climate change.

Observations from Around the World

• Turkey

  • Decrease in the number of climbing days in winter over the past decade.

  Africa, Asia, and Europe

  • Impacted by torrential rains, floods, and droughts.
  • Threat of permafrost thaw.

  Russia

  • Evidence collecting near the Colima River in Siberia shows permafrost warming by 3°C.
  • Permafrost thaw exposing rare fossils and turning biomass into greenhouse gases, exacerbating climate change.

Effects of Permafrost Melt

• Fast degradation and potential for catastrophic environmental changes.
• Methane and CO2 release could accelerate climate change.

Global Efforts and Challenges

• United Nations and global community working on combating climate change.
• 2021 Germany: Shut down Brookdorf power plant as part of nuclear phase-out.
• Rise of energy generation from coal, oil, and gas in Germany.
• Urgent need for 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 to limit global warming to 3°C by the end of the century.

Tracking Environmental Policies

• Importance of International Community setting climate neutral goals.
• Categories of required climate impact measures:
  • High likelihood: Significant increases in renewable energies.
  • Tax adjustments: Controlling emission-intensive imports.

Renewable Energy Solutions

• Norway's Hydro Plants: Abundant hydropower like Tunstad plant, and its cooperation with Germany via the nordlink cable to share renewable energy.
• Europe: Balancing wind energy from Germany and hydropower from Norway.

Climate Impacts in Various Regions

Asia and Africa

• Severe climate migration expected.
• Indonesia: Rising sea levels and torrential rain affecting villages like Pantai Bahagia.
• Mozambique, and many other areas facing extreme heat, flooding, soil infertility.

Switzerland and Austria

• Hawthorn Mountain: Increased rock fall risk due to permafrost thaw.
• Village of Bondo: 2017 landslide disaster from permafrost melt.

Central Europe

• More water shortages due to decreased melt water, artificial snow's necessity for tourism.
• Decreased irrigation water from Alps affecting agriculture in places like Bavaria.

Russia's Far East

• Permafrost melting impacting buildings and infrastructure.
• Drying up lakes such as Leonid Nalotov's lake, changing local ecosystems.

Innovative Solutions and Hope

Germany's Textile Technology

• Using fabric to reduce cooling costs and emissions in buildings.

Sustainable Agriculture

• Eco-agriculture in Sudan, planting trees to prevent desertification.
• Synthetic Palm Oil: Researchers developing eco-friendly alternatives to traditional farming.

Green Energy Innovations

• Kite Power: High-altitude kites generating wind power.
• Carbon Capture: Climeworks capturing CO2 and injecting it underground in Norway.

Challenges Ahead

• The necessity of significant action to avoid a disastrous climate future.
• The role of individual and collective efforts in securing a sustainable future.

Conclusion

• Every effort counts towards mitigation, be it small innovations in Europe or large-scale afforestation efforts in Sudan.
• Immediate and rapid response needed to meet emission reduction goals and counteract the potential runaway effects of global warming.