Climate change is altering the face of the Himalayas, devastating farming communities and making Mount Everest increasingly treacherous to climb, some of the world’s top mountaineers have warned.
Apa Sherpa, the Nepali climber who has conquered Mount Everest a record 21 times, said he was disturbed by the lack of snow on the world’s highest peak, caused by rising temperatures.
“In 1989 when I first climbed Everest there was a lot of snow and ice but now most of it has just become bare rock. That, as a result, is causing more rockfalls which is a danger to the climbers,” he said.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Apa Sherpa would not rule out the possibility of Everest being unclimbable in the coming years.
The 51-year-old father of three, dubbed “Super Sherpa,” began his working life as a farmer but turned to the tourism industry and mountaineering after he lost all his possessions when a glacial lake burst in 1985.
Research published by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) last year showed Nepal’s glaciers had shrunk by 21 percent over 30 years.
Scientists say the effects of climate change could be devastating, as the Himalayas provide food and energy for 1.3 billion people living in downstream river basins.(AFP)
氣候變遷正改變喜馬拉雅山的風貌、破壞農業社群，同時讓聖母峰的攀登更形危險，一些世界頂尖的登山家警告說。
創下二十一次征服聖母峰紀錄的尼泊爾登山家阿帕‧雪巴指出，他對全球最高峰因氣溫上升，導致缺雪感到不安。
「一九八九年我首度攀登聖母峰時，那兒有許多雪與冰，但現在該處多半變成了裸露的岩石，結果這引發更多危害登山客的岩崩，」他說。
阿帕‧雪巴不排除幾年後聖母峰恐無法攀越的可能性。
五十一歲、身為三個孩子之父的他綽號「超級雪巴」，一開始他以務農為生，然而一九八五年一個冰河湖潰堤，他失去所有財產後轉行觀光業與登山。
總部設在加德滿都的國際山區整合發展中心（ICIMOD）去年發表的研究顯示，尼泊爾的冰河三十年來縮減了百分之二十一。
科學家說，由於喜馬拉雅供應生活在下游河川盆地的十三億人口食物與能源，因此氣候變遷效應恐深具毀滅性。
（法新社／翻譯：魏國金）
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 “Get in. It’s pouring.” She slid into the back seat, drenched and silent. “Tissues?” the driver asked. “No, thank you,” she said. Water beaded off her hair, ran from her coat, and made a small lake on the vinyl. She kept her head down, long black strands clinging to her face. “Where to?” She gave an address. “Funeral?” he asked as they slipped into the Xinhai Tunnel, rain fading to a hollow drum. She glanced up, puzzled. “No. Why?” “Crematorium’s about the only thing here.” He caught her eyes in the mirror.
Have you ever dreamed of hiking Taiwan’s majestic Mt. Jade or visiting Peru’s breathtaking Machu Picchu? These adventures sound amazing, but there’s something you should know about first: “altitude sickness.” This condition strikes when you climb to a higher elevation too quickly. The higher you go, the thinner the air becomes, making it harder for your body to absorb oxygen. The symptoms usually begin within hours of reaching high altitudes — about 2,500 meters or higher. You might experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, or extreme fatigue. These symptoms can last for several days. The severity of altitude sickness varies
Week 24 詞法—名詞 1. 人們一致稱讚他。 ˇ People praised him unanimously. χ Peoples praised him unanimously. 註：people 作「人們」（＝ men and women）解時，是單數形式，作複數用。peoples 是「多個民族」、「各國人民」，不是「多數人」，如 the peoples of Asia（亞洲各民族、亞洲人民）。 2. 她為他做了一條新褲子。 ˇ She made him a new pair of trousers. χ She made him a new trousers. 註：scissors 和 trousers 等名詞習慣用複數形式。「一把剪刀」或「一條褲子」正統說法為 a pair of scissors 或 a pair of trousers。 3. 我們提前兩年完成了第二個五年計劃的主要目標。 ˇ We fulfilled the major objectives of the Second Five-Year Plan two years ahead. χ We fulfilled the major objectives of the Second Five-Years Plan two years ahead. 註：five-year 作為一個複合形容詞，year 不用複數。又如 a twelve-year-old boy、a five-dollar note、a one-hundred-meter race 等，也是一樣。 4. 他們決定買一輛新車。 ˇ They have made up their minds to buy a new car. χ
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Interestingly, one of the words Collins Dictionary discarded was selected by Oxford University Press (OUP) for its own Word of the Year. On its Web site, the publishing house of the University of Oxford stated it had conducted a public poll in which over 37,000 people participated. The voters, along with OUP’s language experts, settled on the term “brain rot.” One main reason for the decision was the vast amount of interest in the noun during 2023 and 2024, with its usage increasing by 230 percent. In fact, brain rot is not a new term by any
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