The Smoggy Himalayas
By Marshall Thompson
I took this photo from Namche today as I hiked in around 3:30 p.m. What you can’t see is that there are giant snowcapped mountains in the background. The reason why you can see them is the air is full of smoke. Yesterday, as I was hiking up to a monastery I heard what I thought was thunder echoing off the mountains, but there were no clouds. I kept hearing it until I finally turned a corner and saw a very large forest fire. What I thought was thunder was the sound of massive trees snapping under the heat and falling. It was sad. Now, sometimes forest fires are a very good thing and are part of the renewal of a forest eco system. However, Dawa Steven, our expedition leader, feels that there has been an increase in the number of fires over the last few years. That’s because the Himalayas are much drier and the weather is hotter than years past. Global climate change is a top culprit. Because of the glut of forest fires today, we could barely see some of the larger mountains in the distance. People are just beginning to vigorously study the effects of global climate change on the Himalaya, but if what appears to be going on here is going on, then it is a very sad sign of things to come.
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