Everest climb for climate change
Apa Sherpa is climbing Everest for a record 19th time
A mountain-climbing veteran is heading up Mount Everest to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the Himalayas.
Backed by global environment organisation the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Apa Sherpa is taking on the world's highest peak for a record 19th time in order to highlight how the region's environment is changing.
Scientific research has highlighted that Nepal is seeing some of the fastest temperature and rainfall increases in the world, while some of the Himalayan lakes of glacier water are expected to burst their banks within ten years.
Apa hopes to reach the peak by mid-May and is carrying a banner stating "Stop Climate Change – Let the Himalayas Live" along with a number of Buddhist offerings to the top of mountain.
The team accompanying the climber are also set to take bags on the journey to collect litter left on the mountain by previous trekkers.
His efforts mark the launch of WWF's Global Awareness Campaign on Climate Change in the Himalayas, which will be highlighted through a number of events across 2009.
Discussing his trek, Apa, who first scaled the mountain in 1990, told the WWF website he has seen "a measurable difference" in conditions on the mountain during his previous 18 expeditions.
He added: "It is a warning to mankind before it reaches a tipping point."
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