View from top of Everest shows global warming real
OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines -- Regie Pablo reached the summit of Mt. Everest, the world's tallest mountain, on May 17 this year and saw the threats of global warming along the trail.
Pablo, 36, who stepped on Mt. Everest's summit a day after the first group of Filipinas reached the peak, said the trained eyes of mountaineers could see the destruction in the mountains.
"I want to confirm that global warming is real," said Pablo, the lone Filipino in the 12-member Asian Trekking International Everest Expedition Team.
As part of their environmental advocacy, he said mountaineers usually report to authorities what they witness in the mountains, even the illegal activities.
"Mt. Everest used to accommodate 45 climbers on its summit. Now, it can accommodate only 15," Pablo said, attributing the decrease in the summit's size to global warming.
"Here in the Philippines, our forest line is already receding. Lumiliit na ang kabundukan natin, pumapangit na yung natural forest line natin (Our forests are shrinking, our natural forests are deteriorating)," he said.
Pablo, a native of Olongapo City and credited as the seventh Filipino to reach Mt. Everest's summit, said he first felt the "environmentalist" in him when he saw the destruction of natural resources when he worked for a mining firm in Zambales.
It was also during that time when he started to appreciate the beauty of the mountains.
Mountaineering, he said, hardened his resolve to fight for the preservation of the country's natural resources through partnerships with various groups and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
He said the government should encourage mountaineering in schools as a recreation sport not only because the experience is very educational but also because of the support that mountaineers can do in safeguarding the country's forests.
"This is our purpose in life as mountaineers -- to report what is going on with our environment," Pablo said.
Asian Journal
( www.inquirer.net )
Pablo, 36, who stepped on Mt. Everest's summit a day after the first group of Filipinas reached the peak, said the trained eyes of mountaineers could see the destruction in the mountains.
"I want to confirm that global warming is real," said Pablo, the lone Filipino in the 12-member Asian Trekking International Everest Expedition Team.
As part of their environmental advocacy, he said mountaineers usually report to authorities what they witness in the mountains, even the illegal activities.
"Mt. Everest used to accommodate 45 climbers on its summit. Now, it can accommodate only 15," Pablo said, attributing the decrease in the summit's size to global warming.
"Here in the Philippines, our forest line is already receding. Lumiliit na ang kabundukan natin, pumapangit na yung natural forest line natin (Our forests are shrinking, our natural forests are deteriorating)," he said.
Pablo, a native of Olongapo City and credited as the seventh Filipino to reach Mt. Everest's summit, said he first felt the "environmentalist" in him when he saw the destruction of natural resources when he worked for a mining firm in Zambales.
It was also during that time when he started to appreciate the beauty of the mountains.
Mountaineering, he said, hardened his resolve to fight for the preservation of the country's natural resources through partnerships with various groups and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
He said the government should encourage mountaineering in schools as a recreation sport not only because the experience is very educational but also because of the support that mountaineers can do in safeguarding the country's forests.
"This is our purpose in life as mountaineers -- to report what is going on with our environment," Pablo said.
Asian Journal
( www.inquirer.net )
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
11:33 PM
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