THE CHANGING FACE OF HIMALAYAS: Melting Glaciers and its Significance for the People, Environment, and Culture of South Asia

On top of the Himalayas, glaciers sustaining vast populations are dwindling. Himalayan glaciers have given birth to Asia's largest rivers–the Ganges, the Indus, the Yangtze, the Yellow, the Brahmaputra– "rivers that over the course of history have nurtured civilizations, inspired religions, and sustained ecosystems".

Melting glaciers portend a serious ecological threat; the eventual depletion of Asia's greatest rivers that sustain nearly a third of the world's population. As reservoirs of existence, the mighty rivers hold spiritual significance and inspire deep devotion. The rivers bestow blessings of peace, calm, healing, and eternal life.

As a crisis brews on the "roof of the world", will the sacred mountains and rivers continue to offer nourishment to its people?

Carl Pope explores how a rapidly advancing environmental change is inducing a shift in traditional patterns of living for tens of thousands of people in South Asian communities.

Speaker: CARL POPE, Executive Chairman of the Sierra Club