NAIROBI, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Tuesday that a 50-member expedition to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is underway to raise awareness about the rapid melting of glaciers caused by climate change.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and a vital water tower for millions in Kenya and Tanzania, Africa's tallest mountain is losing its glaciers at an alarming rate.
To draw global attention to this threat, youth from Kenya, Tanzania, and the United States, scientists, UN experts, and climate advocates started climbing the mountain on Monday, expected to finish their mission on Sunday.
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO director-general, said that ascending Mount Kilimanjaro summit will amplify the urgency to act on climate-induced melting of glaciers, and the existential threats it poses to livelihoods and ecosystems.
"With science as our compass, the international community must unite to protect our glaciers," Azoulay said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. "This is what the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, led by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, is all about."
The expedition, led by famed polar explorer Borge Ousland and Kilimanjaro Initiative founder Tim Challen, will blend science and advocacy. Climbers will conduct environmental research during the ascent, collecting data on water contamination, vegetation stress, and ecosystem health.
The mission also supports UNESCO's Kilimanjaro Transboundary Aquifer System Program, an 8 million U.S. dollars initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility to promote sustainable groundwater management and climate resilience in the Kenya-Tanzania border region.
Mount Kilimanjaro has lost 85 percent of its glacial ice and over 30 percent of its forest cover since 1912, UNESCO said, citing researchers from the University of Dodoma, Tanzania.
UNESCO warns that the ecological crisis is worsening droughts, degrading ecosystems, and increasing water scarcity, especially for women and other vulnerable groups.
Bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders is key to spotlighting the threats facing this critical water tower and driving solutions, said Challen.
