Video: Earth is Our Home

We'll end this week with this wonderful video which remind us that the Earth is our home, and we need to take care of it. This short clip comes just as the U.N. Climate Summit in Paris starts to wrap up, with many participatory nations pledging to address global warming at long last. There is a lot of work to be done in this area, but if we're going save our home, we need to get started now. Take a look at this video, and realize what we have at stake.

New Report Indicates Glaciers on Everest Have Shrunk 28% in 40 Years

A new report has confirmed something that most of us have known for sometime. According to a new study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Science, the glaciers on Mt. Everest have shrunk by more than 28% over the past 40 years, with the majority of that shrinkage coming since the 1980's.

The report, which was released a few days back, places the blame squarely on climate change. The study indicates that Everest has been getting warmer for the past 50 years, but that increase in temperature has started to occur more rapidly in recent decades.

The glaciers that surround Everest are a major source of water throughout Asia, and as they have shrunk in size, the glacial lakes found throughout the region, as well as the rivers that they feed, have swelled. Researchers found one lake in Tibet's Mt. Everest nature preserve grew from 100 sq. km (62 sq. miles) in the 1990's, to 114 sq. km (70 sq. miles) in 2013.

As the melting continues, it could have major consequences throughout Asia. In the short term, flooding could become more of an issue, with increased erosion causing damage to the surrounding countryside, to to mention threatening villages and people living along the banks of the many streams and rivers that find their source in the more than 1400 glaciers that are found throughout the region. But in the long term, the loss of the glaciers will ultimately lead to less water, which could have dire consequences for farmers and for those who rely on power generated by hydro sources.

Another report that was released earlier in the year indicated that of the 5500 glaciers that fall across the Hindu Kush and Himalaya region, most could lose 70%-99% of their mass by the year 2100. The impact that those changes would have on the region would be devastating.

Climate change is real, its impacting our planet, and the consequences it holds for our future are frightening. It doesn't matter who or what is causing it, we need to take steps now to try to first slow its advances, and then eventually reverse its impact. That isn't going to be easy, but if we intend to leave the Earth for future generations to explore as well, it is a necessity.

Melting: Last Race to the Pole

On Wednesday of this week Animal Planet will air an amazing documentary that will certainly be of interest to regular readers of The Adventure Blog. The show, which is entitled Melting: Last Race to the Pole, follows Eric Larsen and Ryan Waters on their incredibly difficult expedition to the North Pole, which we followed very closely back in 2014. The duo spent weeks out on the frozen pack ice as they struggled to travel nearly 500 miles from Cape Discovery, Canada to 90ºN, the Geographic North Pole.

The documentary is both an ode to their amazing effort in the Arctic, as well as a discussion point for climate change. As our planet has warmed, the trek to the North Pole has become increasingly more difficult to complete. So much so, that there are many who feel that Eric and Ryan's journey could be the last successful full-distance North Pole expedition to be completed by man – something that I tend to believe as well.

The two-hour film shows the struggles that the two men faced as they lugged 320-pound (145 kg) sleds filled with gear and supplies for their unassisted, unsupported trek to the Pole. The terrain was incredibly difficult, the weather was wild and unpredictable, and the conditions were constantly dangerous. And to add to the challenge, the two explorers were also racing the clock as they hoped to set a new record on their way to the top of the world. If you have been reading this blog for a few years, you probably already know if they made it or not. But if you'll be watching the television show completely unaware of the story, I won't spoil it for you.

You can also get a sneak peek of the show in the video below, which gives you just a hint of what it was like to be out on the ice for days on end. This will certainly be an interesting documentary to watch unfold, and I hope everyone gets the chance to see it.