Climate change accelerates more in the high mountains

• Mountain regions are warming faster than low-lying areas, putting entire communities and unique ecosystems at risk
• Artificial Intelligence’s worrying prediction of global warming

A study published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment warns of an increasingly alarming phenomenon: climate change is affecting high mountain areas more intensely than valleys and lowlands. This phenomenon has been dubbed elevation dependent climate change (EDCC).
Led by Dr Nick Pepin, from the University of Portsmouth’s Earth and Environment Institute, the study reveals that “mountainous regions, on average, are warming 0.21°C per century faster than nearby low-lying areas”. This figure, although seemingly small, has drastic effects when combined with changes in precipitation and snow loss.

The phenomenon of climate acceleration at altitude

The report not only points to an increase in temperatures, but also a significant alteration in the precipitation pattern, with less snowfall and more rainfall. This radically changes the functioning of entire ecosystems and threatens the water supply for more than a billion people who depend on melting glaciers and perpetual snow, especially in regions such as the Himalayas.

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