As the effects of global warming become more serious in Africa, the glaciers at the top of Africa's highest peak, Kilimanjaro, are shrinking, and the United Nations said it could disappear completely in the 2040s. I am appealing for strengthening.
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the African continent at an altitude of 5895 meters in Tanzania, eastern Africa.
Although it is located in the tropics near the equator, there are glaciers and snow near the summit throughout the year, and the beautiful appearance of icecaps is known all over the world as one of the symbolic landscapes of Africa.
However, according to a report released by the United Nations WMO (World Meteorological Organization) last October, the effects of global warming are becoming particularly serious in Africa, with temperatures and sea levels rising faster than the world average. ..
Under these circumstances, glaciers in Africa, which exist only in the three eastern mountainous areas including Kilimanjaro, are shrinking due to the decrease in the amount of snow due to the effect of rising water temperature on the surface of the Indian Ocean.
NHK's interview team climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro at the end of February, but a local mountaineering guide pointed out that the glacier has shrunk in the last few years and has receded tens of meters.
In this situation, the WMO report calls for strengthening climate change measures, saying that glaciers in Africa such as Kilimanjaro have already shrunk by more than 80% in the last century or so and may disappear completely in the 2040s. I am.
Kilimanjaro One of Africa's symbolic landscapes with icecaps
Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in northeastern Tanzania in eastern Africa, at an altitude of 5895 meters and the highest peak on the African continent, also known as the "African roof".
Kilimanjaro means "white mountain" in the local language, and although it is located in the tropics near the equator, there are glaciers and snow near the summit all year round.
The beautiful figure that praises the icecap is known all over the world as one of the symbolic landscapes of Africa, and it is also the subject of "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", a short story by Hemingway, an American writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The area is designated as a national park and is visited by about 50,000 tourists annually.
There are six main climbing routes to the top of the mountain, of which the Marangu route takes five days to walk from tropical jungles to plains to desert-like areas, and finally to the crater. Aim for the highest point on the African Continent by climbing a steep slope for several hours.