Life on the Third Pole under a New Season of Climate Change

About This Event

The high Himalayas, and the Mount Everest region in particular, are popular sites for science-policy interface when it comes to addressing issues of climate change in South Asia. In 2025, Salerno et al. published 30-year (1994-2023) temperature and precipitation data from the Pyramid Network in Lobuche in Khumbu. This remarkable publication coincided with the release of the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality (KPLRM) Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA) that outline climate change impact and adaptation measures as recommended by the KPLRM residents. In this context, Pasang describes her new study of climate change impact through a comparison of the 30-year temperature and precipitation data with local observations and experiences of the Sherpa residents of Khumbu. Drawing on various recent studies, this talk presents preliminary insights on changing seasonality and its implications for life on the “Third Pole.”

Featured Guests

• Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, Assistant Professor of Lifeways in Indigenous Asia at the University of British Columbia
• Discussant: Madeline Nyblade, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Co-sponsors

• South Asia Center, Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University
• Department of Geography and the Environment, Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University
• Department of Religion, Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University