麻豆社

On the seventieth anniversary of the first scaling of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, Helen Clarke, former New Zealand prime minister, is backing a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of global warming on Mount Everest where glaciers are rapidly melting.

Speaking from the Himalayas where anniversary celebrations are taking place she said: "There is huge concern about what is happening to this 'third pole' of the world... and there's no question the regions mountains are undergoing irreversible change."

She argues people need to call on their governments to cut fossil fuel use and protect tropical forests that store carbon.

Photo: Students erect the national flag of Nepal in front of a bust of Edmund Hillary, at Khumjung School in the shadow of Mount Everest ahead of the Everest Day 70h anniversary celebrations. Credit Robic Upadhayay / Getty Images.