As part of preparations for the climate change COP26 summit in Glasgow, a film series “Voices from the Roof of the World” – a joint initiative of the Aga Khan University, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Aga Khan Foundation and University of Central Asia – was launched on TV and online on October 31,
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) says the 10-episode first season – produced by filmmakers from Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and India – focuses on the climate crisis in the earth’s highest mountain region stretching from the Pamirs to the Himalayans.
Home to 240 million people and countless rare and endangered species, these mountains are also the largest depository of ice outside the polar caps, providing water to about a quarter of the world's population.
“…These filmmakers have captured poignant personal stories of people and cultures threatened by both deluges and desiccation of their environment,” said Andrew Tkach, Executive Producer of the series.
“They have ventured downstream to document how the melting of the Himalayan glaciers will affect 1.5 billion people living in the threatened fishing and farming communities of South and Central Asia. Others will show how deforestation, air pollution and killer heat waves will make the world’s most densely packed cities unlivable.”
UN scientists last week announced that current greenhouse gas emissions will lead to an average 2.7-degree Celsius temperature rise this century.
This series reportedly seeks to amplify the voices of those who bear the greatest burden of climate change. It will run for at least two seasons and all episodes will be available on AKDN YouTube.
