A Cry From The Mountains

Last May, record highs triggered a GLOF (glacial lake outburst flood) in northern Pakistan, sweeping away bridges and villages in the valley below the Shisper glacier. Higher up the mountains, the Wakhi—a semi-nomadic people—were leading their yaks to summer pastures at 15,500 feet above. Their traditional way of life has been heavily affected by climate change. From the slopes of K2 to the Himalayas, this profile follows scientists, mountaineers, and villagers on the frontline of global warming.