Maglić, Bjelašnica, Zelengora and Prenj are just some of the many elevated parts of the Earth’s crust that are located in our mostly mountainous country. Being located in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, BiH and its mountains have been subject to various civilizations throughout history that have surely left their mark . Up until modern times however, not a single generation has left an indelible mark on our planet’s climate much like ours.
As the increase in average temperatures has a direct impact on the melting of snow and ice caps, this leads to changes in flora and fauna as well as changes in ecosystems of mountainous areas. As a matter of fact, the mountains are considered the earliest indicators of climate change. That’s exactly why, for the past 15 years, International Mountain Day has been celebrated on December 11th as a method of increasing global awareness about the importance of mountains and their potential.
As one of the consequences of climate change, glacier melting threatens mountains as well as their populations which is up to a billion people worldwide. In addition to the population, high areas are home to a large number of plant and animal species, not to mention 70% of the worlds fresh water.
Just as the world’s mountains are being threatened by climate change, so are the mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
One of the consequences felt in our area is certainly an increased risk of floods, especially in the northeastern part of BiH, where during May 2014, the most catastrophic floods in the history of the country were recorded.
In order to protect our mountains and future generations and leave Earth in the same state in which we enjoyed it, we need to reduce our carbon footprint and the amount of CO2 emissions we produce on an annual basis.
Contrary to popular opinion, achieving this goal is not necessarily troublingly or demanding. Reducing electricity consumption, walking or biking instead of driving cars, using renewable energy sources and recycling are just some simple habits that our planet can significantly benefit from.
The situation is rather alarming, and we would not want global warming to ruin some of Bosnia’s most beautiful gems, right? That is why we need to act now!