Sonam Wangchuk, an activist from India, held a 21-day 'climate fast' in his home region of Ladakh in the Himalayas to draw attention to the fast melting of the Earth's 'third pole' and put pressure on India's government to give Ladakhis the legal power to protect the area's resources.
Ladakhis have been dealing with tragedies like rapid glacier loss, snowfall that is becoming less predictable, and cloudbursts and lake floods caused by melting glaciers. Wangchuk, an engineer and teacher, was one of the first people to build passive solar-heated houses and "ice stupas," which freeze meltwater for use in irrigation. He thinks that these attempts can't solve the bigger problem, and he has become one of the most well-known climate activists in India.
Wangchuk's fast took him to 11,500 feet, where it was very cold, and he slept outside while only drinking water and salt. He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to make Ladakh a "tribal area" under a part of India's constitution that gives the people there control over how they use land and resources. Giving this power to the Ladakhis is the only way to protect their way of life and the fragile environment of the cold desert.
Without these rights, Ladakhis might not be able to have any say in how their land is used, which could lead to big mining, energy, and industrial projects that don't involve or limit locals. There are already problems with pollution and water use caused by the tourist industry. People in Ladakh are afraid that their culture and way of life will not be able to survive without these protections.
South Asia is about to face a water disaster as the Himalayan glaciers melt. Protecting the glaciers is very important for the future of Ladakh and the region.
Through his fast, Wangchuk, the leader of the Indian Climate Change (CCC), has been drawing attention to the melting Himalayan glaciers and the wasteful use of the mountains. Through social media posts, he has been teaching people in India and telling the government what they said they would do. A lot of people from northern India, the slopes of the Himalayas, and the rest of India have shown their support for the cause. Wangchuk thinks that the fast and related protests have taught people about why the fast is happening and what will happen if companies keep using the mountains for their own gain.
He thinks the government needs to pay attention to the fast because it is taking away votes. Wangchuk also wants to teach the world's big towns and historically responsible countries what they can do to protect the Himalayas. He tells people to simplify their lives and switch from carbon-intensive to cleaner ways of living because pollution and emissions don't respect borders. One of the best ways to fight these problems is through education.
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