Ecological footprint Pictures

One year after the deadliest accident to ever occur on Mt Everest, attention has now turned to the human impact on the ecology of the iconic mountain.

Since the deadly avalanche in 2012, killing 16 people, the Sherpa community called off any future ascents on the mountain. As a result, their attention was turned to the environmental impact climbers have on the mountain. It is estimated that between 70, 000 and 100, 000 visitors visit Mount Everest every year. Alton Byers, director of science and exploration at the US-based Mountain Institute, said that visitors produce 12, 000 pounds of human waste each year. This often ends up in waterways that nearby villages rely on.

“It’s getting notorious – people getting sick from water contaminated by dumping human waste.” - Alton Byers.

Not only that, but springs are now drying up due to warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. Byers is calling the pollution a "climate change stressor", believing it to worsen the effects of global warming. Ecological degradation is worsened by lodge owners disposing of their solid waste in large, open-air garbage pits.

Waste on the mountain is an equally important issue, with climbers frequenting the same routes for safe ascents. In order to carry less weight, they leave behind plastics, tents, oxygen tanks. Even corpses of past climbers lay on the slope. To combat this, Nepal's government has told climbers to bring down an amount of garbage they have left behind. A local Sherpa, Dawa Stevens, has started a non-profit to pay people who bring down any extra waste.

The nearby village of Gork Shep has now become a dumping ground for Everest waste. It's now reached its limit, which means any further waste has been moved further downhill.

“It’s unsightly but they ran out of room at Gork Shep, so they’re taking it lower… It’s an eyesore.” - Garry Porter, engineer.

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