The High Profile Dump

How big is the problem of littering on Chomolongma?

How big is the problem of littering on Chomolongma? It depends on one's viewpoint. To a mountaineer, litter on Chomolongma is a big problem because no climber likes to reach the Fourth Pole only to stumble over discarded junk that originated in Europe and Japan. But then, who is to blame but the mountaineers?

To local residents, the question of litter on the High Himal is not a big issue because they have no business to go up there unless paid to do so by a foreign expedition. It is an out-of-sight, out-of-mind matter for most. For the decision-maker in Kathmandu, littering is an evil if it threatens the tourism industry. Otherwise, it is not a big deal compared to escalating pollution within Kathmandu itself. For unscrupulous climbers, mountain clean-ups provide an excuse for fund-raising at a time when sponsorships for climbing expeditions seem to be drying up. And then there arc the well-meaning, who devote their own time and money to fly half way around the world to pick up someone else's trash. The only problem is that so much money is spent on a token gesture.

Cleanup Crews

The problem is not in perspective. There have been more than a dozen national and international cleaning teams on Chomolongma. They range from school and scout groups to full-fledged mountaineering expeditions. Each team reports on the tonnage of garbage removed and papers are presented- at seminars and conferences. Prominent mountaineering figures such as Edmund Hillary have suggested a moratorium on climbing Chomolongma. Although each clean-up campaign must have had some positive impact, none have shown the promise of a long-range solution. We must realise that littering on Chomolongma is neither a problem of finance nor of labour shortage. It is an ethical and an organisational problem. So long as climbers continue to dump litter, the erratic and uncoordinated cleaning campaigns will only contribute to painting a negative image of the area. The Nepali authorities must come up with a sustainable and practical control programme.

Such a programme must include educational, regulatory and institutional measures. The commitment of the Government, businesses, mountaineers and local people is vital. There will be no commitment, however, unless the problem is recognised and its consequences clearly understood by all concerned. Perceptions of pollution vary. A lama from a local monastery, for example, once pointed out to a Western climber that pollution at base camps are of little consequence when there was spiritual pollution to consider.

From the perspective of the local inhabitants of the Khumbu, the declining agricultural and pastoral productivity, inflation, shrinking forest reserves and rapid cultural erosion are of equal concern, if not greater. These problems may not be as visible as the toilet paper strewn around camp sites but are far more insidious and lasting in terms of potential human and environmental consequences. The environmental and cultural problems of the Khumbu region must be addressed in an integrated manner and attempts to deal with only a portion of it by riding the wave of publicity will not only prove ineffective but will have negative consequences.

Over-exposure of the litter issue must not be allowed to obscure other environmental and socioeconomic concerns. For example, the influence of outside cultures is rapidly eroding the attributes of Sherpa society. Cultural features such as dialect, folk songs, dances and rituals are in decline. While human society must and always does evolve, unique cultural attributes should not disappear without trace. The monasteries that once sustained themselves with popular support are now rife with internal conflict as they try to adjust to changes brought by forces external to Sherpa society. The ill effects of rapid social change are becoming apparent to those who are prepared to recognise them.

The highland forest and grassland ecosystems are increasingly stressed by human demands. The need for improved planning and management of natural resources is ever greater as the resource base shrinks and demands continue to grow. Littering can be prevented or removed but biological and cultural values are much more difficult to recover. The natural ecosystems and human cultures are, after all, living components of the mountain landscape. If their survival is not ensured, even the cleanest of mountains are, as George Schaller's says, merely "stones of silence".

Over-stressing a single issue can force authorities into taking rash legislative and financial decisions. Recently, for example, the Government of Nepal decided to raise the royalty for climbing Chomolongma five-fold. This was a strong measure, but not necessarily the most suitable measure. It is all very well for the Government to trade five small expeditions for one high-paying expedition with the hope of reducing pollution, but what impact will this decision have on the citizens who rely on climbing-related employment? For lack of better alternatives, a sizeable portion of the mountain population is today dependent on climbing jobs.

Mountains are more than rental assets. And did the Ministry of Tourism exhaust all management alternatives to deal with the pollution before it decided to raise fees, cut climbing opportunities and reduce jobs? Are the recent measures supported by detailed impact assessment, or was the Ministry simply yielding to media pressure?

Trashing Chomolongma

The slopes of Chomolongma are obviously not the normal human environment. Climbers require special equipment and supplies (oxygen, ropes, pegs, special clothing, tents, packaged and canned food) for survival in this 'hostile' arena. While the need for survival equipment grows with higher elevation, the extreme conditions greatly impair normal physical and mental performances. Concerns for safety, egocentricity, sorrows, joys, tension and longing for home and family often drown out the concern a climber might otherwise