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[Rhea Thomas]

Bayan Olgii, Mangolia

Today, half of the nearly 3 million Mongolians still live as herdsmen. They lead a pastoral way of life, moving around in search of pastures for their livestock and sites for their gers, round, moveable dwellings. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns could expand the Gobi desert, threatening the nomadic way of life.

[Rhea Thomas]

Amman, Jordan

This city of 3 million, perched on hills between the desert and the fertile valley below, draws its drinking and irrigation water from the Jordan River. Yet the river’s flow has decreased in recent decades. Temperature rises and precipitation drops are expected to increase the severity of water shortages, fueling tension in the region.

[Rhea Thomas]

Altai Mountains, Russia

The Russian section of this mountain range is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List because of its diverse plant life, which varies from steppe to mixed forest to alpine vegetation. Temperatures have been rising over the last century and a significant reduction of the permafrost is expected in the coming decades, threatening this unique natural habitat.

[Rhea Thomas]

Sagarmatha Himilayas, Nepal

The highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, is known to the Nepalese as Sagarmatha. This high-altitude landscape of snow and rock is home to the snow leopard, musk deer, and red panda. Two thirds of the Himalayan glaciers have retreated significantly, a trend that could lead to rapid expansion of glacial lakes, causing floods and landslides.

[Rhea Thomas]

Yangtze River

Stretching for 3,900 miles from the Tibetan plateau to the East China Sea, the Yangtze is the longest river in Asia. Due to the diminishing of the Tibetan glaciers, the flow of the once mighty Yangtze could dwindle during the dry season in the future, reducing the availability of fresh water in large parts of China all year round and lowering rice yields.

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[Rhea Thomas]

Mount Chomo, Bhutan

The ruins of Sey Dzong, a 17th-century fortress monastery, lie at the foot of the holy mountain of Chomo Lhari. For centuries, the population has depended on melt water from the glaciers of the high mountains to irrigate their farmland. As melt-off from the glaciers increases, the rapidly increasing flow of water could pose a serious threat.