Mountains -- homes of the gods, sources of life-giving waters, gigantic monuments of rock and ice - that for centuries posed as impenetrable boundaries, are increasingly falling vulnerable to humans' sporting endurance, to an onslaught of travelers seeking escape from cluttered lives, and to demands on natural resources and cultural institutions that far exceed capacities. Ironically, tourism -- that which brought laudable economic opportunities to here-to-fore isolated and undeveloped mountain regions - is turning mountains into "the world's highest trash dumps," into high altitude Disneylands that misrepresent and exploit mountain cultures with little gain for mountain inhabitants. Infrastructure development (roads, airports, hotels, communications, etc.) is opening mountain regions to mass tourism before proper tourism planning or management can take place.

We welcome that the Bush Administration is changing its position and taking the climate issue more seriously. Introducing new tax incentives for more efficient and renewable energy technologies is certainly a step in the right direction. I am however concerned about the adequacy of the commitment being made and in particular that the administration plans to increase US emissions by at least an additional 12 percent in the next ten years. This will leave the US producing at least 35 percent more greenhouse gasses in 2010 than would be permitted under the Kyoto protocol.