By Devendra Gautam

“I pledge to protect the mountains and raise awareness about the impacts of global warming and climate change on glaciers, mountain ecosystems, biodiversity and local communities….”

On the lap of Sagarmatha—also called Chomolongma and the almost-forgotten Charilamini, named after a bird that still braves (most probably) the heights of the Mahalangur range—the words echoed through a packed auditorium in Kathmandu. There, on May 27, more than a hundred high-altitude mountaineers stood with raised hands in the shadow of Earth’s fourteen highest peaks. 

In unison, they recited a collective code of conduct with Mukunda Prasad Niraula, Secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, behind the microphone.

The solemn pledge marked one of the defining moments of the second Everest Summiteers Summit 2026, organized ahead of the International Sagarmatha Day commemorating the historic May 29, 1953 ascent of Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.

Held under the theme “Himalayan Innovation for a Sustainable Future,” the summit brought together climbers, diplomats, tourism professionals, policymakers and environmental advocates at a critical moment for the world’s highest peak: a record-breaking climbing season overshadowed by worsening overcrowding, glacier retreat and growing concern over the sustainability of Himalayan tourism.

Record-setting season, growing alarm

This year, Nepal issued a historic 495 permits for the world’s tallest peak (8848.86 metres), generating over Rs 1.07 billion in royalty revenue. The season witnessed extraordinary feats, including the legendary guide Kami Rita Sherpa extending his own world record with a 32nd successful ascent of the Sagarmatha. Chinese climber Gexi Luori also achieved a rare feat by summiting both the tallest peak and Lhotse (8516 metres) twice within a single season.

Both the climbers were present on the occasion with a bevy of mountaineers, tourism professionals, diplomats and mediapersons. 

The scale of activity reached new heights on May 20, when 274 climbers summited the tallest peak from the southern face — the Nepali side — on a single day, marking the highest number thus far. But the celebrations have been accompanied by renewed concern over the mountain’s carrying capacity.

Drone footage and images on social media showed long queues of climbers between Camp III and Camp IV in a grim reminder of the deadly 2019 traffic jams in the massif’s “Death Zone,” where overcrowding and delayed movement contributed to multiple fatalities.

Even Kami Rita acknowledged the mounting pressure on the mountain after returning to Kathmandu, warning that climbing activity “needed to be controlled a little.”

The unprecedented human triumph on the tallest peak comes with a serious reminder of the fragility of the mountain ecosystem itself.

Under Himalayan pressure

The summit repeatedly returned to one central reality: the Himalayas are warming faster than ever.

Global warming and climate change — caused primarily by rising greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized economies — are accelerating glacial melting and retreat across the Himalayan region, threatening biodiversity, fragile mountain ecosystems and local livelihoods.

The consequences extend far beyond Nepal’s mountains, though Nepal remains one of the worst affected countries, despite a nominal carbon footprint.

Described as Asia’s “water towers,” the Himalayas feed major river systems sustaining nearly two billion people across the continent. Melting glaciers, erratic snowfall and changing weather patterns increasingly threaten water security, agriculture, fisheries and ecological balance across vast downstream regions.

Against this backdrop, the star-studded meet sought to redefine the Sagarmatha not merely as an arena for adventure tourism and record-breaking ascents, but as a frontline symbol of the global climate crisis.

Climate diplomacy and the ‘Sagarmatha Call’

The summit amplified Nepal’s broader international climate diplomacy through the Sagarmatha Sambaad framework — the country’s flagship global dialogue initiative focused on climate change, mountains and sustainable development.

Participants repeatedly referenced the “Sagarmatha Call for Action,” a declaration urging stronger global action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to prevent catastrophic cryosphere loss.

The solemn pledge read during the summit effectively translated that diplomatic framework into practical responsibility on the ground — emphasizing cleaner expeditions, waste reduction, sustainable climbing practices and environmental stewardship.

The declaration specifically committed climbers to minimizing waste generation, reducing single-use plastics, supporting clean mountain campaigns and respecting local cultures and communities.

A shared responsibility

Addressing the gathering of nearly 600 participants, including 176 honored summiteers from 26 countries, President Ramchandra Paudel stressed that Everest is not merely Nepal’s treasure but a natural heritage of global significance.

“Global warming, impacts of climate change and the accumulation of garbage in mountaineering areas have emerged as major challenges of the modern world,” he said. “Conserving the environment and biodiversity in the Everest region while making mountaineering safe, sustainable and technology-friendly requires additional efforts and cooperation from all sides.”

Echoing those concerns, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadga Raj Paudel emphasised the need for safer and more sustainable tourism policies, stronger emergency response systems and greater economic support for Himalayan communities disproportionately affected by climate change.

The summit also served as a reminder of Nepal’s Supreme Court directive (April 26, 2024) that instructed the government to regulate climbing permits based on scientific assessments of the tallest peak’s carrying capacity.

Beyond adventure tourism

Former Nepal Tourism Board CEO Deepak Raj Joshi urged participants and policymakers to rethink how the Himalayas are perceived and promoted globally.

“The Himalayas are the spiritual heart of Asia,” Joshi said, emphasizing that the mountain range stretching from Afghanistan to Bhutan represents far more than an adventure tourism destination.

While acknowledging that Everest and mountaineering attract global attention, Joshi argued that excessive focus on adventure alone risks undermining the deeper ecological, cultural and civilizational significance of the Himalayas.

“Marketing the Himalayas only as an adventure destination defeats the purpose,” he said.

Joshi stressed that climate change, glacial retreat and ecological degradation are already disrupting the livelihoods and traditional ways of life of mountain communities across the region.

“Sustainability should guide tourism policies and even decisions to climb,” he said, while also calling for greater recognition and protection for Sherpa communities whose labor and expertise form the backbone of Himalayan mountaineering.

“The future of Sagarmatha and other mountains does not depend only on the government or one ministry,” Joshi added. “It depends on all of us.”

Protecting the future

The Everest Summiteers Summit 2026 ultimately reflected a growing realization within the mountaineering world: the future of climbing depends on protecting the mountains themselves.

For decades, the Himalayas symbolized conquest, endurance and human ambition. Increasingly, however, Sagarmatha and other peaks have become a barometer of global warming and climate change, which have exacerbated (un)natural disasters, water shortages and climate injustice, affecting a sea of humanity. Denying this serious fact will be detrimental to the blue planet in its entirety, not just humanity.

At the summit, several summiteers highlighted the need to conquer the mountains within while seeking to ‘conquer’ the mountains without. 

Sagarmatha and her sister peaks do not stand there with egos of Himalayan magnitude, challenging human ambition. They stand there as a divine gift of Nature and a gentle reminder of a gigantic challenge that the living planet faces under the stewardship of sapiens.

The failure to wake up to this challenge and deal with it will have irreversible consequences not just for the Himalayas, not just for the subcontinent but for the whole world.

Most probably, this is the message from the Himalayan peaks, including the Sagarmatha/Chomolongma/Everest/Charilamini to us and the world beyond. Humanity would do well to heed it and act well before the Charilamini (proverbial or otherwise) flies one last time, heralding the Heat Death.

The writer is a desk editor and columnist.

By Devendra Gautam