Champion cyclist Michael Strasser spotlights climate change adaptation in key mountain ranges

Time: 1230 - 1330 CET on 12 December 2018

Participants: World record-breaking cyclist and UN Environment Mountain Hero Michael Strasser, together with Austrian Federal Minister of Environment and Tourism Elisabeth Köstinger‘

Mountain environments capture water for over half of the world’s population and host valuable ecosystems and biodiversity. They are also some of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. For example, around 50 per cent of glacier mass in the Andes has been lost over the last 40 years.

To highlight the threats faced by mountain regions and what we can do in response, UN Environment Mountain Hero Michael Strasser recently broke the world record for cycling from the northern to the southern tip of the Americas in the fastest ever time.

His Ice2Ice quest saw him cover 22,600 kilometres in 84 days, 11 hours and 50 minutes, ending in Ushuaia, Patagonia on 16 October 2018. The champion cyclist will elaborate on his quest, which earned him a Guinness World Record while showcasing the link between the transport choices we make and climate change.

Michael Strasser’s press conference highlights the launch of two UN Environment reports with the latest scientific findings on how mountain regions are threatened. The reports will be discussed in a high-level roundtable, showcasing ways in which we can help these regions and downstream communities adapt.

• Access the Mountain Adaptation Outlook here 
• Access the Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalayas report here 

Follow the press conference and roundtable on Twitter: @UNEnvironment

To request interviews or for more information, please contact:

Shari Nijman, Communication Officer, UN Environment: nijman[at]un.org +254 020 762 3559