With the beginning of a new climbing season, the Everest base camp is gradually taking the shape of a sprawling village. Hundreds of tents of manifold designs and colors dot the rocky land just a few miles below the summit of the world’s highest peak.  The camps will be temporary homes for  hundreds of climbers, guides, porters, security officials and civil servants for the next several weeks . 

In the north-west corner of the basecamp, there are a set of tents which stand out for its facilities new to the basecamp.  The camps also have 16 oversized panels for solar energy in the form of a large photovoltaic farm. The energy is used for light, charging gears and similar requirements of climbers and  climbing assistance. The first of its kind known to the basecamp, the main objective of the installation is to reduce the carbon footprint.  In addition to that, the camp also has a wastewater treatment facility and arrangement to collect feces which would be safely disposed of in a dumping site in the lower area. There is also a facility for servicing and refilling the oxygen bottles.  

The camps belong to Furtenbach Adventures, a Austria-based company which is leading by example to tackle climate change and its impact on the world’s highest peak . 

“We are trying to run the first co2 negative expedition. We avoid as much Co2 as we can,'' said Lukas Furtenbach, the company’s managing director. 

His company spent several weeks transporting the solar plant– first by the air and then with the help of porters. The cost and difficulties in transportation are the main reasons why some many expedition agencies are still hesitant to install such facilities. 

The climate change and its devastating impact on the himalayas have worried both policymakers and businesses alike.  Studies show that Mount Everest has been losing its ice at an alarming rate due to global warming .  An analysis of the ice core drilled from South Col Glacier at an altitude of 8,000 meters on Mount Everest showed that the ice that took 2,000 years to form has melted in around 25 years, according to a recent study published in the Nature Portfolio Journal Climate and Atmospheric Science.  

Such findings are worrying for Nepal because the Himalayas not only create jobs and revenue for the country but also remain the source of fresh water for billions of people in the Indian subcontinent.  

Furtenbach thinks that it is time to act to save the mountains and preserve its sanctity.  

“We love to climb and explore the mountains around the world. For our freedom and joy, the adventure and the thrill. Unfortunately, mountains are threatened by climate change and overuse. This problem affects us all,” said Furtenbach who has over two decades of experience in expedition business. 

In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of climbers. In 2021, a record 408 climbers attempted to climb the world’s highest peak. This has resulted in massive pollution, causing countless dumping sites in the region. 

Stakeholders have been taking various measures to combat the pollution. For each climber, mountaineering agencies have to deposit garbage deposit fees of 4,000 dollars. The existing anti-pollution measure requires each  climber returning from the Everest trip to bring 18 pounds of garbage from the high camps. If agencies are found to be complicit in littering, the authorities hold the right to deduct a certain amount from the deposit. Individual climbing agencies also  incentivize their guides and workers for returning with waste in the form of bonuses and rewards. For instance, some companies give up to 130 USD  for Sherpa guides returning old oxygen canisters. 

Several businesses and nonprofits are also doing their part to combat pollution in Everest. Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, a nonprofit established by the locals to tackle the pollution, has been promoting recycling and reuse of some of the waste, while dumping the rest in a safer way.  Similarly, Nepal Army has been conducting clean up campaigns in Everest and other mountains since 2019.  But these efforts have proven inadequate to curb the waste problem. 

Furtenbach, who canceled last year’s expedition due to Covid19 outbreak,   believes it is imperative for agencies, climbers and high altitude workers to act together  not just to get rid of  old waste but also curb the pollution in the future. Moreover, it is also time to give back to the mountain. 

“We need to reduce our ecological footprint and take care of these natural treasures. It is clearly our responsibility as expedition operators to preserve our mountains for future generations. Today, this obligation is stronger than ever,” he said.

The use of scientific technologies and innovations in climbing is not a new thing for Furtenbach Adventures which has emerged as an established name in the climbing industry.  The company  claims to have a cent percent success rate in climbing Everest.

“What makes us more successful than all other expeditions is our belief that we can only be successful if we always rely on the latest findings from science, medicine and technology,” said Furtenbach.