 Norbu Sherpa clearly remembers the day the flood water obliterated all traces of his home from the rocky landscape high in the Himalayan mountain range. Glaciers are melting due to global warming, causing lakes in the highest regions of the world to burst their banks. Now Norbu has rebuilt his home on land high above the lake and this time his builders used thinner materials than before as there is less snowfall these days. But from his new vantage point above the village, and in his role as a trekking guide for foreign tourists, Norbu can see trees dying from the drought caused by changing rainfall patterns. Meanwhile newly-formed lakes pose increasingly greater threats to the Sherpa villagers living on the roof of the world. Within Witness, Meltdown explores the impacts of climate change through the stories of four individuals in very different environments: Fijian Penina Moce, who lives on the remote island of Lau; retired German forester, George Speber; Norbu Sherpa from the high mountains of Nepal, and eco-tourism entrepreneur John Rumney, in Port Douglas Australia. Their personal stories are interwoven with accounts from climate scientists researching the impacts of climate change in different ecosystems. Filmed on HDV, Meltdown has been produced with the support of WWF International.
Nepal, officially Kingdom of Nepal, constitutional monarchy in South Asia. Locked within the rugged ranges of the Himalayas, Nepal is bounded by the Tibet region of China on the north and India on the south, east, and west. It was cut off from the rest of the world until the early 1950s, when a palace revolution and the subsequent overthrow of the autocratic Rana dynasty marked the beginning of Nepal?s emergence into the modern world. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. Nepal?s indigenous population consists of two major groups, the Indo-Nepalese, whose ancestors migrated into the country from the south, and the Tibeto-Nepalese, whose ancestors entered Nepal from the north. Although intermingling between the two groups has occurred, cultural, linguistic, and religious differences exist both between and within the two groups. The Indo-Nepalese group comprises people who speak Sanskrit-derived languages and are strict adherents to Hinduism. Nepali, the official language, is derived from Sanskrit. Differences within the Indo-Nepalese group are marked more by caste (a system of social hierarchy) than by ethnicity. The Tibeto-Nepalese group comprises several different ethnic groups including Newar, Bhutia, Sherpa, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, and Limbu people. Although most of the Tibeto-Nepalese speak Nepali, each ethnic group also has its own language. While the majority of Nepali people practice Hinduism, the official religion, a strong shamanist element remains in the religious practices of many Tibeto-Nepalese ethnic groups (see Shaman). Buddhism is also important within the country. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in LumbinÄ«, in present-day Nepal. There is also a small Muslim population mainly located in the TarÄi.Nepal?s society is predominantly rural. Social life in the village revolves around the family, which is headed by the father. Extended families sometimes break apart as sons separate from parents and brothers from each other in search of additional land. Family property is divided equally among sons at the time of separation. Consequently, family land holdings are extremely fragmented. Villagers often pool resources and labor to implement village-level projects such as irrigation ditches or channels. Rice is the food staple in most parts of the country. Barley, millet, and potatoes are important food staples in the Himalayas.
 People in Kathmandu
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