Up to 40,000 Sherpas who live at the base of the Himalayas face devastation if vast new lakes formed by the melted ice burst and send a torrent of millions of tons of water down the slopes.

Mr Hillary, who has himself twice reached Everest’s summit, said: “Climate change is happening. This is a fact. Base camp used to sit at 5,320 metres. This year it was at 5,280 metres because the ice is melting from the top and side. Base camp is sinking each year. For Sherpas living on Mount Everest this is something they can see every day but they can’t do anything about it on their own.”

The warning came as a survey revealed that most Britons remain unconvinced about the extent of climate change and that terrorism, crime, graffiti and even dog mess are more pressing issues for the UK. The Ipsos-Mori poll found that 56 per cent of people believe scientists are still debating whether human activity is contributing to climate change. In reality, there is virtual consensus that it is.

A message from the melting slopes of Everest – Independent Online Edition > Climate Change.

With ‘Saving Planet Earth’ on BBC TV tonight (6 July 2007) and the ‘Live Earth’ concert tomorrow, maybe a few more people might ratchet climate change up their list of concerns, above dog mess and graffiti?

What are you doing to save our planet?

Tags: Climate+change, Everest, Global+warming