Climate change can seem distant when it is reduced to numbers, temperatures and scientific projections. But in the mountains, its impacts are becoming increasingly visible. Glaciers are retreating, ecosystems are under pressure, and communities are witnessing changes in the landscapes they have long depended on. But how do you make people see a crisis that can often feel too large and distant to grasp? In Garsha, Himachal Pradesh, India, more than a thousand people are bringing that climate message to life, not through a conference or a big project, but through a journey on foot.
In Garsha, the answer is simple; walk.
People are walking 15 to 18 kilometres a day through the Himalayan landscape as part of the Garsha Eco Pad Yatra.
At first glance, it is simply a group of people walking through the mountains.
But every step is carrying a message.
Garsha’s glaciers are melting rapidly, putting pressure on its fragile mountain landscapes and ecosystems. Instead of keeping the climate conversation inside meeting rooms and discussions, participants are taking it onto the trail.
Along the journey, they are planting trees, collecting trash, and raising awareness about environmental conservation and the need for urgent climate action.
The idea is simple: if people walk through a landscape, they experience it differently. They see its beauty, its vulnerability and, perhaps, what could be lost.
“Global warming is affecting the entire world. Gasha is also an important source of water for the Himalayas and the entire world. I think it is important to highlight this and join Rinpoche in this journey,” said Gan Sock Hong June, Singapore.
The journey is not only about the environment.
Garsha has more than 2,000 years of Buddhist heritage. Yet rapid change is increasingly disconnecting young people from their cultural and spiritual roots.
The Pad Yatra is bringing together youth, local and monastic communities, and international participants to reconnect with the valley, its heritage, and the landscape that has shaped its identity. It will end on Saturday with the Drukpa Heritage Festival.
For now, the walk is taking place in Garsha. But it is not an isolated story. It is one thread in a far larger reality, shared by every community where glaciers are retreating, where seasons no longer arrive the way they once did, and climate-induced disasters are no longer a warning on the horizon.
Sangay Chozom
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
