Asian water towers are the world’s most important and most threatened water towers, according to a study recently published in Nature. An international team of 32 scientists, including Prof. YAO Tandong, co-chair of TPE, ranked 78 water towers all over the world according to the potential environmental and socioeconomic effects of water tower change and degradation on adjacent lowland communities. The researchers also called for the international community to take immediate action to counter threats to the water towers and to develop better policies（click here for more details）.

The study quickly became a focus of media attention. Many influential media agencies in China, the U.S., the UK, the Netherlands, India, Nepal and other countries covered the story. Below is a list of news reports to help you better understand the issue and the coverage of the story in various regions.

Asian water towers received close attention from Xinhuanet and other major news media in Asia:

1. "Asian water towers ranked threatened: study," from Xinhuanet.

2. "Urgent protection needed for Asian Water Towers," from Xinhuanet(in Chinese).

3. "Recent study shows global water towers are under dire threats," from China News(in Chinese).

4. "Scientists ranked Asian water towers most important and most threatened," from Sciencenet(in Chinese).

5. "Global heating melts mountains," from NEPALI Times.

6. "Scientists rank world's most important and vulnerable mountain water towers," from Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).

Photograph by WANG Zhongyan

Coverage by major news agencies in North and South America:

1. "Scientists Rank World's Most Important, Most Threatened Mountain Water Towers," from National Geographic.

2. "Earth's frozen 'water towers' threatened by warming, population growth, report says," from the CBC.

3. "How mountains can be affected by climate change, threatening water resources," from SoFatos (in Portuguese).

Photograph by National Geographic

Coverage by media in Europe:

1. "Policies neededto protect natural 'water towers'," from the BBC.

2. "1.9 billion people at risk from mountain water shortages, study shows," from The Guardian.

3. "Forscher: Klimawandel gefahrdet weltweit Wasserversorgung aus Gebirge," from APA.

4. "Opwarming aarde bedreigt 'watertorens'," from Nederlandsdagblad.

5. "Vital water towers for 1.9 billion people are at greater risk," from Green Report (in Italian).

Photograph by Oceanographic