Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Trends and scenarios

Observed changes in climate The sheer size, diverse topography and varying climate of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), coupled with a lack of long-term meteorological data from high-altitude areas makes it challenging to collect and analyse data on climate change in the region. Scientists therefore advise that their data be used with caution, underlying that specific figures should only be used as an indicator of increasing or decreasing trends.

Temperature A growing body of literature confirms that the HKH region is becoming warmer overall and that high- altitude areas are warming significantly faster than the global average (You et al., 2017). However, warming rates differ and vary throughout the region, notably between subregions, seasons and high and low altitudes. According to Shrestha (2008), the western and eastern Himalayas and plains of the Ganges basin are experiencing lower rates of warming, while the central Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are experiencing

higher rates, which have been higher in recent decades compared with rates for the twentieth century (Diodato et al., 2011). These findings are in line with a synthesis produced by Gautam et al. (2013), which reviews available studies on climate change in the region. In general, it has been observed that warming is occurring at a more increased rate in the region’s higher altitudes than in lower altitude areas (Sharma and Tsering, 2009; Shrestha, 2008; Shrestha and Aryal, 2011). While data on annual temperature show that warming is consistent throughout the region,

Cryosphere research on a glacier in Langtang, Nepal

Floods in Uttarkashi, India

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