Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Foreword

pace of change, especially at higher altitudes, is faster than the global average and the region could experience average warming of between 4–5 ° C by 2100. While future precipitation trends are less clear, increases in precipitation extremes are likely in the future, bringing with it increased risks of flooding and other climate-related hazards. The Himalayan countries are already amongst the most disaster-prone on Earth, evidenced by the serious flooding which hit the region in 2017 which affected millions of people. While the world must reduce greenhouse gases to limit warming to safe levels, the reality for the Hindu Kush Himalaya is that adaptation actions across all sectors is essential now and in the coming decades. Many of the current and future challenges are of a transboundary nature, calling for increasing cooperation between the countries in the region. We hope that this report will serve as a practical companion for local, regional and national policy makers seeking to protect fragile mountain ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

Mountain ecosystems enrich the lives of over half of the world’s population as a source of water, energy, agriculture and other essential goods and services. Unfortunately, while the impact of climate change is accentuated at high altitude, such regions are often on the edge of decision-making, partly due to their isolation, inaccessibility and relative poverty. That is why theUnitedNations Environment Programme and partners have developed a series of outlook reports about the need for urgent action to protect mountain ecosystems and to mitigate human risk from extreme events. The series includes the Western Balkans, Southern Caucasus, Central Asia, Tropical Andes, Eastern Africa, and the Carpathian Mountains. Now, the seventh report in the series focusses on the Hindu Kush Himalaya, one of the world’s most important mountain regions because of its sheer size, available water resources, and large human populations both within the mountains and downstream. This report was developed in close collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and GRID-Arendal.

Each report in the series assesses the effectiveness of existing adaptation policy measures and the extent to which they apply to mountain landscapes, going on to identify critical gaps that must be addressed to meet current and future risks from climate change. As a result of a broad assessment process involving national governments and regional and international experts, the reports offer concrete recommendations for adaptation. This includes sharing regional good practices with the potential for wider replication to improve cost efficiency and adaptation capacity. Stretching over 3500 kilometres and across eight countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan) – the Hindu Kush Himalaya are arguably the world’s most important ‘water tower’, being the source of ten of Asia’s largest rivers as well as the largest volume of ice and snow outside of the Arctic and Antarctica. This mountainous region is home to 240 million people, and an additional 1.9 billion people depend on the services it provides. Climate change impacts are already being felt, manifested through rising temperatures and changing precipitation. The

Dechen Tsering Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific, UN Environment

David Molden Director General, ICIMOD

Peter Harris Director, GRID-Arendal

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