Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Adaptation policy responses for vulnerable sectors

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), under a business as usual scenario (which uses high emission scenario trajectories from the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and assumes no mitigation or adaptation efforts beyond the current levels), climate change is projected to cost the South Asian region up to 2 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050 and up to 9 per cent by 2100 (Ahmed et al., 2014). In the projected worst-case scenario, the region could lose up to 24 per cent of its annual GDP by 2100. These figures stress the need for national policies that consider climate change impacts and promote strategies that include mitigation and adaptation actions. Adapting to climate change is a complex process and includes a number of activities, from risk reduction and early warning systems to capacity- building and livelihood diversification, in addition to policies that recognize interactions between different sectors. Moreover, national policies should provide long-term predictability and certainty and ensure coordination between local and central governments. Greater regional cooperation is needed, as is coherence between the policies of different countries to tackle transboundary climate change impacts. Given the global nature of climate change, international cooperation and agreements should also be reflected in national and regional policies.

Rice production in Bhutan

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