Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

However, PA governance systems need to be further refined to respect traditional knowledge and also to address tangible and intangible benefits for traditional societies living in and around a PA. Based on interdisciplinary research findings, the traditional knowledge systems therefore need to be cautiously integrated into new technologies. Energy The emerging energy policies and actions in the HKH countries aim to make production and consumption more efficient, and to promote a transition to low- or zero-carbon energy sources. In general, the energy

policies address electricity, gas and petroleum, and several countries have adopted plans to ensure that their population has access to electricity. For instance, Bangladesh has committed to provide affordable and reliable electricity for all of its citizens by 2021, and Myanmar has developed a National Electrification Plan in response to the increased demand for energy. Additionally, Afghanistan has developed a Rural Renewable Energy Strategy Action Plan (2018), China a Renewable Energy Law (amended in 2009), and Bhutan has a Renewable Energy Policy (2011) with a vision of a 100 per cent renewable energy supply based on hydropower. Some countries also have specific policies on nuclear energy, namely India (Atomic

Energy Act (1962, amended 1987) and Regulations (1996)) andAfghanistan (Nuclear Energy Law (2015)). At the regional level, during the eighteenth SAARC summit in Kathmandu in 2014, the member countries signed a Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation. This agreement opened up the energy market and possibilities for cooperation, and recognized the importance of electricity in promoting economic growth and improving quality of life. The SAARC Member States also agreed that the common benefits of cross-border electricity exchanges and trade among them could optimize the use of regional electricity-generating resources. South-South Cooperation Training Programme on Climate Change Adaptation GOOD PRACTICES The South-SouthCooperationTrainingProgramme on Climate Change Adaptation is an initiative financed by the Government of China through the Department of Climate Change of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The program had its first training in August 2017, which included participants from 57 countries including from the HKH region.The trainings aim to share knowledge about China’s measures and achievements in addressing climate change and low-carbon development, to examine the policy and technology requirements of participants’ countries, to help foster cooperation opportunities between Chinese enterprises, research institutes and organizations from developing countries, and to promote the application of energy conservation and low-carbon technologies.

Shimla, India

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