Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Introduction to the analysis

This chapter identifies existing gaps in the aforementioned policies, as well as providing key recommendations for adaptation and outlining existing good practices. One important tool linking national and global efforts on climate change are the respective countries’ NDCs, which address the key sectors well overall. Even the hitherto neglected areas of tourism and human health are now beginning to gain due attention and importance from both the scientific community and policymakers. However, more concrete steps need to be taken towards addressing adaptation in these two sectors, given their critical importance for community livelihoods and overall well-being in the HKH. Our analysis has also revealed that there are two areas that require immediate attention and strengthening throughout the HKH region – gender and indigenous communities (see chapter 3). Despite gender discrimination being a critical issue in the region, gender mainstreaming in policy documents is weak in the majority of HKH countries. Additionally, gender-relevant vulnerabilities are not adequately addressed, and there is no specific strategy regarding the impacts of climate change on women, who are disproportionately affected. Furthermore, Mishra et al. (2017) point out the limited participation of women in key decision-making and policy processes. This is a major obstacle to facilitating women’s safety and productivity, and identifying them as distinct stakeholders in adaptation action planning. Further, the participation of indigenous communities in climate change adaptation is almost non-existent in the HKH countries. Research literature suggests

that these communities are socially discriminated against, especially in terms of access to land. Also, some HKH countries do not recognize indigenous peoples as indigenous, leading to the non- applicability of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). As Mishra et al. (2017) show, climate variability already influences water availability, ecosystem services, and agricultural production in the HKH. Women’s livelihood options, adaptive capacities, roles in decision-making, and access to and control over resources are further constrained by structural and gendered inequalities, which increase their vulnerability to climate change. Despite high levels of male outmigration for work, women still operate within a highly patriarchal system that denies

their full participation. Although remittances from migration have raised household finances generally in rural areas, women often lack the financial literacy necessary for money management, or they are denied power to make decisions regarding this income. To increase community and household resilience to climatic and socioeconomic changes, it is therefore crucial to invest in strengthening women’s capacities to manage the associated risks through, for example, financial literacy training and skills training on resilient agricultural practices. Policymakers and decision makers need to recognize women’s increasing roles and responsibilities in agriculture, food security and natural resource management in order to create enabling policies and institutions that acknowledge women as vital agents of change and adaptation.

Basket Fisherman fishing in Inle Lake, Myanmar

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