How can we fund adaptation efforts to address cascading climate risks in the HKH and other mountain regions?

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About the event

Mountain regions, including those of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), face significant challenges due to climate change. In the HKH, for example, a 2 °C rise and beyond will result in the loss of half the volume of the region’s glaciers and destabilise Asia’s river systems, with enormous downstream consequences for billions of people – a quarter of the planet’s population.

Many of these climate risks are cascading – climate change impact in one country can cascade across one or more national borders to affect people’s lives and livelihoods in another country, similar to what we experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though the importance of adaptation has been recognised at national and global levels, cascading climate risks have been undervalued. Adaptation efforts and finance mechanisms are largely focused on the national level when adaptation action should acknowledge the connectivity of our global systems.

Furthermore, as noted in the cross-chapter paper on ‘Mountains’ in the IPCC AR6, adaptation responses in the mountains are primarily incremental and focus on early warning systems and the diversification of livelihood strategies in agriculture, pastoralism, and tourism. However, the feasibility and long-term effectiveness of these measures in addressing climaterelated impacts, losses, and damage are limited.

So, how can we better support the HKH and other mountain regions in responding to cascading climate risks? What financial mechanisms are available to address these adaptation needs?

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