Back to news
2 Jan 2015 | News

“Good science a must to address climate change in the HKH region”

2 mins Read

70% Complete

 

Speaking at the Sixth People’s SAARC Conference organized by the Nepal Chapter of Nature-Human Centric People’s Movement in Kathmandu, Nepal on 17-18 November 2014, Dr David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD, noted that the mountain systems of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, which spans six SAARC member countries and two non-SAARC countries, are particularly vulnerable to climate change. He issued a call for enhanced transboundary cooperation to address climate change in the HKH region.

“Green house gas emissions, and black carbon have, in their own ways, contributed to climate change, resulting in the rapid melting of glaciers and formation of glacial lakes in the HKH region, some of which pose risks to downstream populations,” Dr Molden said, showing slides to illustrate how dramatically the Rongbuk glacier in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China has retreated over the last 86 years.
“Climate change is not only affecting glacier dynamics, but also monsoon precipitation patterns with implications for water, food, and energy security across the region.”
He said that there is general consensus among scientists that climate change will likely lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme events such as floods, droughts, and heat spells in the future.
 “Generating good science on how climate change and other drivers are impacting the mountain communities and ecosystems is a must to address climate change in the HKH region,” he said.
Describing the HKH region as a ‘global asset’, he added that it is not only the source of ten major river systems of Asia – lifeline to over 1.3 billion people, a fifth of the world’s population – but also home to incredibly rich human, cultural, and biological diversity.
Dr Molden called on all those present at the conference to help draw the international community’s attention to the HKH region in order to address the many challenges associated with climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Responding to comments from the audience, Dr Molden said that the West must indeed do more to help countries like Nepal that bear the brunt of climate change impacts despite their negligible contribution to climate change. On the question of water disputes between India and Bangladesh, he said that concerned authorities of the two countries should initiate dialogue to resolve them.
Besides climate change, the conference, also covered other topics such as corruption, unemployment, and rule of law. The two-day conference was inaugurated by Honorable Finance Minister of Nepal, Dr Ram Sharan Mahat.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

related contents

Continue exploring this topic

22 Jul 2019 Water
Fourth regional hands-on training on community-based flood early warning systems

Floods and flash floods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya cause considerable loss of lives and property, particularly during the monsoon. ...

24 Jul 2015 News
SERVIR’s new science in forest fire management gets wider acceptance

The South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE) intervention on forest fire,with support from ICIMOD’s SERVIR-Himalaya Small Grants Programme, has two strong ...

Understanding of glaciers’ health calls for precise estimations of ice losses into water equivalent

Glaciers in the upper Indus supply more than half of the river water and are experiencing significant melting. There is ...

10 Aug 2017 News
Tripartite Consultation on Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Management Plan

Zaheer Uddin Babar, Deputy Director of GB-DMA, said that the existing plan was developed in 2008 with the help of ...

16 Nov 2018 Cryosphere
Glaciologists share their research findings from the three “poles”

On 29 October 2018, glaciologists from three poles of the globe came together to discuss their research and explore new ...

10 Jan 2017 News
Training for the Development of Flood Outlook in Bhutanese River Basins

A week-long training on flood outlook was organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Thimphu, Bhutan, ...

14 Oct 2015 News
Expedition to Rikha Samba Glacier in Nepal

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and its partners for the ...

30 May 2017 Forests
Cooperatives prepare business plans to promote agroforestry in Chitwan, Nepal

An orientation programme was conducted by Bhandari and Bishwa Raj Karki (an independent consultant) to sensitize cooperative members to the ...