Back to news
22 May 2019 | Atmosphere Initiative

Knowledge brokering and policy engagement through the CCAC to address atmospheric pollution

The future of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region in the face of climate change is of utmost importance, given the extensive ecosystem services it provides to directly sustain the livelihoods of 240 million people living in the region. Changes in the climatic and socioeconomic conditions at the global and regional levels have profound implications on the local communities in the HKH. For over 35 years, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has contributed to national and global discourses to inform policy on issues of global significance, such as atmospheric pollution, with focus always centered on serving the interests and needs of communities in the eight countries along the HKH. ICIMOD’s instrumental role in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC) is a fitting example of its commitment to facilitating policy changes and action on the ground.

2 mins Read

70% Complete
Inauguration of the newly established FABKA secretariat in Kathmandu. ICIMOD, 2019.

The CCAC is the first global effort to treat pollutants as a collective challenge. Formed in 2012, it is a partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions, and civil society that aims to catalyze concrete, substantial action to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and some hydrofluorocarbons, which have harmful impacts on public health, agriculture, and ecosystems. Due to their relatively short lifetime in the atmosphere, quick action to reduce SLCP concentrations can deliver results in a matter of weeks to years after emissions are reduced. To promote these actions, CCAC raises awareness, mobilizes resources, and leads transformative actions through 11 initiatives in key emitting and cross-cutting sectors.

Since joining the CCAC in its founding year, ICIMOD has assumed a core institutional engagement role in defining its global outlook, particularly in the Bricks, Urban, and Regional Assessment activities. ICIMOD has served on the CCAC Steering Committee since 2015. On the basis of on-the-ground expertise, ICIMOD lobbied for the ongoing process to extend CCAC’s mandate beyond 2022 and to expand it beyond addressing SLCPs.

CCAC’s 10th High Level Assembly at the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) recognized the importance of integrating climate and air quality actions and passed the “Action Programme to Address the 1.5°C Challenge” to rapidly reduce SLCPs and ensure integrated mitigation efforts to simultaneously address air pollution and climate change. These efforts can help avert a 0.6˚C temperature increase between now and 2050, prevent millions of premature deaths from air pollution, prevent 50 million tons of crop losses annually, and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Fazullhaq Bakhtari, Director, Water Resources Department, underlined the importance of understanding and managing Afghanistan’s river basins and hoped the training would aid water resources planning. The first week of the training provided a theoretical description of hydrological processes with a focus on the JAMS/J2000 modelling system. The latter half of the training involved an exercise on the Panjshir catchment, which involved setting up the J2000 hydrological model in the catchment and conducting hydrological assessments. Initial assessments show that the basin is largely dominated by snowmelt processes. Ahmad Tamim Kabiry, a participant representing the NEPA, shared that the trainers presented complex topics in such a manner that it was understandable even to those without a background in hydrology.

By applying the JAMS/J2000 model to the Panjshir catchment, this training was able to co-create knowledge and provide co-learning opportunities and strengthen the capacity of Afghan partners on hydrological dynamics and water availability assessment. The selected participants will further work to apply the J2000 model in the Kabul River basin in the coming months to obtain substantial hydrological data and observe how conditions in the river basin might change under climate change.

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

14 Dec 2015 Atmosphere Initiative
Motivating Journalists on Atmospheric Issues

  Twenty eight highly motivated journalists from eight countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region —Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, ...

15 Jun 2016 News
Payment for Ecosystem Services for Drinking Water Schemes in Dhankuta, Koshi Hills, is Becoming a Reality

After a yearlong effort through an action research by ICIMOD’s Koshi Basin Programme (KBP) and its partner Green Governance of Nepal ...

24 Aug 2018 Himalica
ICIMOD Delegates Share Experiences and Lessons from Himalica in Myanmar

Key results, experiences, and lessons learnt from the European Union-funded Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the ...

8 Dec 2015 KSL
ICIMOD Partners Day in China

To continue strengthening partnerships with Chinese organisations, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Chinese Committee on ICIMOD (CNICIMOD) ...

20 Jun 2018 HICAP
Government of Nepal allocates public investment to Shardu Khola as a priority national urban watershed

In 2018, the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM) under Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment listed Shardu ...

16 Aug 2017 News
Private Sector Engagement for Climate Action in Pakistan

A joint event titled “Working Together for Sustainable Mountain Development: Private Sector Engagement for Climate Action in Pakistan” was organized ...

27 Jul 2018 DFAT Brahmaputra
Synthesizing Knowledge on the Vanishing Springs of the Himalaya

Springs are the main source of water for millions of people in the mid-hills of the HKH and provide multiple ...

6 May 2016 News
Promoting Bio-briquette in Pakistan

Mudassar ul Mulk is a bio-briquette expert trained by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and works in ...