Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme - HICAP
HICAP is producing knowledge on how climate change affects natural resources, ecosystem services, and the communities that depend on them.
Mountain Adaptation Outlook Series: Synthesis Report
Mountain regions occupy about one-quarter of the Earth’s land surface, and are home to 15% of the world’s population. The influence of mountains extends far beyond their ranges: they provide goods and services, most notably water, to millions of people downstream.
Mountains are also on the frontline of climate change. Just like the poles, high-altitude areas are warming faster than the global average, and almost all glaciers across mountain regions are retreating. The topography of mountains means they are often steep, with human populations earning a living on precarious land which is prone to flooding, landslides and a host of other climatic and non-climatic hazards. Adaptation to climate change in mountain regions is crucial, not only for the people living in mountains, but also for those living downstream.
This Mountain Adaptation Outlook Series – Synthesis Report provides a concise summary of the findings of a series of reports focusing on adaptation to climate change in some of the world’s major mountain regions with a particular focus on developing regions and economies in transition. The report identifies common climate change trends, key risks and impacts, and sectoral vulnerabilities both within and across different mountain regions; common policy gaps for adaptation to climate change both within and across different mountain regions; potential solutions at the regional/transboundary and international levels to promote adaptation to climate change in mountain regions.
Status: Completed
Type: Mountains Outlook
Year of publication: 2018
Publisher: UN Environment & GRID-Arendal
Read More