Climate Change and the ‘Third Pole’

Climate Change, a global phenomenon is one of the most widely deliberated issues today and  is a major cause of concern worldwide - from the grassroots communities to climate experts and the policy shapers. This is a grave concern for the Himalayas as the impacts are expected to be 5 times as in the plains.

Outside the polar region, the Himalayas have the maximum concentration of glaciers and snow. It is often regarded as the “Third Pole”, when it comes to providing fresh water to more than a billion people in China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. 

The environmental changes are becoming more visible day-by-day and are affecting the lifestyle of the natural resource-dependent population in the high altitude Himalayas. The interplay of dynamic climatic and anthropogenic factors, are leading to growing concerns for life and livelihood security among the indigenous communities.

Inviting your insights, experiences, good practices, suggestions...

In my opinion, coping with climate change needs a lot of financial enablers for women farmers or crafts persons, the small enterprises. But our outreach in the remote hilly areas has been pitiable. Concepts such as climate indexed insurance etc have not received wide application or the required amount of thinking that needs to go behind it to fine tune it for various regions. We are practicing more or less the same models that we use in the crowded plains, urban, peri-urban areas. In short, a lot remains to be done.

Outside the polar region, the Himalayas have the maximum concentration of glaciers and snow and is often referred to as the “Third Pole”. Many are of the opinion that when it comes to the present degree of threats from climate change, the region may rank first. With increased ablation rates stream flows are reducing, seasonal variability is on the rise and the livelihoods of the communities in the high Himalayas are at stake. It’s ironic as these people are amongst those who contribute the least to global warming and still have to bear the brunt. This what we refer to as “climate injustice”.

Are we on the right track? Well, various initiatives are underway. However, the immense diversity within the region need to be recognized: diversity of climates and micro-climates, hydrology and ecology, and, above all, the human cultures and activities for designing appropriate initiatives. Given the multiplicity and trans-boundary nature of issues, information sharing and coordination of efforts are the major hurdles to be surmounted.