The First Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement Submission by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
Category: UNFCCC
Document Type: Submission To The Global Stocktake
Role: Main
ICIMOD Submits Input on Hindu Kush Himalaya Climate Risks to the First Global Stocktake in 2022
This document is a submission by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to the first Global Stocktake (GST) of the Paris Agreement, dated August 2022. The submission was made in response to calls for inputs from the UNFCCC in early and June 2022, intended to inform the second meeting of the Technical Dialogues (TD1.2) at COP27. Guided by Decision 19/CMA.1 and the objectives of the GST under Article 14 of the Paris Agreement, ICIMOD, an intergovernmental organization with UNFCCC observer status, aims to highlight the critical need for dedicated attention to climate action in mountain regions, specifically the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), to protect these ecosystems and their dependent populations. ICIMOD serves eight regional member countries (RMCs) of the HKH: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan. It supports these countries in addressing climate and environmental challenges, including national policy development. ICIMOD coordinated the HKH Call to Action, endorsed by RMC ministers in October 2020, which advocates for urgent regional cooperation, resources, investment, and technical support (South-South and North-South) around six priority actions to protect the HKH and its people. The submission emphasizes the unique vulnerability of the HKH region, which spans over 3,500 km across the eight RMCs. As the source of 10 major Asian river systems, the HKH provides essential water and biodiversity resources to nearly two billion people downstream, irrigating vast agricultural areas. The document highlights severe climate risks: global warming of 2°C is projected to cause the loss of half the region's glacier volume (two-thirds under a 1.5°C scenario), destabilizing Asian river systems with enormous downstream consequences. These impacts will lead to severe and irreversible losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services, resulting in food and water insecurity for billions. The submission stresses that even a 1.5°C world poses significant threats to the HKH due to elevation-dependent warming. The purpose of the submission is to ensure that the specific climate risks and needs of mountain regions like the HKH are adequately considered within the Global Stocktake process. The scope is focused on presenting the case for mountain-specific climate action and highlighting the vulnerabilities of the HKH. The document itself does not establish new obligations, affected sectors, deadlines, or compliance dates; rather, it provides expert input to a UNFCCC process that assesses collective progress towards existing Paris Agreement goals. Affected sectors implicitly include water resources, agriculture/food security, biodiversity, ecosystems, disaster risk management, and human populations dependent on mountain resources.
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SUBMISSION The First Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement Submission by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) August 2022 The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is pleased to make this submission for the first global stocktake in response to the UNFCCC’s call for inputs in early 2022, and a subsequent call made in June 2022, to provide inputs to the second meeting of the Technical Dialogues (TD1.2) to be held at COP27 in Sharm el- Sheikh. These inputs have been provided considering Decision 19/CMA.1, the guiding questions prepared by the chairs of the Subsidiary Bodies, and the overall objectives of the global stocktake (GST) referred to in Article 14 of the Paris Agreement. ICIMOD, an intergovernmental organisation with observer status at the UNFCCC, takes this opportunity to introduce itself and presents the case for dedicated attention needed for effective climate action to protect mountains and people from the impacts of climate change. 1. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ICIMOD is a leading regional and international knowledge and learning centre serving eight regional country members (RMCs) of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan. ICIMOD supports its RMCs efforts to cope with climate and environmental challenges, including supporting them with their national climate and other environmental policies. ICIMOD was instrumental in coordinating the HKH Call to Action, which was endorsed by ministers from its eight RMCs in October 2020 during the first HKH Ministerial Mountain Summit. The Call to Action is a clarion call for urgent action to protect the health of the HKH, a global asset, and its people’s well-being. It aims to enhance regional cooperation and leverage more resources, investment, and technical support – from South–South and North–South engagement – around six urgent actions. 2. Recommendations – Consider the climate risks to the Hindu Kush Himalaya and mountains The HKH region extends over 3,500 km, from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east, crossing Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. It is home to the world’s highest peaks, unique cultures, diverse flora and fauna, and a vast reserve of natural resources. As the source of 10 major Asian river systems, the HKH provides essential resources, especially water and biodiversity, to nearly two billion people, a fourth of humanity. Its waters irrigate the food baskets of Asia. Global warming at 2°C and beyond will result in the loss of half the volume of the region’s glaciers (two-thirds under a 1.5°C scenario)1 and destabilise Asia’s river systems, with enormous downstream consequences for billions of people. It will cause severe and irreversible losses to biodiversity and ecosystem services, leading to food and water insecurity. Even a 1.5°C world is too hot for the HKH because of elevation- dependent warming. A 1.5°C rise will increase the risks of extreme weather events, altering agriculture and causing multiple long-term instabilities as well as cascading consequences – floods, landslides, and lake outbursts.2 The impacts of global warming are not limited to the mountain regions. Rapid ice melt could contribute to disastrous sea level rise before the end of the century. Between 1971 and 2018, combined ice sheet and glacier mass loss accounted for 42% of the
Tags: Adaptation, Adaptation Planning, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Risks, Climate Protection, Development, Disaster Risk Management, Food Security, Glaciers, Governance, Institutions / Administrative Arrangements, Mitigation, Mountain, Paris Agreement, Policy, Report, Research, Rivers, Unfccc, Water, Water Management