Case Studies - Climate Change

A case study is a detailed study of some aspect of this subject

Integrated hydrological data book (non-classified river basins) by Central Water Commission, Ministry of Water Resources

This data book published by Central Water Commission (CWC) is a compendium of important hydrological information on major basins in India. It provides updated site wise data for 12 non-classified basins that covers aspects such as location, drainage area, population, temperature, average runoff, seasonal water flow, historical water levels, average sediment load, water quality parameters and land use statistics. The statistics of year 2006-07 to 2009-10 are used as the base for the data mentioned in the book.

The state and fate of Himalayan Glaciers - Science

This paper published in the magazine Science highlights the importance of the Himalayan glaciers, the current uncertainties in relation to the status of glaciers, their implications for water resources in the region and the prevailing public and scientific debate around them. Current evidence indicates that most Himalayan glaciers are losing mass at rates similar to glaciers elsewhere, except for emerging indications of stability or mass gain in the Karakoram.

The paper argues that there is a poor understanding of the processes affecting the Himalayan glaciers in the context of the diversity of climatic conditions and the extremes of topographical relief within the region, making projections speculative, which can have a significant impact on the future of water resources in the area. It is thus important to have more information on the status of the glaciers in the Himalayan region.

Climate change - Perspectives from India - A document published by UNDP, India

This document published by the UNDP includes a collection of articles and captures and disseminates some perspectives on climate change from the Indian context. Starting from an argument on a new climate deal to highlighting the importance of the small-scale industrial sector within climate change debates, some of India’s best known environmentalists, economists and policy makers have put forward their concerns and convictions in this collection.

Towards a progressive Indian and global climate politics - A CPR Climate Initiative Working Paper

This working paper by Centre for Policy Research discusses domestic politics around climate change in India as an entry point to understanding India’s role in global climate negotiations. The paper argues that there is broad agreement within India on three issues: India is being unfairly labelled a “major emitter”; India has a considerable ongoing development burden; and India is already moving in the right direction on climate mitigation.

A critical assessment of climate change impacts, vulnerability and policy in India - Paper published in Present Environment and Sustainable Development

This paper published in the Present Environment and Sustainable Development critically analyses the impacts and vulnerability of Indian economy to climate change and analyses India’s efforts in addressing and reducing the vulnerability of its natural and socioeconomic systems to climate change and enhancing the adaptive capacity of the same under uncertainty.

Climate variability and change in the Himalayas: Community perceptions and responses - An ICIMOD study

This document by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) presents the findings of a study that was designed to investigate the impact of climate and socioeconomic change on the vulnerability and livelihoods of mountain people and their coping and adaptation strategies. ICIMOD conducted a community-based vulnerability and adaptive capacity assessment in four different areas that included Uttarakhand in northwestern India (two districts), Nepal (two districts), Eastern Bhutan (two districts), and North East India (one district in Assam and one in Meghalaya). The overall aim was to contribute to enhancing the resilience of vulnerable mountain communities in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) region to change.

Climate change risk - An adaptation and mitigation agenda for Indian cities - A paper published in the journal Environment and Urbanisation

This paper published in the journal Environment and Urbanisation outlines the much needed adaptation and mitigation agenda for cities in India where the urban population is likely to grow by around 500 million over the next 50 years. The paper dwells on the likely changes that climate change is expected to bring in temperature, precipitation and extreme rainfall, drought, river and inland flooding, storms/storm surges/coastal flooding, sea-level rise and environmental health risks, and who within urban populations will be at risk.

The status of glaciers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region - A report by the ICIMOD

This report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) presents the results of a recent study designed to provide a comprehensive account of the number and status of glaciers across the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. The HKH region is one of the most dynamic, fragile, and complex mountain systems in the world as a result of tectonic activity and the rich diversity of climates, hydrology, and ecology. The high Himalayan region is the freshwater tower of South Asia and has the highest concentration of snow and glaciers outside the polar regions giving it the name Third Pole.

Balati glacier at sunset

Balati glacier, Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand (Source: Uttarakhand and I)

Framework for valuing ecosystem services in the Himalayas - An ICIMOD technical report

This document by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) outlines a general framework for economic valuation of ecosystem services in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region, which has been a generic first attempt that can be fine-tuned and customised for each type of ecosystem and each kind of service value. Ecosystem services are defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as ‘the benefits people obtain from ecosystems'.

Mountains occupy 24% of the global land surface area and are home to 12% of the world’s population. Mountains have an ecological, aesthetic, and socioeconomic significance, not only for those living in the mountain areas, but also for people living beyond them. However, the importance of ecosystem services arising from mountains is not properly recognised. The HKH region is endowed with a rich variety of gene pools and species, and ecosystems of global importance. It is a storehouse of biological diversity and a priority region in many global conservation agendas. The region has many unique ecosystems that play a critical role in protecting the environment and in providing livelihoods for much of Asia and beyond.

Climate change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas -The state of current knowledge - A book by ICIMOD

This book by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) presents an analyses of the available data on climate change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, and identifies persisting insufficiencies in the data. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region has had very few resources to develop a detail scientific understanding needed to assess climatological, environmental, and other data in the past and there is very little information upon which a baseline for comparison with the present can be formed and future impacts can be anticipated. However, many changes have taken place in the last decade and capacities in the region have improved. Thus, data are now more easily sorted and shared, and available for understanding the changes occuring due to climate change in the region.

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