High Latitudes, High Altitudes

Bjorn Alfthan

By GRID-Arendal

January 31^st, 2017

The Arctic and Hindu Kush Himalayan regions can learn from each other when it comes to education, research and international cooperation on the climate and environment.

At first glance, the Arctic and Hindu Kush Himalayas might not seem to have much in common. Geographically, the Arctic has an ocean in the middle of it, the defining feature of the Hindu Kush Himalayas are its high mountains. But look closer, and strong connections emerge between the two regions. Does it make sense for these regions to cooperate more?

Both are at the roof of the world, the Arctic through its high latitude, and the Hindu Kush Himalayas through its altitude. Cold temperatures mean that both hold significant amounts of water in ice form, stored in glaciers and ice sheets. Outside of Antarctica and the Arctic, the Hindu Kush Himalayas has by far the most glaciers of any mountain regions in the world.

Photo credit: GRID-Arendal/ Lawrence Hislop

Both regions are warming at rates fast than the global average, and both are cause for global concern. Warming in the Arctic is accelerating the melting of ice sheets on Greenland and other places, contributing to sea level rise. In the Hindu Kush Himalayas, the majority of glaciers are retreating and melting, and the big question is what this will mean for the water resources of the 200 million people living within the region - and for the several billion people living downstream.

There are other climate connections. Incomplete combustion of fuel is leading to soot – also known as black carbon – being transported to the Arctic from as far away as South Asia and the foothills of the Hindu Kush Himalayas. The Hindu Kush Himalayas itself is being affected by black carbon. This form of pollution accelerates the melting of ice sheets and glaciers in both places.

Looking beyond climate change, both regions have high levels of biodiversity and are connected through bird flyways. Both have a rich diversity of languages. Many Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic and Hindu Kush Himalayas share nomadic traditions -- the most obvious being reindeer herding peoples in the Arctic and yak herding communities in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Rapid climate temperature increase also means that the peoples in both regions are at the forefront of climate change.

Some collaboration is happening already. On the educational front the University of the Arctic, a collaborative network of 170 universities and institutions in the Arctic region, is working with the Himalayan University Consortium which has 45 member institutions in the region.

David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD, talks about Hindu Kush Himalayan region

Flip Westus from ICIMOD talks about the Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP)

Lars-Otto Reiersen from Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)

There is also a political dimension that can be explored. Could the Himalayan region learn from and even possibly adopt a similar model to the Arctic Council, which has been the driving force for increased environmental cooperation in the region over the last 20 years?

Exploring these and other connections – and what can be done to strengthen scientific and other forms of cooperation between the two regions - was the purpose of the Arctic-Hindu Kush Himalayan Science Policy Dialogue which was held last week during the Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromsø, northern Norway. The meeting brought together government representatives, institutions and scientists working in both regions. It was organised by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), with whom GRID-Arendal works in the Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme. A statement summarising the outcomes of the meeting and actions to strengthen the Arctic-Himalayan linkages will soon be released by ICIMOD.