Event
Cryosphere Changes Impacts and Adaptation in Central Asia: Case Studies from UNESCO Activities
Venue: Cryosphere Pavilion
Changes in the cryosphere are key indicators of climate change. They impact sea water levels, water resources availability, ecosystem health, the frequency of glacier lake outbursts and other natural hazards in mountainous regions and regions downstream. Central Asia has experienced many impacts of the changes in the cryosphere, and particularly on the glacier systems of the Tien Shan and Pamir Mountain ranges. The main river systems of Central Asia and the drainage from the Aral Sea Basin are heavily dependent on the melting of snow and ice from the mountains, forming their headwaters.
Water quality and quantity have both been acutely impacted, with concrete consequences on the well-being of populations and ecosystems downstream. In response, UNESCO is implementing two projects in Central Asia to address the cryospheric changes impacting water availability and to provide adaptation strategies to climate change for communities living in the region.
They are:
- The Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Central Asia project (GLOFCA), funded by the Adaptation Fund, and
- The Monitoring and Assessment of the Cryosphere Project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Objectives
Raise Awareness of climate change impacts on the cryosphere and water resources in Central Asia.
Highlight the importance of community-based adaptation strategies in mitigating Glacial Lake Outburst Flood hazards in Central Asia.
Sharing solutions and aligning these essential projects with the global climate agenda.
Both projects contribute to the implementation of the 9th strategic plan of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP-IX) that seeks to address the present and future complex interrelated water challenges, with a focus on ‘science for a water secure world in a changing environment’.
