Challenges arisen due to climate change in Himachal Pradesh :

Climate change issues are of global concern all over the world but pose major challenge over mountain environment as mountain ecosystem is highly vulnerable and sensitive to the climatic variations. Mountains cover close to 20 percent of the Earth's surface, providing a home to approximately one-tenth of the global human population. With their steep and varied topography, and distinct altitudinal ecological zones, mountains support a high diversity of species and ecosystems and a large percentage of global endemic species. Mountainous areas throughout the world provide essential resources such as timber, minerals, recreational escapes, and a significant portion of the freshwater consumed by humans. They are rich sites for cultural diversity. Mountains have a special role in showing the effects of climate change. The Himalayan ecosystem has 51 million people who practice hill agriculture and whose vulnerability is expected to increase on account of climate change.

Snow & Glaciers :

Glaciers in the Himalayas have been reported to be in the retreating phase and in future, this will result in water scarcity for the people living in the mountain region and in downstream area who depend on glaciers and snow as a source of fresh water and water for other requirements such as agriculture, industries, domestic sector even in the months of summer when large tracts of the country go dry. The total amount of water flowing from the Himalayas to the plains, and then on to the Indian subcontinent is estimated to be about 8.6 million cubic meters per year.This water supports approximately more than a billion people. Decreases in snow accumulation and glacial retreat might lead to acute water shortages in the future.Therefore, it is important to monitor and assess the state of snow and glaciers and to know the sustainability of glaciers in view of changing global scenarios of climate and water security of the nation. Any information pertaining to Himalayan glaciers is normally difficult to be obtained by conventional means due to its harsh weather and rugged terrains.

Retreating glaciers, depleting snow cover and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) are of immediate concern in the mountain environment as GLOFs can have a devastating impacts on people, livestock, forests, farms and infrastructure. The retreating glaciers may affect the discharge sustainability in the Himalayan region affecting hydro power generation in the long run. Climate induced hazards emanating from these frozen masses are another area of concern in the Himalayan region which requires attention of the Government as well as public awareness. Another area of concern in mountain environment is the occurrence of snow avalanche which may increase or decrease in the changing climate scenario.

Agriculture :

Majority of the population in the Himalayas depends on agriculture for their livelihood. Farmers follow traditional agricultural patterns, relying on rainwater and seasons. Changes in local and regional temperatures, the form and amount of precipitation, rainfall patterns, soil moisture content, and sunshine and cloudiness threaten traditional agriculture . Moreover, climate change will increase the ocurrence of extreme events like floods, droughts and hailstorms, which can also have a drastic effects on agriculture. Rising temperatures and increased rainfall may also lead to more pests and weeds, which will reduce agricultural productivity.

As far as kharif crops in mountain ecposystem is concerned, it requires attention as their production may not be affected but become more risky due to increased climatic variability and pest incidences.Likewise rabi crops are more seriously threatened due to rise in temperature and higher uncertainities in rainfall.

Forests :

Forests are the major hubs for carbon sinks. They absorb and store carbon dioxide. When trees are cut down and burnt, carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere. Forests play a critical role in balancing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, helping to minimize the impact of climate change. Forests in Himachal Pradesh, especially at higher altitudes are highly vulnerable to climate change. The rapidly changing conditions caused by climate change make plant species more vulnerable to disease and pests, contributing to the degradation and fragmentation of forests.

Mountain ecosystem are highly vulnerable to climate change and there may be a large shift in the vegetation boundary, large scale forest dieback or mortality may occur in the transient period.Like wise the species which are already threatened are at greater risk and some of the species which are currenty classfied as critically endangered will be extinct. Thus it is important to assess the likely impacts of projected climate change on forests and develop and implement adaptation strategies for both biodiversity conservation and the livelihoods of forest - dependent people.

Biodiversity :

The rich variety of life on Earth has always had to deal with a changing climate. The need to adapt to new patterns of temperature and rainfall has been a major influence on evolutionary changes that produced the plant and animal species we see today. Climate change will alter the world’s habitats and ecosystems. Climate change will alter the fragile ecosystems of the Himalayas. As it warms up, vegetation and wildlife will move to higher altitudes. This change will upset the ecosystem balance and seriously endanger the survival of many plant and animal species. There are several reasons why plants and animals are less able to adapt to the current phase of global warming. Rapid climate change will not give plants and animals enough time to adapt to the new situations. Biodiversity loss, besides the immediate impact on species, will affect the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of the people who rely on such resources. Climate change may pose serious threats to the biological diversity of the planet, and is projected to become an increasingly important driver of change in the coming decades. Pollution from nutrients such as nitrogen, the introduction of alien invasive species and the over-harvesting of wild animals through hunting or fishing can all reduce the resilience of ecosystems, and thus the likelihood that they will adapt naturally to climate change.

Health :

Climate change will affect people’s health both directly and indirectly. Heat stress and other heat related health problems are caused directly by very warm temperatures and high humidity. Similarly, warmer climatic condition may cause a sharp increase in the spread of vector borne diseases like malaria, dengue, yellow fever and encephalitis.Proactive health adaptation strategies are needed to protect the world’s most vulnerable people from the effects of climate change on human health and well-being. Public health planning and decision making need to shift from only focusing on relatively short term risks to the projected long term impacts of climate change. It will be increasingly important to address the links between climate and health at different timescales. To ensure that the health effects of climate change are not overlooked, the health sector needs improved integration into strategic planning in sectors such as water, agriculture and disaster management.

Economy of the State :

Vulnerability to climate change will mainly depend on economic position and infrastructure capacity of nations. Climate change effects will impose significant additional stress on ecological and socio-economic systems, but currently these systems are burdened by pollution, natural resource scarcities and other unsustainable practices. Technologically advanced countries are prepared well for responding to climate change, particularly by developing and establishing suitable policy, institutional and social capability for dealing with the consequences. But the poor and developing countries are mostly affected by climate change, because they are not having enough and sound technologies or scientific development to deal with this impact. In developing countries like India, climate change is an additional burden because ecological and soioeconomic systems are already facing pressures from rapid population, industrialization and economic development. The mountain ecosystem are the most vulnerable to the economic impacts of climate change.The increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events can have serious economic consequences. The impact of climate change on agriculture and the fragile ecosystems in the mountains will have a direct impact on agricultural productivity and tourism, and consequently on the state’s economy.

Considering the sensitivity of the state towards the vagaries of nature and changing climate, a State Centre has been set up to understand the dynamics of climate change and to evolve management measures with the active involvement of experts such as glaciologist, climatologist, agriculturist, horticulturist, foresters, social scientist etc. This centre shall also take up community based management of micro ecosystem for ensuring the stability of the fragile watersheds of the state of Himachal Pradesh.