The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is spread across 13 Indian States/Union Territories (namely Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Assam and West Bengal), stretching across 2500 km.
Nearly 50 million people reside in the IHR and any variation in climate of the region can have the following possible impacts:

• A majority of Himalayan glaciers are melting or retreating at varying rates. The mean retreat rate of Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers is 14.9-15.1 meters per year. It would reduce the availability of water in the downstream rivers in the short and long term.
• These rivers support the life and livelihood of more than 500 million people living downstream in the Indo-Gangetic plains and any variability in flow pattern would have immense consequences on those people.
• The variability would also have far-reaching consequences for the energy security of the country, as almost 33% of the country’s thermal electricity and 52% of hydropower in the country is dependent on the water from rivers originating in the Himalayas.
• The risks related to glacier hazards would also increase due to enhanced number and volume of glacier lakes, accelerated flash flood and glacial lake outburst floods.
• With rising temperature, thinning and reduction of the permafrost takes place, which would release the soil organic carbon and other trapped greenhouse gases (GHGs). Also, it might increase desertification in the IHR.
• Some studies predict that over the Indian region, warming could be about 2.1 to 2.6°C in the 2050s and 3.3 to 3.8°C in the 2080s resulting in extreme weather events, such as cloudbursts in Uttarakhand and loss of biodiversity due to habitat destruction, temperature change, and less availability of food and water.
• The variations in dynamics of the glacier albedo will cause more warming.

Although, as temperatures rise, some areas in the region would become more accessible for tourism and the growing season for some crops could extend, potentially leading to increased economic opportunities, the negative impacts far outweigh any positive benefits. To mitigate the negative impacts, the following steps can be taken:

• Disaster risk reduction: The government needs to invest more in disaster risk reduction measures, such as early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, etc.
• Shared responsibility for controlling carbon emissions: All Himalayan countries should jointly develop a regional action plan for emission control with participation based on their interests and priorities.
• Sustainable land-use management: Policy interventions such as community forest management, green GDP, etc. should be undertaken to recover forests, which could lead to significant carbon sequestration.
• Payment for ecosystem services (PES): This type of scheme can be developed at different scales involving local communities, governments, and the private sector to equitably distribute the responsibility of ensuring reliable provision of ecosystem services.
• Development of alternative technologies: Novel and affordable technologies and energy resources that do not emit greenhouse gases are needed such as solar energy, biogas, bio-diesel, wind energy, and micro-hydropower.
• Sustainable tourism: It should be encouraged to generate income and employment opportunities for local communities while protecting the region’s natural resources.

The region is characterized by a diverse demographic, fragile environment and versatile economic, social and political systems. Thus, coordinated efforts from all stakeholders should be prioritized apart from government initiatives such as the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem to minimize climate-induced negative changes in the region.