Adaptation at Altitude. Taking Action in the Mountains.

Mountains at the frontline of climate change

Mountains feature some of the clearest indications of climate change: rising temperatures, melting glaciers and changing precipitation patterns are disrupting water flows and affecting ecosystems, creating and worsening natural hazards and threatening livelihoods and communities both within the mountains and downstream.

Mountain regions cover about one quarter of the Earth’s land surface and are home to more than 1 billion people. Mountains host an impressive array of natural resources – 25% of terrestrial biodiversity and 60% of all biosphere reserves – and they supply freshwater for lowland irrigation and domestic use for half of the global population. Mountains provide essential ecosystem services for livelihoods, and with their rich ethnic and cultural diversity and magical natural beauty they offer recreation and restoration for residents and visitors alike.

Because climate impacts are often more profound in mountains and affect people already confronting poverty and land degradation, mountain livelihoods are particularly sensitive to climate change. Mountain people have always faced the challenges of living in a rugged environment and have developed coping strategies to adapt to harsh conditions, but the unprecedented magnitude and speed of climate change puts them under increasing pressure.

Our Objective

The Adaptation at Altitude programme seeks to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of mountain communities and ecosystems to climate change by:

Improving the knowledge of appropriate climate change adaptation strategies in the mountains
Transferring that knowledge through science–policy platforms to inform decision-making in national, regional and global policy processes

Adaptation at Altitude will foster exchange among the mountain areas of the world and seek short and long-term solutions to the problems arising from climate change.

What We Do

Data, Information & Monitoring

We strengthen GEO Mountains, a flagship activity of the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), under the framework of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO).

Knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation in the mountains is facilitated through integrated monitoring and improved access to relevant Earth observation data, information, and synthesis products, and through research-based services.

Our aim is that the improved availability and use of mountain observation data and information services contribute to regional and global knowledge products on the impacts of climate change in mountains.

Find out more on GEO Mountains

Regional Governance, Advocacy & Collaborative Action

Mountain climate change adaptation should be mainstreamed into regional planning, policy processes and regional collaborative action and advocacy as a result of strengthened science-policy dialogue, targeted resource mobilisation and interregional exchange and action learning.

Our aim is that as a result of established and strengthened science–policy platforms, regional bodies and their national constituencies support the integration of mountain-specific climate change adaptation into planning and policy processes in the Andes, East Africa, the Hindu Kush Himalayas, and South Caucasus.

Find out more on activities in the Andes

Find out more on activities in Hindu Kush Himalaya

Find out more on activities in South Caucasus and inter-regionally

Knowledge Generation & Sharing

Knowledge and climate change adaptation information and solutions in the mountains are fostered, exchanged, discussed, and easily accessible, and applications are promoted at the local, regional and global levels through the Adaptation at Altitude Solutions Portal and the Adaptation at Altitude Knowledge Network.

Our aim is that stronger knowledge on climate change adaptation opportunities in the mountains informs the development of national, regional and global approaches to increase resilience and adaptation capacity.

Explore articles and information on the Climate Change Adaptation in Mountains theme.

Find out more about the global database of CCA solutions for mountain regions.

Join and participate in the Adaptation at Altitude Knowledge Network.

Advocacy & Policy Influencing

We influence policy processes related to climate change (UNFCCC, Paris Agreement, Global Stocktake), disaster risk reduction (Sendai Framework for DRR), and the Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030).

Informed by evidence, improved knowledge, and a strengthened science-policy dialogue, UNFCCC and other relevant major global processes and policy frameworks incorporate climate change adaptation strategies for mountain regions into their strategies and plans. Our aim is that major global policy processes take climate change adaptation in mountains into account.

Adaptation At Altitude Solutions Portal

Highlight your work in an open access database on adaptation solutions for mountains here.

View Solutions Portal

Supporting the Adaptation at Altitude Knowledge Network

The Adaptation at Altitude (A@A) Knowledge Network is a global community through which we can share experiences and knowledge on adaptation in the mountains and collaborate to accelerate the uptake of innovative solutions.

The A@A Knowledge Network is hosted on the Climate Change Adaptation in Mountains theme on weADAPT – a place where all are welcome to share their knowledge, and learn from and connect with others working on climate change adaptation in mountains. Find out more about the Adaptation at Altitude (A@A) Knowledge Network here.

The Climate Change Adaptation in Mountains theme provides an online space for:

finding and sharing reports, case studies, papers, webinars and other materials relevant for climate change adaptation in mountains;
a discussion board for making announcements and posing questions to the community; and
an entry point for networking with others working on this topic.

Click here to explore the theme and join the A@A Knowledge Network.

Mountains Connect

The Adaptation at Altitude programme has hosted an interregional action learning workshop and supports the online knowledge space www.mountains-connect.org. Seven collaborative videos present information and experiences on mountain range governance dimensions.

View Mountains Connect