How can mountain communities adapt to climate change in a way that addresses not just one, but many interconnected challenges? The article in Nature Communications Earth & Environment argues that broader, more coordinated approaches are urgently needed.
The study reviews over a decade of scientific literature on adaptation in mountain regions. It finds that most current efforts are narrow in scope and often focused on just one sector, such as agriculture or infrastructure. However, climate impacts in mountains do not stop at sector boundaries but also affect other entire systems like water, tourism, energy, health and disaster risk reduction.
“Adaptation planning needs to reflect the complexity of mountain regions,” said co-author Stefan Schneiderbauer. “That means working across sectors, listening to local knowledge and planning ahead, before crises hit.”
The article calls for adaptation strategies that work across sectors and levels of governance, while being grounded in local contexts. It also points to clear regional differences in how adaptation is approached, which offers valuable insights for shaping more targeted and coordinated responses in the future.
Read the full article here.
