@article{McDowell2020b,
title = {From needs to actions: prospects for planned adaptations in high mountain communities},
author = {Graham McDowell and Leila Harris and Michele Koppes and Martin F Price and Kai M A Chan and Dhawa G Lama},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02920-1},
doi = {10.1007/s10584-020-02920-1},
issn = {15731480},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-01},
journal = {Climatic Change},
volume = {163},
number = {2},
pages = {953--972},
publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media B.V.},
abstract = {Adaptation needs in high mountain communities are increasingly well documented, yet most efforts to address these needs continue to befall mountain people who have contributed little to the problem of climate change. This situation represents a contravention of accepted norms of climate justice and calls attention to the need for better understanding of prospects for externally resourced adaptation initiatives in high mountain areas. In response, this paper examines the architecture of formal adaptation support mechanisms organized through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and how such mechanisms might help to meet adaptation needs in high mountain communities. It outlines key global adaptation initiatives organized through the UNFCCC, clarifies idealized linkages between these global adaptation initiatives and meeting local adaptation needs, and evaluates actual progress in connecting such support with discrete adaptation needs in the upper Manaslu region of Nepal. The paper then critically examines observed shortcomings in matching adaptation support organized through the UNFCCC with local adaptation needs, including complications stemming from the bureaucratic nature of formal adaptation support mechanisms, the intervening role of the state in delivering aid, and the ways in which these complexities intersect with the specific socio-cultural contexts of mountain communities. It concludes by highlighting several prospects for increasing the quantity and quality of adaptation support to mountain communities. These opportunities are considered alongside several salient concerns about formal adaptation support mechanisms in an effort to provide a well-rounded assessment of the prospects for planned adaptations in high mountain communities.},
keywords = {adaptation, climate change, Himalayas, Mountains, Nepal, UNFCCC},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

@article{Muccione2016,
title = {Scientific Knowledge and Knowledge Needs in Climate Adaptation Policy},
author = {V Muccione and N Salzmann and C Huggel},
doi = {10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00016.1},
issn = {02764741},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
journal = {Mountain Research and Development},
volume = {36},
number = {3},
abstract = {textcopyright 2016. Muccione et al. Mountain ecosystems around the world are recognized to be among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The need to develop sound adaptation strategies in these areas is growing. Knowledge from the natural sciences has an important role to play in the development of adaptation strategies. However, the extent of and gaps in such knowledge have not been systematically investigated for mountain areas. This paper analyzes the status of knowledge from natural science disciplines and research needs relevant to the national and subnational climate adaptation policies of 1 US state (Washington) and 7 countries (Austria, Bhutan, Colombia, Germany, Nepal, Peru, and Switzerland), in particular the elements of those policies focused on mountain areas. In addition, we asked key individuals involved in drafting those policies to answer a short questionnaire. We found that research needs mainly concern impact and vulnerability assessments at regional and local levels, integrated assessments, and improved climate and socioeconomic data. These needs are often related to the challenges to data coverage and model performance in mountainous areas. In these areas, the base data are often riddled with gaps and uncertainties, making it particularly difficult to formulate adaptation strategies. In countries where data coverage is less of an issue, there is a tendency to explore quantitative forms of impact and vulnerability assessments. We highlight how the knowledge embedded in natural science disciplines is not always useful to address complex vulnerabilities in coupled human and natural systems and briefly refer to alternative pathways to adaptation in the form of no-regret, flexible, and adaptive management solutions. Finally, in recognition of the trans- and interdisciplinary nature of climate change adaptation, we raise the question of which knowledge production paradigms are best able to deliver sustainable adaptations to growing environmental stressors in mountain regions.},
keywords = {adaptation policy, climate change, climate change impact, policy-relevant knowledge, vulnerability},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}