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Air pollution is a shared problem for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) countries, India stressed at the 29th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“Most of our countries fall under the same air-shed, i.e., the Indo-Gangetic Airshed. This is a transboundary issue," said Naresh Pal Gangwar, joint secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, India. He was speaking at a meeting of the HKH countries hosted by Bhutan’s prime minister Tshering Tobgay on day two of COP29 on November 12, 2024.
He called for nations, particularly Pakistan and Bangladesh, "to take proactive, collaborative steps to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders", according to a press note shared by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
India struggles with poor air quality most of the year and the condition becomes critical during winters, especially for its northern states in the Indo-Gangetic belt. The country's capital, Delhi, for instance, has consistently been the most polluted city in the world for almost a decade, with particulate matter concentrations several times higher than the safe limits prescribed by the World Health Organization.
Stubble burning in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana have often been blamed for the extremely high air quality index of the national capital region, although domestic pollution sources have contributed an increasingly larger share to the crisis.
Experts have advocated for a regional rather than a state-level air pollution management mechanism through cross-sector and multi-jurisdictional strategy.
The country’s National Clean Air Programme has also taken on board the principle of regional air quality management. But it lacks a regulatory framework for regional action, pointed out Anumita Roychoudhury, executive director, research and advocacy and head of air pollution and clean transportation programme at the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, in an article September 2023.
Gangwar’s call of concerted effort by the HKH countries in tackling air pollution resonated with other country delegation heads and ministers, who also recommended regional cooperation for better cryosphere conservation, disaster preparedness, capacity building for accessing global funds, among other agenda.
The event was attended by Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, Minister, Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal; Romina Khursheed Alam, Coordinator to Prime Minister for the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination, Pakistan; Farhina Ahmad, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh; Naresh Pal Gangwar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, India; Karma Tshering, Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Bhutan and Lu Shixun, Deputy Director General, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China, according to the ICIMOD media statement.
These countries are among the eight that share HKH — Earth's tallest cryosphere zone. Global warming has led to record snow and ice losses in the region at massive economic costs. The residents of these countries are vulnerable to these impacts and need urgent action.
With the world fast moving towards a 1.5 degree celsius warming over pre-industrial levels will accelerate disasters for the entire region, 240 million people in HKH and 1.6 billion live downstream, he added. "We need to do more. We need to come together with a unified source of vision, with one voice and call for action.”
“Yet again, across this region this year, families have been mourning their dead, counting lost land, livelihoods and heritage," said Pema Gyamtsho, director-general, ICIMOD.
Nepal’s Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri advocated for a global partnership in the fight against climate change in order to prevent extreme events like the flood that devastated Thame recently, sweeping away an entire village, and the September floods that tragically claimed over 150 lives.
Romina Khursheed Alam, coordinator to Prime Minister for the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination, Pakistan, highlighted the need for unified action. “As we gather here in Baku, let us unite to protect the invaluable resources of the HKH region through strengthened cooperation, targeted investments and mobilisation of international support, we can foster a sustainable resilient future for the HKH region because it’s not you, it’s not me. It is us.”
Bangladesh warned against going on with business as usual as losses mount and climate targets get out of bounds. “Not only Bangladesh, but the whole region is suffering. It is immeasurable. And if we remain and do our business as usual, the problem will get severe. We should act to prevent the ongoing loss,” the representative stated. Bangladesh reaffirmed their commitment to raising these issues, both in regional dialogues and through national platforms, to advocate for the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, according to ICIMOD's statement.
A list of issues of common concern for HKH need stronger regional cooperation in future, noted Karma Tshering, Bhutan’s Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. These include:
Cryosphere risk monitoring
Disaster preparedness and early warning systems, including resilient infrastructures
Air pollution
Biodiversity conservation
Building capacity of the region to access funding from global funds such as Adaptation fund, GEF and GCF
Innovative financing solutions
Coordination and support at global forums like COPs to represent and amplify common HKH issues and concerns
Most importantly, he emphasised the need to have a biennial ministers’ meeting as agreed in the 2020 Ministerial Mountain Summit, ICIMOD stated in the press brief.
Dinara Kemelova, Special Envoy Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council and key representatives from the World Bank, UNESCO, ADB and UNEP also attended the meeting.