The Third Pole in Peril: Climate Change, Water Security, and Sustainable Futures in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 28
Special Issue Editor
2. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
Interests: global environmental change; environmental harm and pollution; waste management
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Often referred to as the “Third Pole” due to its vast reserve of ice and snow, the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region holds the largest concentration of glaciers outside polar areas. Spanning across eight countries and feeding ten of the world’s major river systems—including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus, and Mekong—the region is a critical hydrological resource for nearly 2 billion people. The Himalayan cryosphere plays an indispensable role in global and regional climate regulation, atmospheric circulation, and monsoon dynamics. However, the HKH is warming at a rate faster than the global average, triggering rapid glacial retreat, permafrost degradation, and seasonal shifts in precipitation. These changes pose escalating risks to water security, alpine biodiversity, agricultural productivity, and climate resilience across densely populated and ecologically sensitive downstream regions.
Beyond its physical significance, the Third Pole is intricately tied to cultural identities, traditional livelihoods, and sustainable development trajectories in South and Central Asia. As indigenous communities and fragile mountain ecosystems face mounting socio-environmental stressors—from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) to the erosion of traditional knowledge systems—there is an urgent need for interdisciplinary, localized, and justice-oriented approaches to climate adaptation and resilience. Understanding the interlinkages between high-altitude ecology, water governance, transboundary cooperation, and socio-economic transformation is vital to safeguarding the long-term sustainability of this geopolitically sensitive and environmentally critical region. The Third Pole thus represents not only a climate hotspot but also a testing ground for inclusive, adaptive models of sustainable development when faced with rapid global environmental change.
Dr. Katie Conlon
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- Himalayas
- mountain sustainability
- socio-ecological systems
- traditional knowledge systems
- climate justice
- community resilience
- climate adaptation
- watershed governance
- early warning systems
- climate risks
- rural livelihoods
- community-led conservation
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