Cryosphere Services to Support SDGs in High Mountains

Abstract

The cryosphere is able to provide a variety of services for the benefit of human well-being and underpins regional sustainable development. The cryosphere deterioration induced by climate change is impacting the services and will subsequently impede the efforts to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs) in high mountain societies. Here, we detail the context of cryosphere services and establish a dataset for its linkage to SDGs. This allows us to uncover its roles in supporting SDGs, directly by a causal connection and indirectly through either cascading effects or interconnection among SDGs. We find that the SDGs in association with the basic needs of high mountain societies are mostly affected by the cryosphere services. The different types of services pitch in with distinctions to be embraced by various SDGs, whilst some play a prominent role in the contribution to a broad range of SDGs. We further investigate how the services behave in their contributions to SDGs, by taking a view via the lens of a network that deciphers the relationship between the services and SDG targets as well as the interconnections among SDG targets. With an insight into the centrality and modularity of services in the network, we then delineate the inherent criticality of services to SDG targets as a whole, and reveal the specificity of services that co-contribute to a cluster of SDG targets in each network community. We take out the services from the network and maintain their interlinks to the targets of each underlying SDG system represented in six key entry points, so that the services critical to the transformation pathways in the entry points for SDGs in high mountains can be identified. Finally, we discuss the trade-offs that can occur in high mountains, which is unique for the cryosphere services. It creates more complexity in the assessment of overall benefits that the cryosphere services may provide to SDGs, and urges the balance that has to be maintained in attaining those services for the transformation.

Chapter 5: Cryospheric change, adaptation, and sustainable development in the mountain societies of the Hindu Kush Himalaya

“…Cultural and spiritual tourism centred on people, places, and events can be marketed as niche high-mountain tourism products in the international tourism market and would contribute significantly to economic and social development goals (Haq & Medhekar, 2020). Along with cultural and spiritual tourism, adventure tourism (winter sports, mountaineering, and trekking) is a major attraction related to the cryosphere (MoCTCA, 2020;Shijin et al, 2020;Zhang et al, 2022).…”

Cryosphere Services to Advance the National SDG Priorities in Himalaya-Karakoram Region

“…The cryosphere services, encompassing four categories and 12 types, are applied to establish the relationship with 15 SDGs and 62 targets in total. It includes provisioning (freshwater, clean energy, ice and snow material), regulating (climate, runoff, environment, and hydrothermal regulation), cultural (aesthetic and recreational, research and education, religion, spirit, and cultural), and supporting services (habitation, infrastructure and engineering) [17].…”

“…The extensive linkage between cryosphere services and SDGs indicate that the cryosphere is irreplaceable in sustainable development in high mountains [16]. Overall, 62 of 167 targets in SDGs are affected directly or indirectly by the cryosphere services [17]. The cryosphere services are also considered to be essential in the process that transforms cryospheric resources to the benefit that societies can obtain [2,18].…”

Integrating Ecosystem Services Into Assessments of Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, China

“…Food provision, water provision, carbon storage, and habitat & biodiversity were recognized as critical services contributing to >14 SDG targets, especially in SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG13 (Climate Action), SDG14 (Life Below Water), and SDG15 (Life on Land) (Wood et al, 2018;Yang et al, 2020). Water provision, water regulation, climate regulation and research & education among the cryosphere services were found to have strong contributions to SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water), SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG12 (Responsible Production and Consumption) and SDG15 (Life on Land) (Zhang et al, 2022a). Different types of ESs contribute different amounts to SDGs.…”

“…Online surveys that gather expert views on the importance of ESs to achieving the SDGs were conducted to evaluate the strengths of the SDG-ES relations (Wood et al, 2018;Yang et al, 2020). Network analysis was used to unravel the relationship between cryosphere services and SDGs based on the chain of causal effects and cascading effects (Zhang et al, 2022a). Additionally, bibliometric network analysis was also applied to explore the connections between ESs and SDGs (Hawken et al, 2021).…”