Third Pole Climate Nexus
Translating local and scientific evidence into climate-resilient action.
Across the Himalayas, climate and environmental change is accelerating faster than many institutions can monitor, understand and respond. Communities are often the first to see these changes, yet local knowledge, scientific evidence, decision-making and finance remain disconnected.
What We Do
We connect what is being observed in mountain landscapes with the decisions and resources needed to strengthen climate resilience.
Understand
We bring different forms of evidence together to understand how change is affecting people, ecosystems and infrastructure and translate it into practical, decision-ready knowledge.
Act
We work with communities, public institutions and partners to turn evidence into locally led adaptation and risk-reduction responses, inform planning and investment, and build credible pathways to finance.
Observe
We work with mountain communities to document environmental change and emerging climate risks, combining local knowledge with field observations, scientific data and Earth observation.
Recent disasters in Rasuwa show how rapidly changing cryosphere and mountain hazards can outpace existing monitoring, infrastructure and preparedness. The lesson is not simply to rebuild, but to connect community observation, scientific monitoring and risk-informed planning so that emerging threats are identified earlier and resilience investment reflects changing conditions.
FLAGSHIP PROJECT: HiM DATA
High-altitude Monasteries for Data Acquisition, Tracking and Awareness
Closing critical observation gaps across the Himalayas.
High-altitude regions remain among the least monitored parts of the Himalayas, limiting our ability to understand climate change, anticipate hazards and plan effective adaptation.
HiM-DATA works with Himalayan monasteries to host and support weather and environmental monitoring systems. Their year-round presence, trusted local stewardship and deep community networks offer a practical way to sustain observations in remote mountain environments where conventional monitoring infrastructure is difficult to maintain.
Third Pole Climate Nexus is working to develop and scale HiM-DATA in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Mountain Water Sustainability and Nepalese civil-society organisation The Small Earth Nepal.
The resulting open data can support climate monitoring, forecasting, early warning, disaster risk reduction and locally informed adaptation.
Local stewardship. Better observations. Better climate decisions.
AREAS OF APPLICATION
We apply our approach across four interconnected areas of mountain climate resilience.
Climate Risk & Disaster Resilience
Understanding changing mountain hazards and supporting early warning, preparedness, resilient infrastructure and risk-informed decisions.
Water, Energy & Infrastructure
Connecting changes in glaciers, snow and water systems with the energy, infrastructure and services that mountain communities and economies depend on.
Resilient Landscapes & Livelihoods
Supporting locally led responses to changes in rangelands, agriculture and mountain ecosystems that underpin livelihoods and local economies.
Nature & Ecosystem Resilience
Using local and scientific evidence to understand biodiversity and ecosystem change and strengthen nature-based resilience.
Across these areas, we connect locally grounded evidence with planning, investment and finance.
WORK WITH US
Third Pole Climate Nexus is building a coalition of communities, researchers, public institutions, foundations and technical partners to turn local and scientific evidence into practical climate-resilience action across the Himalayas.
We welcome partnerships around mountain climate risk, environmental monitoring, adaptation, disaster resilience and climate finance.
CONTACT
© 2025 Third Pole Climate Nexus – Non-profit organisation registered under French law (Loi 1901)
General enquiries/partnerships: carole@thirdpoleclimatenexus.org
Turning knowledge into climate resilience.