Eastern Himalayan Dialogue 2026 Stresses Climate Resilience and Connectivity

Climate resilience featured prominently in the Kalimpong event, with panels examining rapid glacier melt, shifting river systems, extreme weather events and mounting pressure on mountain ecosystems. Delegates explored the downstream implications for water security, disaster management, biodiversity, infrastructure and livelihoods.

Padma Shri Ekla V. Sharma, senior fellow and strategic advisor at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, advocated for viewing the Himalayas not merely as protected zones or development beneficiaries, but as a natural infrastructure that sustains lives, economies and ecosystems far beyond the peaks. She urged a holistic approach that fuses science, policy and practice, with communities as co‑partners in solution design.