Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Cross-Chapter-Paper-5 (section)

==== CCP5.2.2.2 Energy ====

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Increasing temperatures and variability in precipitation and river flow affect energy availability and use in mountain regions. Mountain peoples, more so than national or global populations, are dependent on local sources of energy, accentuating climate adaptation cost and barriers ( ''medium evidence, high agreement'' ), while also offering opportunities for mountain-specific solutions ( ''medium evidence, high agreement'' ). In mountain regions, inadequate infrastructure ( [[#Tiwari--2018|Tiwari et al., 2018]] ), remoteness and reliance on traditional forms of energy that may be difficult to diversify ( [[#Dhakal--2019|Dhakal et al., 2019]] ) exacerbate the impacts of climate change on energy use and demand.

A review of the renewable energy transition in the context of adaptation across global mountain regions, including hydropower, wind, solar and biomass, shows that observed climate change impacts on these energy sources include altered seasonality, timing as related to snow and glacial melt runoff (30.9% of analysed cases), variable or declining precipitation and runoff (26.4%), increased flooding (15.5%), altered wind patterns (8.2%) and other/unspecified effects (19.1%) ( [[#Scott--2019|Scott et al., 2019]] ). The combined effects of climate change, hydropower development and further anthropogenic effects in upstream mountain basins have increased and are expected to further negatively affect several aspects of ecosystem functioning and water security (e.g., negative effects on river geometry, water chemistry, sediment transport, fish composition and migration) ( ''high confidence'' ) ( [[#Anderson--2018|Anderson et al., 2018]] ; [[#Encalada--2019|Encalada et al., 2019]] ; [[#Lepcha--2021|Lepcha et al., 2021]] ).

With respect to hydropower, mountains play a unique role in the production of renewable energy for large downstream populations, but it also comes with important trade-offs affecting mountain ecosystems and populations ( ''high confidence'' ) ( [[#Farinotti--2019|Farinotti et al., 2019]] ; [[#Viviroli--2020|Viviroli et al., 2020]] ; [[#Vaidya--2021|Vaidya et al., 2021]] ). Climate change requires adaptation in the hydropower sector; for instance, some advocate for increased water storage in dams and the importance of mountains for pumped hydropower storage systems ( [[#Gurung--2016|Gurung et al., 2016]] ; [[#Hunt--2020|Hunt et al., 2020]] ), while others emphasise adaptive water management ( [[#Gaudard--2014|Gaudard et al., 2014]] ; [[#Caruso--2017b|Caruso et al., 2017b]] ). An example is the multi-purpose use of water strategies where water management storage is designed to accommodate different uses, including hydropower, agriculture and flood risk reduction ( [[#Haeberli--2016a|Haeberli et al., 2016a]] ; [[#Drenkhan--2019|Drenkhan et al., 2019]] ) ( [[IPCC:Wg2:Chapter:Chapter-12#12.6.3|Section 12.6.3]] ). Hydropower is also especially vulnerable to glacier and snow decline ( [[#Schaefli--2019|Schaefli et al., 2019]] ) and is subject to risks from extreme events ( [[#Rangecroft--2013|Rangecroft et al., 2013]] ; [[#Schwanghart--2016|Schwanghart et al., 2016]] ; [[#Mishra--2020|Mishra et al., 2020]] ; [[#Shugar--2021|Shugar et al., 2021]] ), social and political opposition ( [[#Ahlers--2015|Ahlers et al., 2015]] ; [[#Díaz--2017|Díaz et al., 2017]] ) and the resulting financial uncertainty for hydropower investors. There is still ''limited evidence'' on how climate change impacts wind, solar and biomass energy production and their use.

Overall, synergies between adaptation to climate change and renewable energy transition can be successfully generated where benefit-sharing improves local involvement and support, adaptive capacity is enhanced, local health and livelihoods supported, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) met, environmental justice considered and sustainable mountain development pursued ( ''high agreement, medium evidence'' ).

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