Abstract ID: 3.13220 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

Adaptation to climate change remains a pressing issue for mountain communities across the globe. Especially in cold-arid settings, where livelihoods depend on scarce water resources, changes in the cryosphere and increased variability in snowfall and temperature as well as a higher risk of extreme events put communities at risk. The presentation focuses on the case of ice stupas as a type of ice reservoir, which have been increasingly implemented as a technological adaptation measure over the last ten years and have gained international attention as “artificial glaciers”. Originally developed and introduced in the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh, the growing interest in this innovative technology has led to the implementation of ice stupas in other Himalayan regions, in the Alps and in the Andes. Based on an integrative and multi-sited research approach, the presents highlights findings on the benefits and challenges of the implementation of ice stupas in Ladakh and shows how the concept and technology have travelled to different sites with a growing number of actors involved. The case of Chile illustrates how the idea of this adaptation measure has been modified to the context-specific environmental, socio-cultural and political settings, meanings and interests.