The US$2 million project will be funded by Norway and is expected to be launched by mid-year. A UNDP statement said it will look at ways to help local governments address glacial melting in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Glaciers are the world’s second largest store of fresh water and feed seven of the great rivers of Asia, but are receding at a faster rate than any other glaciers in the world.

The project will also look at ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the coal-producing provinces of Shanxi and Inner Mongolia by improving efficiency. In Ningxia and Gansu provinces, the project will work to develop crop adaptation techniques and increase water efficiency.