The impact of climate change is heightened in mountain regions (Beniston and Stoffel 2014; Gobiet et al 2014; Palomo 2017) and is visible in glacial retreat (Immerzeel et al 2020; Adler et al 2022) and ecological disturbance (Ruiz-Labourdette et al 2013), with changes in vegetation patterns (Telwala et al 2013; Ingty 2017; Fadrique et al 2018). The resulting ecosystem service effects (Viviroli et al 2007; Habit et al 2019) include altered provisioning and regulation of renewable energy sources. Energy transitions toward lower carbon energy (Lucena et al 2018) in mountains can be constrained because of inadequate infrastructure, remoteness, and reliance on traditional energy sources (Dhakal et al 2019). This paper addresses a subset of climate adaptation pathways for mountain regions, focusing on renewable energy use and transitions from conventional sources in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) and the Andes. The findings complement the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report’s ‘‘Mountains’’ cross-chapter paper (Adler et al 2022). The analysis and discussion are focused on people-centric socioeconomic development and just energy transitions under climate change in mountain regions, primarily the HKH and Andes, while, in some cases, evidence from the Alps, Central Asia, and the Rockies is also discussed.