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Climate Change: Why Nepal should take a lead

With the adverse effects of climate change becoming more apparent in Nepal, it is now the time for Nepal to take a lead in global climate change discourse.


Nepalnews
2022 Sep 05, 6:37, Kathmandu
As Nepal remains the nation where the effects of climate change is seen very visually, it has been receiving aid from foreign nations and international organizations to combat the adverse effects of climate change.
Recently, Nepal has announced the hosting of a conference involving ambassadors and stakeholders from the mountainous countries to discuss the minimization of climate change risk in the vulnerable countries. It is expected to be held in December, on International Mountain Day, 2022. Subsequently, Nepal is also hosting the Mountain Advocacy Summit next year in March in the district of Mustang.
Geographically, Nepal is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world for climate change. The Ministry of Forests and Environment Nepal (MOFE), recognizes climate change as a serious threat to the country’s health system, agricultural production, tourism, and the country's economy and society as a whole. Adverse effects of climate change are already witnessed in Nepal, with the occurrence of diseases previously prevalent only in the Terai region of Nepal, now prevalent in the Hilly and even Himalayan regions of the country. “With the steady increase in temperature snowfall is decreasing every year in the Himalayas of Nepal,” says environment health expert Ruby Shrestha. She stresses on the importance of research on climate change to generate new knowledge and evidence about the climate change scenario in Nepal.

According to the Global Parliament of Mayors, locals of Dhye village in Upper Mustang have migrated in search of better water resources, similar cases of water scarcity are observed in Kavrepalanchowk and Khotan districts of Nepal. This has also contributed largely to foreign migration from Nepal to countries in the middle east and beyond in search of better opportunities. The farmers of Nepal are facing severe crop failures, leading them to neighbouring countries in search of financial providence. The displacement of local communities is seen in Sindhupalchowk due to repeated floods and loss of life and property in the area. Like Nepal, countries like Pakistan who also have mountainous terrain have witnessed climate induced migration as extreme weathers make it unbearable for people to live in a town/ village which was previously suitable for habitation.

Last November, Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba shared his vision at the World Leaders Summit, to decarbonize Nepal and reach net zero emission by the year 2045. “With abundant water, forest and biodiversity resources, Nepal can be a leader in sharing clean, green and nature-based climate solutions in the region,” he said in his address to the summit. He also mentioned the US$ 6 billion loss Nepal had to bear during the past forty years due to natural disasters.

Higher carbon footprints result in greater damage to the natural environment of the earth. It has been and is the case that regions with high industrial activities, needing more electricity and automobiles demand large amounts of fossil fuels to be burnt, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions. Considering that, industrial nations : China , United States, India and Russia are the greatest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Carbon footprints are a measure of the total greenhouse gas emissions composed of carbon dioxide and methane released. It can be measured from an individual level or the collective state level. Although greenhouse gases are significant to the maintenance of Earth’s suitable temperature there is a massive over production of it in the present scenario.

The 2017 report of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has hinted that the temperature is expected to continuously increase throughout the 21st century in Nepal. Currently, the Government of Nepal, has initiated the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to develop strategies to combat climate change.

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climate change Dengue hilly region Himalayan region Nepali leader Prime Minister
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