Nepal suffering terribly from global warming: President

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Nov. 13: President Ramchandra Paudel has said that Nepal is suffering terrible consequences of global warming and climate change.

Addressing the high-level World Leaders Climate Action Summit at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP-29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday, President Paudel said even though Nepal’s carbon emission is negligible, the country is suffering terrible consequences of global warming and climate change.

 President Paudel said that climate justice and climate finance, including reparations for loss and damage are his paramount concerns. 

He said, “In fact, we are reeling from some recent climate-related disasters--glacial lake outburst and devastating floods that caused damages worth tens of billions of rupees.  The scale of destruction is so immense that recovery and reconstruction present a severe challenge given our limited resources and capacity.”  He said that climate change has affected the whole planet, but its impacts have been especially severe in poor, least developed, developing nations and SIDS.

 “Nepal is committed to utilising natural resources sustainably and prudently.  As we implement our ambitious emission reduction target set out in the 2nd Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), contributing to the global well-being and protection of mother earth, we have increased forest cover and enhanced production and supply of clean energy to mention a few of our efforts,” he said. But the challenges triggered by global warming and climate change far exceed our capacity and resources to manage them, he added.

“We are compelled to divert our meagre resources, originally allocated for poverty reduction, towards adaptation and mitigation, which is a grave injustice. Urgent implementation of ‘polluters pay and compensate’ principle is critical, and they must also take responsibility for reducing emissions” he said.  “While the pledges for climate funds have been insufficient to begin with, they have also remained unmet. It is even more distressing to note that the targeted communities do not receive the funds due to complicated processes.”

The President called for urgent operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, which is intended to support the vulnerable developing countries. 

He said, "Climate finance must recognise the contributions of countries like Nepal in protecting biodiversity, the Himalayan cryosphere, as well as in supplying freshwater.  These nations must also be adequately compensated for climate-related loss and damage.” 

He also called for technology transfer and adequate capacity building grants in accordance with the Paris Agreement and the commitment of developed countries. He added that the climate finance must be provided in the form of grants, and these should be disbursed through national treasuries to ensure effectiveness. The vast resources spent for the arms should instead be redirected for adaptation and mitigation efforts to protect human civilisation and bequeath a habitable planet to future generations, he said. 

“I hope this conference will make a concrete progress towards setting out a clear NCQG based on the principles of climate justice, equity and capacity; towards limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and ensuring climate justice and sustainable development of least developed and Himalayan nations,” the President said.

As the snow-covered white mountains turn into black rocks, the world needs to recognise that the effects are not limited to the mountainous nations but also extend to the coastal ones, President Paudel said. "Therefore, it is high time we formulate and implement integrated and holistic adaptation strategies that link mountains to the sea. Nepal is organising ‘Sagarmatha Sambad’ (Everest dialogue) to advance this important concept," he said.

He reiterated that protecting Himalayas is protecting ourselves and entire humanity across the planet.

The COP 29 that began on Monday will conclude on November 22.