President stresses climate justice

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 11: President Ramchandra Paudel has stressed the need to highlight the issue of climate justice at every international forum, especially for countries like Nepal that bear the brunt of climate change despite contributing minimally to its causes.

Inaugurating the 11th Nepal Geological Conference organised by the Nepal Geological Society on Monday, President Paudel underscored the importance of bringing climate justice concerns to global attention.

Speaking at the two-day conference that started on Monday, President Paudel said that the conference's primary focus on “Mitigating Climate Change Impacts, Disaster Management and Geological Hazards” is highly relevant as these issues are directly linked to people's daily lives.

President Paudel highlighted that excessive industrialization, fossil fuel exploitation and carbon emissions in highly developed nations have extremely impacted developing countries like Nepal, which have minimal contributions to global carbon emissions.

Citing the rising global temperatures, he said that one-third of the Himalayan glaciers have melted over the past three decades, placing glacial lakes at risk of bursting. He also recalled the annual loss of lives and property in Nepal due to floods, landslides and soil erosion triggered by extreme rainfall.

President Paudel further said that earthquakes in the Himalayan region continue to pose challenges for Nepal's development and infrastructure. While some natural disasters can now be predicted, he accepted that earthquake prediction mechanisms remain elusive.

Referring to the upcoming 10th anniversary of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, President Paudel said, “Since this conference will also reflect on the 2015 earthquake, I believe its significance is even greater.”

He expressed hope that the conference would extensively discuss Nepal’s mineral resources, their exploration, disaster management, climate change and the role of geology in infrastructure development. 

President Paudel stressed that the conference would be valuable in attracting investors' attention toward the extraction, proper utilisation and market management of natural resources.

Society Chairperson Churna Bahadur Wali said that the congress would help exchange knowledge about climate change impacts, natural resources management and disaster management.    

According to Wali, “The adverse impact of climate change has been increasing. There will be collaboration for identifying the problems and operation of climate adaptation and reduction programme to resolve the problems."

Geologists from Nepal, India, China, USA, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been participating in the congress.

During the conference, more than 100 working papers on the geology of the Himalayan region will be presented and extensive discussion will be held on geological studies and research, according to organisers.