Nepal affected disproportionately by climate change: Foreign Minister Rana

Kathmandu: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Arzu Rana Deuba has said it is obvious that the least developed and mountainous countries like Nepal are facing severe and disproportionate impacts of climate change.

‘But the global climate agenda and climate processes are yet to sufficiently reflect the plight of developing and mountainous countries,’ she said while attending the wrap-up of the New York Times- Nepal Republic Media Climate Conclave as the Chief Guest today.

The event was held with the theme of ‘The call of Mt. Everest for Global Climate Action’ and the Minister expressed accolades to the organizers also for choosing to highlight a theme that has threatened the very existence of planet and the humanity. The theme embodies the clarion call from both a least developed and a mountainous nation for commensurate climate action and climate justice, she said.

‘We are talking about climate crisis today on the heels of catastrophic floods and landslides that devastated the central region of Nepal barely a month ago,’ the Foreign Minister said, adding that these disasters were the result of an extreme weather event, as the rainfall in many places during the fateful three days amounted to as much as half of the total rainfall Nepal receives throughout the monsoon.

She appraised the gathering that as a result of such disasters, Nepal had to bear the tragic loss of more than 250 lives, in addition to the same number of people in the preceding period of the rainy season. ‘We are yet to fully appraise the damage to our roads, bridges, hydroelectricity projects, and other public and private property,’ the Minister added.

She went on to say that the scientific community, in particular through the IPCC reports, has unanimously attested that such extreme weather and climate events are caused by global warming and climate change.

‘It is a matter of gross injustice to Nepal, and similar other nations, with a negligible contribution to Global greenhouse gas emissions to be the victims of such climate disasters,’ said Foreign Minister Rana.

Reminding the assessment of UN Secretary-General António Guterres of the ‘terrible impact of the climate crisis in the Himalayas’ during his visit to Nepal last October, the Foreign Affairs Minister said this assessment was based on his tour to the Everest and Annapurna Regions, where he witnessed the grim realities of unfolding crisis in the mountain lives and ecosystem.

The Foreign Minister said, ‘At this juncture, I recall and re-emphasize his urgent appeal to the international community to ‘move forward with climate action.’ I also echo the distinguished speakers’ call this morning for the urgent need for climate justice. The developed countries, whose actions precipitated the climate crisis, must provide adequate resources, technology and other supports to the developing countries for their adaptation and resilience building.’

The promises, from the UNFCCC to the Paris Agreement to the annual CoPs, have been aplenty, but the delivery has been sorely wanting, the Minister said. She stressed that all climate finance commitments must be met and up-scaled, keeping in mind the need to invest 5-7 trillion dollars annually to green the economy by 2030.

‘There must be adequate grant-based and concessional resources for developing countries to meet their needs for adaptation and resilience building,’ said Foreign Minister Rana. She sought that all climate funds and facilities, including the loss damage fund that was operationalized from COP28, must be adequately capitalized and their resources should be easily accessible to the developing countries.

The upcoming COP29 in Baku should be an opportunity to take stock and make concrete progress on all tracks of the climate agenda. For COP29, we are making preparations for effective participation by reiterating the concerns, needs and priorities of climate-vulnerable countries, and mountain countries and also as the chair of LDCs, the Minister apprised the gathering.

As she shared with them on the occasion, Nepal will underscore the need for easy, smooth, predictable and adequate access to climate finance for the most vulnerable and poor countries.

As underscored by the British Ambassador in today’s event, I agree on the need for collaboration between Global South and Global North to fight global warming and climate change and to ensure climate justice. In particular, without the generous resources and technological support of the north, the countries in the south will not be able to weather this crisis, she said.

‘I also appreciate the New York Times for its extensive coverage of climate change issues. Mr Stephen made an insightful analysis of the implications of climate change in the global economy, energy transformation, and society and world order as a whole. I believe that the role of media is crucial in the internationalization as well as raising awareness regarding the intensifying climate change impacts and incorporating the voice of the voiceless,’ she stated.

She added that in the COP28 last year in the United Arab Emirates, Nepal promoted the mountain agenda to bring awareness of the impacts of climate change on the mountain ecosystem and communities. Turning to our national plans, the recently implemented 16th Development Plan of Nepal includes the internationalization of the issues of climate change as an important policy strategy and has prioritised climate diplomacy. It incorporates programmes to enhance access to climate financing to implement climate change adaptation and mitigation plans to meet our financial and technological gaps, according to Minister Rana.

‘Similarly, we are committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2045. We are utilizing our vast hydropower potential to secure clean energy and have already reached 45 percent forest cover in our total area. Global warming and climate change transcend borders, and yet their effects and impacts have varied across regions,’ she said.

That is why, the Government of Nepal decided in April 2019 to organise Sagarmatha Sambad, a forum meant to discuss on the most pertinent issues of the time in the fields of environment, economy, and other socio-cultural fields. However, we have not been successful in organising one due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other pressing issues since then. Now, we are working to organise this dialogue in 2025.

‘Finally, let me reiterate that the discussions today were lively and enlightening with a strong call for global climate action. I believe that they will be really helpful as we prepare for the COP29 as well as in our climate negotiations. I wish that such discussions were held more frequently and that our problems and challenges get the limelight they deserve,’ she concluded.

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