Nepal concerned over climate change effects on LDCs

Even though they emit negligible quantity of Green House Gases (GHGs), which contribute to the climate change, the Least Developed Countries such as Nepal are facing the worst consequences.

Addressing the Informal Thematic Debate of the UN General Assembly on "Climate Change as a Global Challenge", Madhu Raman Acharya, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, said "it is an irony that those who contributing least towards climate change are the most adversely affected by its effects". He was making a statement referring to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), according to a statement issued by the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN in New York.

Acharya also called on the industrialised world, which emits most of the greenhouse gases, to demonstrate the leadership and commitment to act in a timely manner to avert disasters like climate change.

He urged to find creative ways to address growing threats of climate change and said, "We must encourage low carbon economy and low carbon society". He emphasised on the importance of adaptation measures and stressed on the need to assist the most vulnerable countries in building their adaptation capability, technically and financially.

Acharya noted that Nepal is a home to eight of the world's highest snow-capped mountains in the Himalayas and over 2,300 glacial lakes and stated that glaciers are important parts of the life support systems in the Himalayas. He said, "We are already witnessing the retreat of glaciers" which has brought climate-induced threats, such as glacial lake outbursts, extreme rainfall-induced floods and landslides, and desertification.

He stated that Nepal as a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol is committed to fulfilling obligation arising from them and also highlighted the national efforts and strategy in Nepal related to climate change. He stated that Nepal shared its first national communication report on climate change. Nepal is in the process of implementing National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) with emphasis on developing coping strategies, community-based adaptation plans and local capacity building.

The government has designated the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology as national authority for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol and constituted a Climate Change Network consisting of all stakeholders with a view to coordinate actions by the government, non-government organisations, private sector and donor organisations in the areas of policy and research and in the areas of building expertise and capacity.

The Permanent Representative also hoped that the upcoming high-level event on climate change at the UN in September and the climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, in December this year would foster much-needed international understanding and cooperation to addressing the global challenge of climate change.

"It may be noted that the Secretary General of the United Nations is organising a High-Level Event on Climate Change at the United Nations on 24 September 2007, while the thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-13) and the third session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP-3) under the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) are taking place in Bali, Indonesia, from 3 to 14 December 2007." nepalnews.com sd Aug 03 07