Kathmandu, September 26: Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who had travelled to New York, the United States, to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly, returned home this afternoon. Following the PM’s arrival, Acting Foreign Secretary Ganesh Prasad Dhakal held a press briefing on related matters. Secretary Dhakal said climate change had become not only a humanitarian crisis but also a development crisis for Nepal.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the media room of the VIP Lounge at Tribhuvan International Airport, he said that although Nepal contributes less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is facing disproportionate and severe impacts of climate change.
He said climate change had seriously affected Nepal’s mountain ecosystems. As glaciers and glacial lakes are rapidly melting, the risks of disasters such as avalanches, floods and landslides are increasing, he said.
Acting Secretary Dhakal stressed the need to further strengthen regular monitoring of glacial lakes and early warning systems to reduce climate-related risks.
According to him, disasters occurring in mountainous areas can have cross-border impacts, making effective coordination essential during disasters. For this purpose, he said Nepal had proposed the establishment of a “Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism.”
He said Nepal’s proposal was to use the mechanism to promote regional cooperation and coordination in early warning and disaster management to address the risks created by climate change in the Himalayan region.
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