Kathmandu, Oct 7: Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has said that despite being geographically far apart, Nepal and Pacific island nations stand on the frontlines of the climate crisis and face many of the same threats.
Addressing the high-level “Leaders’ Plenary” at the Pre-COP-Leaders Event in Fiji on Tuesday, Khanal highlighted the close connection between the Himalayas and the oceans.
He said Nepal, a mountainous country, and small Pacific island nations face similar challenges from climate change despite their contrasting geography. Referring to the devastating “Himalayan tsunami” in Nepal, he said climate-induced disasters had caused extensive loss of life.
Khanal warned that melting Himalayan glaciers contribute to rising sea levels while climate change is also increasing risks in the Pacific, including more powerful cyclones.
Drawing attention to climate injustice, the foreign minister said vulnerable countries that contribute very little to global greenhouse gas emissions are paying a disproportionately high price for a crisis they did little to create.
He called for urgent and equitable international action to address the needs of countries most exposed to climate risks.
Presenting Nepal’s priorities for the upcoming 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP31, Khanal called for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
He also urged the international community to swiftly operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund in a way that does not add to the debt burden of climate-vulnerable countries.
Khanal drew parallels between Fiji’s cultural tradition of “solesolevaki” and Nepal’s practice of “shramadan,” both rooted in community cooperation and collective effort.
He said the same spirit of solidarity should guide the international response to climate change, calling for stronger global cooperation and united leadership to confront the growing crisis.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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