Kathmandu, Nov 9: Nepal has called for climate justice at the international level, highlighting the severe damage suffered by its Himalayan regions and local communities from climate-induced disasters despite the country’s low greenhouse gas emissions.
At the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which opened in Antalya, Türkiye, Nepal has presented devastating floods and landslides in Bhotekoshi, Budhigandaki, Lende Khola and Thame as evidence of the growing climate crisis.
The Bhotekoshi disaster on August 26 killed more than 1,450 people, left over 5,000 missing and caused billions of rupees in damage, according to the report. Subsequent disasters, including a debris-laden flood in Gorkha’s Budhigandaki on October 11 and earlier glacial lake outbursts in Thame and Lende Khola, have added to the country’s losses.
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal and Health and Food Safety Minister Nisha Mehta are attending the conference, while Agriculture, Forest and Environment Minister Geeta Chaudhary is scheduled to join on Tuesday. Khanal will address the opening session, Chaudhary will lead technical discussions, and Mehta will speak on climate impacts on public health.
Nepal’s national position paper identifies climate justice, mountain issues, loss and damage, and climate finance as key priorities. Nepal and Bhutan are jointly pressing for the global temperature rise to be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Chaudhary said Nepal would demand easy access to adequate and predictable funding through the Loss and Damage Fund for countries affected by climate disasters.
Nepal has established its own pavilion and plans more than 40 side events. On November 12, it will organise a high-level mountain agenda meeting with Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan and Pakistan, alongside a session on adaptation finance in collaboration with ICIMOD.
Nepal and South Korea are also scheduled to sign a bilateral memorandum of understanding on carbon trading.
The government aims to present the country’s climate losses and secure fair international support through cooperation among government agencies, civil society, the private sector and experts.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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