PM Deuba seeks international commitments to climate change

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that Nepal is committed to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius as per the ‘Paris Agreement.

During a meeting with a delegation led by COP26 Regional Ambassador for Asia-Pacific and South Asia, Ken O’Flaherty today, PM Deuba opined that there should be international commitment to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Deuba clarified that the immense potential of hydropower and forest areas, among others, would help Nepal implement the Paris Agreement commitment to reduce carbon emission by 2050.

The PM mentioned that being a mountainous country, Nepal is at high risk of climate change and the damages caused due to climate change should be addressed internationally.

Joint-Secretary at the Foreign Ministry, Nirmal Raj Kafle, told Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) that PM Deuba emphasized discussion over various issues including priorities of COP26, climate finance, and adaptation as well as additional support for Nepal to strengthen its ability to respond and adapt to climate change.

Regarding COVID-19 and the ‘Red List’, Prime Minister Deuba requested COP26’s regional ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia Ken O’Flaherty to consider removing Nepal from the ‘Red List.

Regional Ambassador O’Flaherty responded that a separate British agency had been analyzing various situations of Nepal from time to time and reviewing to do the needful to remove Nepal from the Red List.

Expressing concerns about the current affairs of Nepal and the preparation for COP26, O’Flaherty said that he was hopeful of Nepal’s active participation in the ‘Global Leader Summit’ to be organized by the British Prime Minister from November 1-2 this year.

COP26 will be held in Glasgow in the UK from October 31 to November 12. Leaders from 197 Conference of the Parties (COP) member countries, including Nepal, will convene at the climate conference to advance global efforts to deal with the challenges of climate change.

The Ministry of Forests and Environment in Nepal has been preparing for the event where Prime Minister Deuba-led high-level delegation will participate, said a secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment Dr Pem Narayan Kandel.

PM Deuba will participate in the Global Leader Summit where he is scheduled to address the event.
Mountainous region’s issues to be prioritized in COP26.

Nepal is preparing to raise the issues relating to the mountainous regions with high priority since the mountainous region in Nepal was mostly affected by climate change.

Nepal will shine a light on the issues relating to how climate change had affected the mountain economy and ecosystem and ecology of the mountainous regions and the lowland areas.

There were cases wherein the temperature in a mountainous region in Nepal recorded 1.5 degrees Celsius while world temperature measured 1 degrees Celsius, according to the latest study.

Preparations were underway to raise voices about issues of climate change impacts, carbon finance, and searching resources for the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) report in the convention, said the Ministry of Forests.

Nepal along with various member countries has in December 2020 submitted the NDCs report which mentions the implementation of its roadmap to reduce green gas emission to zero until 2050 as per the Paris Agreement struck in 2015. Issues of managing resources required for the implementation of the report would be a priority in the conference, said Chief of the Climate Change Management Division under the Ministry of Forests, Dr Radha Wagle.

Other commitments as per the Agreement are to limit the world’s average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius or below 2.0 degrees Celsius.

Although the conference is organized every year, it could not take place last year due to COVID-19.
(Bhisma Raj Ojha/RSS)