Climate change is principally due to increase in temperature caused mainly by the combustion of fossil fuels to yield energy. With the rapid industrialization powered by fossil fuels, developed countries are the ones mainly responsible for global warming. Although developing countries have a less direct impact on global warming, in the last few decades, climate change has tremendously impacted the glacier retreat. Continued climate change will cause major changes in freshwater flows with dramatic and adverse impacts on biodiversity, people, and livelihoods.
For developing countries like Nepal, climate change is not just an environmental phenomenon but also an economic, social and political issue. Nepal is among vulnerable countries on the Earth with regard to climate change, yet the level of understanding and awareness on the issue is very limited.
Within a year, cop-15 was held on December in Denmark. It became unable to develop a new and concrete project to identify specific threats posed by rapidly retreating glaciers to vulnerable communities, ecosystems, and economic sectors. And fail to initiate a community driven management response. With this in mind, least developing countries must be able to bring realities of climate change impacts closer to the public, policy makers and supporters. LDCs like Nepal must be able to raise voice to tackle future risks. According to WWF data Nepal make up less than 0.4% of the world population and are responsible for about 0.025% of annual greenhouse gas emission. Unfortunately, while Nepal contributes least to the cause of climate change, we are among those at the highest risk from its impact.
Nepal has fragile geological condition, with great elevation differences and steep sloping terrain. Agricultural and tourism dominates the Nepali economy and both sectors will be affected by changes in the climate. Nepal has a low level of awareness and lacks planning and management regarding climate change impacts. All these are the reasons why we are in so vulnerable condition? Different reports say, almost 67% of the glaciers in the Himalayas have retreated, in Nepal as rapid 10 meter a year, Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) have already experienced five GLACIER Lake Outburst Floods. Similarly, The United Nation Environmental programme (UNEP), International Centre for IntegratedMountain and Development (ICMOID) say more than 20 Himalayan glacier lakes are at the risk of bursting because of rapidly melting glaciers. This will lead to major changes in freshwater flow with a dramatic impact on biodiversity, people, and livelihoods. Floods, droughts, and lack of safe drinking water are all going to be affected. Nepal’s wealth in biodiversity earned its recognition as a natural showroom and Natural Biological Laboratory by the world. Climate largely determines the distribution of species, ecosystems, and flora. Any climatic change will shift these distributions, which will be hampered by extinction for some species and ecosystems. Decrease in forest cover lead to increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and its will be more difficult to balance GHGS in the atmosphere and minimize the impact of climate change. Similarly, forests are unable to adopt the rapidly changing conditions caused by climate change, making trees more vulnerable and fragmentation. Over two-third of Nepal’s population depends on agriculture for a livelihood. Farmers follow a traditional set- planning pattern, relying on rainwater and the seasons. Now, the rhythms are upset by losing major water Towers because of climate change. Apart from this, developing countries like Nepal are the most vulnerable natural disasters that have serious economic impacts. Thus, we are among those at the highest risk from its negative impact. Unless the country leaves to adopt then people will suffer greatly. Government must think about the local programmes to tackle the serious impact of climate change. It is necessary to teach people to grow new crops, introducing drip irrigation, and water storage schemes, trying to minimize deforestation and renewable energy programmes. Government only should not aspect help from the donor as it should have new ideas or programmes to lead in COP-15 from LDCs side. It should not be like beggars but should have the local programmes suitable to all and easily practicable. Different LDCs are exposing their impacts through cabinet meeting in different manner like cabinet meeting inside water in Maldives and cabinet meeting at the base camp of Sagarmatha. This may be the interesting side to expose their vulnerable impacts of climate change to the world but this type of meeting must be able to plan sustainable type of programmes for LDCs and should formulate the ideas to convince developed countries in controlling the GHGs emissions. It’s not easy enough as we think but Nepal must be able to raise its voice about the impacts on Sagarmatha (the highest peak of the world), as it is the glory of not of our country but of the world.
Different personals from different NGOS, INGOS, and itself Government participated in COP-15. It had been heard that there was high pressure from different politicians to participate in this programme. So, government became unable to appoint the participants. All participated without internal homework’s. So; we loosed things that are in vulnerable condition. It played like visiting the new places for the participants. Now it’s time to tackle our problems ourselves rather than remembering our past events.
