Problems created by climate change should be addressed with appropriate policy: PM Dahal

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has directed to resolve the problems and challenges created by climate change by managing and implementing appropriate policies and programs.

Addressing the second meeting of the National Council on Environment Protection and Climate Change Management today, the Prime Minister stressed the need for concrete initiatives in drawing the attention of the world to the identification and addressing of problems facing the Himalayan nations.

He urged stakeholders to hold discussions and cooperate in making special plans and programmes targeting mountainous region, stressing the need for strategically raising problems facing Himalayan nations like Nepal and making a strategy of cooperation with Himalayan nations accordingly.

Pointing out that Nepal is at high risk due to regional and global climate change, PM Dahal said Nepali people have been facing multi-faceted challenges due to massive changes in the nature, amounts and schedule of monsoon rains caused by climate change, temperature rise and massive changes in rain pattern, disaster increase and untoward incidents.

'Poor, women, indigenous nationalities and other marginalized communities have been affected the most by climate change risks. Besides climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss are other factors of concern. Taking into consideration these challenges, the government led by me has put climate change and environment protection on high priorities,' said PM Dahal.

A Nepali delegation led by PM Dahal would participate in the Climate Ambition Summit 2023 being held on coming 20 September in the UN Headquarters in New York. The PM expressed that significant works done by the government, the private sector, civil society and local stakeholders on the reduction and adaptation of climate change would be presented in the Summit.

The Prime Minister further said they would strongly demand for the speedy and full implementation of the agreement to provide twice the declared flow of finance for adaptation, stating that in the Summit, Nepal would lobby rich and developed countries of the globe to fulfill their commitments to limit the global temperature rise.

'Nepal will discuss with the respective sector the procedural difficulties it has been facing in accessing the climate finance and disparity in the allocation of fund and other difficulties,' he stressed.

Expressing his disagreement with the investment in climate change is focused on debt, PM Dahal stressed the need for lobbying to ensure that the assistances provided in the promotion of adaptation, resiliency and the concept of loss and damage should come in the form of financial grants and climate justice.

Nepal should focus on the issues to be raised for the welfare of the entire state and Nepali people in the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates from coming 30 November to 12 December, he stressed. He added, 'To address impacts of climate change facing poor, women and destitute groups, there is a need for commitments for additional assistances and to address the question relating to climate justice.'

Others present in the meeting were deputy prime ministers, ministers, chief ministers, members of the National Planning Commission, professors and experts, among others.

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