KATHMANDU, May 16: Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Friday underscored the need for honest dialogue, sharing of mutual knowledge, and taking collective action to prevent the effects of climate change, especially in the mountainous region.
Oli was speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day Sagarmatha Sambaad (mountain dialogue) themed ‘Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity’ being organised here. More than 350 national and international personalities, including India’s Minister for Environment Bhupender Yadav, were present at the event.
He said the event was held with the understanding that preserving the Himalayas means preserving the Earth, the oceans, and humanity itself.
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“Our homes are being washed away by landslides. Floods and droughts arrive unexpectedly, yet we remain strong. Our emissions are low, but our contributions to environmental conservation are significant. We hope that this dialogue becomes high—high in moral clarity, strong intellectual courage, and a firm shared vision to create a beautiful future,” Oli said, as he underlined the need for global collaboration to save the mountain ecosystem.
In her opening remarks, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba hoped that the event would foster greater cooperation and political will and result in impactful action for combating the spectre of climate change.
“The tragedy is that the Himalayas are facing an unprecedented stress test in real time today, exposing not only the fragile nature of our mountain ecosystems but also glaring evidence of the lack of meaningful global climate action.
“Mountain communities everywhere are especially vulnerable as they depend on nature for their daily lives. Climate-induced disasters are shaking the very foundation of their existence and livelihood,” she said.
Noting that the cascading impacts of global warming and climate change far exceed “our capacity and resources to mitigate them,” Deuba called for “predictable and adequate climate finance as we require greater resources to implement our national and local action plan”.
India’s environment minister Yadav underscored the need for transboundary cooperation between Nepal and India in the area of conservation of big cats, including snow leopards, “considering the importance of high-altitude biodiversity and mountain landscape” of both countries.
He noted that South Asia is “responsible for only 4 per cent of cumulative global carbon emissions despite being home to almost 25 per cent of the global population”.
In his keynote speech, Mukhtar Babayev, representative of the President of Azerbaijan, said, “Melting glaciers and ice sheets are causing sea level to rise at an alarming rate, posing a risk for 10 per cent of the world population in the coastal area from South Asia to South Sahara in Africa. It is threatening the very existence of small islands in the Pacific and the Caribbean.”
Over 300 participants, including climate experts, environmental activists, government officials, diplomats, and media persons, will attend the three-day event, which will conclude on Sunday. (PTI)
