As the monsoon rain poured down over the weekend, I had a chance to catch up on the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report on the impacts of global warming. As the most comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of climate change, it paints a terrifying picture of what a future without ambitious climate action would look like.

Scientists from around the world agree that we, humans, are causing global warming at a rate faster than our planet has ever experienced. We are locked into a temperature rise of at least 1.5 degrees Celsius. Without action, this could rise to 5 degrees Celsius. As a result, floods, droughts, heat waves and wildfires are becoming more frequent. The report has also highlighted, for the first time, the impacts of climate change on the Himalayas where temperatures are rising twice as fast as in the plains, and glaciers are retreating at unprecedented rates. As a result, vulnerable communities are having to deal with more catastrophic floods, droughts, landslides and new diseases.

Impacts and actions

So "Code Red" is not an exaggeration, especially for Nepal with 60 percent of its population vulnerable to climate change. That is why COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma visited Nepal earlier this year—to see first-hand the impacts and actions being taken to help the most affected.

“Protecting the most vulnerable is a priority for the UK’s COP26 Presidency. World leaders must heed the science and work together to adapt to our changing climate” was the message from the United Kingdom’s Resilience Champion for COP26, Anne-Marie Trevelyan. That is why the UK is working with the government of Nepal to support climate action on the ground and increase Nepal’s ability to respond to future shocks through 100 million pounds worth of support for climate resilience and disaster preparedness.

I am glad to have had the opportunity to discuss these issues with President Bidya Devi Bhandari last week. Our discussion included the new analysis which underpins Nepal’s Long-Term Strategy on Climate Change and the potential for even more ambition. That analysis looks at how to reduce the loss and damage costs from climate change, and new opportunities for reducing future emissions through forestry by accelerating investment in clean energy trade. This new analysis demonstrates that Nepal does not face a trade-off between growth and the environment.

On the contrary, high growth in Nepal can be green, resilient and inclusive if the right investments and policies are put in place. For example, incentives to support the large-scale uptake of electric cooking would reduce the burden on women collecting firewood whilst also providing a market for clean hydropower. Removing tariffs on electric vehicles would reduce reliance on imported fuel, and converting coal-fired brick kilns to electric heating would reduce pollution in Nepal’s choked cities.

Nepal must also continue to invest in its forests, fields and river flows, to create jobs and revenues, and find ways to reduce the impacts of floods and droughts without losing the habitats that are needed to attract sustainable tourism revenues. The development of Nijgadh airport is a good example—where valuing the existing forests and biodiversity of the area against what could be gained by constructing the airport would provide useful data to base decisions on.

Coping with Covid-19 will remain a short-term priority. This is true for the UK as well. But recovery from the pandemic has also been an opportunity. For example, as part of the recovery plan, the UK has set out how it will reduce emissions by 68 percent and create up to 2 million green jobs by 2030. In order to help Nepal identify similar opportunities, the UK is working with development partners, the private sector and the government to invest in a green, resilient and inclusive recovery. Nepal’s development partners have identified an additional $4.2 billion to support its green recovery and ensure future development does not increase emissions, but increases resilience and benefits all.

Global leader

Nepal has so much to say on these issues, building on an already impressive foundation in the forestry, clean energy, disaster preparedness and climate adaptation sectors. But it can do more. With additional measures, and support from its development partners, Nepal can be a global leader at COP26, demonstrating how its economy can flourish, based on even more ambitious emissions targets and increased investment in protecting its natural resources, which will, in turn, protect Nepalis from future shocks.

If Nepal chooses to ramp up its ambition, it will be a shining light at COP26.
In doing so, it can act as an example to those in the region and beyond—in particular, leading the call to champion mountain issues alongside other countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya. As COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma said, “We can do this together, by coming forward with ambitious 2030 emission reduction targets and long-term strategies with a pathway to net zero.” As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear in its ‘Code Red’ report, the time for ambitious action is now. And action is possible.