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Experts call for actions on the ground to deal with climate change
Climate change experts have urged the government to swing into action and address and implement adaptation plans rather than give hollow commitments on paper.Chandan Kumar Mandal
Climate change experts have urged the government to swing into action and address and implement adaptation plans rather than give hollow commitments on paper.
In an event organised in Kathmandu, on Friday, experts discussed the outcomes of the recently concluded Conference of the Parties (COP 24). They also discussed Nepal’s plan of action in fighting the global problem, and stressed that only committing to the Paris Accord is not enough to address climate change problems.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari had participated at the COP24 in which countries had agreed on a ‘rulebook’ for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement. The president attending and addressing the global event was seen as a strong political message. However, experts have pointed out that the government’s dedication towards mitigation and adaptation of climate change should reflect in actions not merely in speeches and policies. “Our actions are going against our policies. We are importing fossil fuels and also coal fire generated electricity from India, when we should be using our hydropower electricity,” said Dipak Gyawali, an academician of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).
In defence, Maheshwar Dhakal, Chief of Climate Change Management Division under the Ministry of Forest and Environment, said that the government’s failure to share its initiatives has resulted in people believing that it is not doing enough.
“We need to showcase our efforts to the outside worlds through regular reporting. While we can do minimal for mitigation, the country can do significant work through agriculture, forestry and other sectors for adaptation,” Dhakal added. He added that wecan either play the victim card and blame the developed world for climate change or take leadership and make changes.