PM Shah to call for greater global cooperation on climate change

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has pledged to call for greater global cooperation to address climate change-induced risks and disasters, as Nepal faces growing impacts of rising temperatures and extreme weather.

In a message to the Gharapjhong Climate Change Convention-2026, which began in Jomsom, Shah said addressing the impacts of climate change was a shared responsibility of the international community.

Shah is expected to highlight the problems, losses and damages Nepal has suffered due to climate change, along with possible solutions, in his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, according to the message.

He will also draw attention to the effects of climate change across Nepal’s Himalayan, hill and Tarai regions, it said.

Rising temperatures have contributed to glacier melt, the breaking of ice formations, increased glacial river flows, drying water sources and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, according to the message. These changes have affected livelihoods, agriculture and biodiversity, particularly in the Himalayan region.

Welcoming the organisation of the conference in Jomsom, the headquarters of Mustang district, Shah stressed the need for stronger coordination among the federal, provincial and local governments to address climate-related challenges.

The two-day convention is being organised by Gharapjhong Rural Municipality and focuses on risks associated with the climate crisis. Representatives of all 753 local governments and 77 district coordination committees are attending the event.

The participants will also review the loss of lives and property caused by the August 26 Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa.

The conference comes as Nepal continues to grapple with the aftermath of the disaster, in which an avalanche-triggered flood swept through the Bhotekoshi River and into the Trishuli, causing extensive loss of life and property.

The event was inaugurated by federal Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment Gita Chaudhary.

-RSS