KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 15
As temperatures rise across South Asia, climate and disaster risks in Nepal are expected to further affect people, economy, environment, and development gains, according to the Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) released by the World Bank Group today. The number of people in Nepal annually affected by river flooding caused by climate change could reach around 350,000 in 2030, the report states.
In 2021, Nepal adopted the Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID) approach as a national longterm vision. Despite the country's commitment to addressing climate change, the integration of climate strategies and actions into development plans, policies, programmes, and budgets at all levels of government is still a work in progress.
To manage climate risk and achieve an integrated path towards GRID, Nepal needs to take an integrated approach to water, agriculture, and forests, harness the hydropower opportunity and energy transition, manage sustainable urbanisation, and strengthen low-carbon resilient connectivity. For this, the country has to scale up finance for resilience and low carbon development, strengthen household community resilience and strengthen governance for climate change and disaster risk management, the CCDR suggests.
The report also includes seven policy packages that can help Nepal to meet the adaptation and resilience priorities identified in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as well as its greenhouse gases (GHG) emission reduction targets.
Addressing the launch of the CCDR, Martin Raiser, vice-president for World Bank, South Asia Region, remarked that Nepal is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change despite having emitted negligible amounts of greenhouse gases. Mentioning that the CCDR explicitly analyses the climate and development jointly and identifies strategic actions to pursue low carbon, climate resilient, and inclusive development, he said that the four indicators and three enablers highlighted in the report are fundamental to addressing climate risks and achieving an integrated path towards GRID in Nepal.
Reflecting on the report, Ashish Garg, vice-president of the Independent Power Producers Association Nepal (IPPAN), shared that the hydropower sector dominates the climate scene in Nepal and there is a need for hydro entrepreneurs to be extremely responsive to meet the climate change requirements.
"Although there is a long way to go, Nepal's hydropower sector is making a quantum leap in the next five to seven years. As a lot of development is taking place in the sector, it is important we do it the right way. The CCDR is a clear indication of the country's tough journey ahead as we will have to learn from it," he said.
Similarly, Radha Wagle, director general of the Department of Plant Resources under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, shared that although Nepal is well equipped with timely crafted climate policies and action plans, it lags behind in their implementation.
Furthermore, Pem Narayan Kandel, secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment, said that the report is very important as it has pointed out Nepal's climate vulnerability, future risks, and its implications on the country's economy.
"The report has also suggested pathways aligning Nepal's target of reaching net zero emission by 2045. It has identified issues and also suggested key priority policy transitions required to pursue the path towards green resilient and inclusive development in Nepal," he said.
"Adding to the compounding effect of climate change, COVID-19 and disaster in the Nepali economy have put the development gains made by the country so far at great risk. Although the government of Nepal is prioritising climate action, development plans and programmes, it is not enough. There is a lot to do in the new federal structure, so we have to internalise all those policies, plans and programmes in all three tiers of government," he added.
Faris Hadad-Zervos, country director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka; British Ambassador to Nepal Nicola Pollit; Sepideh Keyvanshad, mission director for USAID, Nepal; Shreya KC, adviser of Nepalese Youth for Climate Action; and Siddhant Raj Pandey, chairperson and CEO of Business Oxygen Pvt Ltd, were among other speakers at the launch programme.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 16, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
