Kathmandu, December 19:

Climate change has not only changed weather pattern; it has also posed a threat to human health, experts said today.

It has caused air pollution, led to contamination of water and is to blame for dwindling water tables. It has affected vegetation and upset the entire ecosystem.

Pointing at these phenomena, the experts, speaking at the inauguration of a three-day

workshop on ‘Climate Change and Human Health: Potential Impact, Vulnerability and Adaptation in Nepal’, said adequate measures should be taken to address the alteration in the

ecosystem and curb extreme weather events after through discussions.

Inaugurating the workshop, Minister of State for Health and Population Shashi Shrestha said extreme industrialisation of developed nations is responsible for climate change.

Developing nations like Nepal are bearing the brunt of extreme industrialisation of these nations, Shrestha said.

“This long-term problem should be addressed with proper understanding,” she said, adding that the problem is multi-dimensional. “Of all the impacts of climate change, impact on human health is the severest. The impact of climate change should be assessed and measures taken to minimise it.” She called for proper assessment of the issue.

Chairman of the Nepal Health Research Council, Dr Mahesh Kumar Maskey, said, “Not much research has been conducted on the impact of climate change. The government will be in a better position to fight the impact only if it has relevant data on climate change.” Han Heijnen, environment and health adviser, WHO, said environmental quality is degrading and our health is also deteriorating with it.

Climate change has adverse impact on agriculture, which is the main occupation of the Nepalis. It will possibly be the biggest health and economic problem of the country in the near future, Heijnen said, adding that partnership should be forged at the international level to address the problem.

“The impact of climate change on human health must be taken seriously. The government and the people should tackle this issue before it is too late,” member-secretary of the health research council Sharad Raj Onta said. The government must prepare a framework at the earliest to address the issue, he said.