KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 9
While there continues to be disagreements about how to address climate induced loss and damage in the negotiations at the UN Climate summit COP26, people in many developing countries struggle daily with climate related disasters.
A new report 'When the Climate Becomes a Threat: Evidence of Climate Change induced Loss and Damage in Nepal' by DanChurchAid launched yesterday at the COP 26 in the presence of Minister of Forests and Environment Ramsahay Prasad Yadav assesses the situation in three municipalities in Nepal.
The municipalities include Aathbis of Dailkeht, Panchadewal Binayak of Achham and Barbardiya of Bardiya.
All three municipalities have experienced either flooding or landslides, two natural hazards which are linked to climate change. Nepal is vulnerable, and affected both by melting glaciers, and increased temperatures and rain. The report shows how people were forced to leave their houses, and how water and landslides destroyed their property and fields and killed their cattle.
None of the three municipalities received international support, but local authorities and civil society organisations provided some support. However, this support was far from enough and 82 per cent of the households had to take out loans to recover and re-establish their homes. Nine per cent people chose to permanently leave their homes and could thus be called climate-induced displaced people.
Marco Aviotti, country director of DanChurchAid Nepal said, "Loss and damage could possibly have been prevented if sufficient adaptation measures had been taken in advance.
However, for these three communities, as for many other communities in poor and vulnerable countries, adaptation is lacking. The conclusions of the paper are therefore clear: more international support is needed, both for adaptation, and for addressing the loss and damage people face.
Birgitte Qvist-Sørensen, secretary-general at DanChurchAid, said, "The situation is tragic. These people have not been contributing much to global warming, but at the same time climate change has a huge impact on their lives and livelihoods. This is not fair! Climate induced loss and damage must be addressed globally, and big polluters must mobilise the support needed."
A version of this article appears in the print on November 10, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
