KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 11

President of France-Nepal friendship group of the French Senate Daniel Salmon who visited Nepal along with French member of the group Anne-Catherine Loisier last week told THT before flying back home that France and Nepal needed to collaborate to decarbonise the economy of Nepal and that of the South Asia region.

Salmon, who paid a courtesy call on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, said he was impressed by private stakeholders who were supporting the country's efforts to achieve the goals of decarbonisation of the economy.

But he said there was more to do to decarbonise the Nepali economy and for that reform in public transportation system should be a top priority.

Salmon, who visited Nepal at the invitation of Chair of Nepal-France Parliamentary Group Madhav Kumar Nepal, said the main objective of his visit to Nepal was to consolidate friendship between France and Nepal.

Asked what issues he discussed with Nepali political leaders, Salmon said, "We spoke about the political evaluation and the key events that took place in recent years and also the promulgation of the constitution in 2015. We are very happy with the good health of Nepal's democratic system and we know that Nepal will be holding the next general elections in accordance with the principles of the constitution."

Salmon and his delegation discussed with Nepali stakeholders about the ecological transition and great challenges of climate change Nepal and the world are facing at present.

Stating that Nepal has immense potential of hydro power development, Salmon said France had competitive advantage in hydro power projects and Nepal could benefit from French expertise in realising its hydro power projects that were in the stage of incubation now. Nepal is not a big emitter of green house gases, but Nepal also has a responsibility in contributing towards mitigating climate change impacts in the region by decarbonising its economy, he added. France should also help the region to decarbonise the economies of the region, especially in renewable energy and hydro power projects. Nepal should focus on improving its public transportation, and cable car system to decarbonise its economy. Now the time has come for action.

Salmon who discussed public transportation and urban cable car system issues with Nepali stakeholders said France had companies that had been managing waste for several decades which could help Nepal in the management of waste, which had become a critical issue in Nepal.

Salmon said his discussions with Nepali stakeholders were an opportunity to better understand the challenges of hydro power development in Nepal. These meetings were an opportunity for us to learn about the competences of Nepali private sectors and their determinations to achieve their stated goals, he added. Nepali stakeholders have the desire to work in these fields, and Salmon said, "France looks forward to invest in the field of technical know-how. French people appreciate the environment that you have in the Himalayas and want Nepalis to preserve it."

On how Nepal can promote its tourism in the changed context, Salmon said Nepal and any country in the world should not target only short-term tourism but long-term tourism.

We know that concrete actions have already been taken in Nepal. It is wonderful to see how the village communities are working diligently to help protect agro-ecology, Salmon said.

Stating that France played an important role in the fight against climate change, including during the COP 21 meeting, Salmon said Nepal and other countries of the world had a lot of things to do in their own jurisdictions and should lead by example.

Stating that travel agents played important role in the development of tourism where the government bodies had no control, Salmon said countries could still sensitise their fellow citizens to promote responsible tourism. Salmon, who did not travel by planes for the last 22 years due to his concerns about fossil fuels' contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, said he broke his own vow to come to Nepal to champion the cause of sustainable environment and would visit Nepal again if need be.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 12, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.