KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged the global community to recognise the value of the Himalayas to maintain ecological balance in the oceans and control global warming. He also emphasised the need to march ahead together for a greener environment.

The Prime Minister expressed Nepal’s commitment to submit the enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions by the end of this year and develop an ambitious long-term strategy on climate change to reach the net zero-carbon scenario by 2050.

Addressing the ‘Climate Ambition Summit 2020’ through a pre-recorded video on Saturday, the Prime Minister reiterated Nepal's strong support to the Paris Agreement and the call to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. He underlined Nepal's priorities on producing clean and renewable energy, and promoting e-mobility, low carbon infrastructure and eco-tourism, according to the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York, USA.

The Prime Minister shared Nepal’s plan to develop a National Adaptation Plan and corresponding Climate Finance Strategy and Roadmap by 2021. “We aim to extend protected area from 23 percent to 30 percent by 2030 and preserve biodiversity. We will introduce climate-resilient adaptation plans in all 753 local levels by 2030,” he said.

The one-day Climate Ambition Summit, co-convened by the United Kingdom, France, and United Nations in partnership with Chile and Italy, is organised to mark the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement. A total of 111 speakers including 72 heads of state/government are scheduled to address the Summit.