KATHMANDU, JULY 7
Experts have warned that the water level would go up by 8-12 percent by 2050 if the current situation of global warming continues to rise.
At a programme organized by Nepal Federation of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) in collaboration with Clean Energy Nepal on Monday, climate change expert Manjeet Dhakal said water quantity would see a whopping rise by 2050 if temperature worldwide keeps on rising at the current rate.
"Had there been no measures placed to check the existing global warming the temperature of the earth would have increased additionally by 1.3 to 1.8 Degree Celsius by 2050", he warned.
Dhakal shared that global warming has witnessed an increment of one degree Celsius following the age of industrialisation.
The 2015 Paris Agreement had pledged to limit global temperature at 1.5 degree Celsius.
He also claimed that over 80 percent of the recent disaster incidents of Nepal have occurred as effects of climate change.
Dhakal also highlighted the showcasing initiatives Nepal government has taken so far in mitigating risks resulting from climate change.
According to ICIMOD, Nepal has as many as 3,252 Himalayan glaciers and 2,323 glacial lakes. Most of the glaciers have witnessed changes in their size and shape while 20 snow lakes are at risk.
As various studies have revealed, the snow Rivers of Nepal are rapidly melting.
Likewise, environmental journalist Rajesh Ghimire cautioned about an increment in life-threatening water-borne disease like diarrhea and mosquito-transferred diseases such as Malaria, Kala-azar and Japanese encephalitis due to rising mercury, which is also likely to increase mortality rates. "Large number of population would be suffering from water-borne diseases due to shortage of pure drinking water with the increase in incidents of floods and landslides", he added.
According to the International Forum of Climate Change, the average temperature of the earth has already increased by 0.85 degree Celsius and is still continuing to rise.
The iceberg of the Arctic area of the earth is depleting by three percent per decade. In the span of time from 1900 to 2019, the sea level has increased by 0.18 to 0.2 meters.
The Government of Nepal has identified the climate change adaptations put in place by grassroots population and developed several policy and institutional mechanisms to address the issue.
Clean Energy Nepal has also been advocating for the establishment and operationalisation of local, regional, national mechanisms to make available climate financing to climate vulnerable population.
