Words for change

The ill-effects of climate change have already begun to tell. This is a worldwide phenomenon blamed particularly on green house emissions that has resulted in global warming. As a result, Nepal too is suffering with minimal rainfall being recorded this year. As it relies heavily on rain water for agricultural production, it is forecast that the food output would suffer heavily. As a large proportion of the Nepalese people depend on agriculture for sustenance, they would have to undergo severe hardships. It is not only food production that is being adversely affected, but also the fragile ecology of the Himalayan country renowned the world over for its rich biodiversity. The ecology is now at risk with the glaciers melting at a rising rate threatening to outburst of glacial lakes. The flooding and landslides are getting worse with every passing year and creating natural calamities in the process. These have also brought destruction to the development infrastructure that was painstakingly built impeding the development endeavours besides inflicting immense suffering on the people. Furthermore, new and serious diseases are also taking their toll because of the climate change.

Thus, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal in

his address to the roundtable conference on climate change of the United Nations Tuesday recognized the gravity of the predicament and sought the support of the international community to set up a fund to confront the challenges posed by global warming. In this regard, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) expect the better-off countries to play cooperative roles for it is the LDCs mostly that are bearing the brunt of tragic effects of the climate change and are, therefore, in dire need of assistance. After all, it is the developed countries that are mostly responsible for the green house emissions. It is estimated that Nepal's emission is merely 0.025 percent, a very negligible amount. It should be mentioned here that Nepal cannot halt its development activities as it is an impoverished country, as mentioned by Prime Minister Nepal in his address. Rather, the developed countries should do something about this and make commitments to lower their emission.

Meanwhile, Nepal has been doing its bit in the bid to arrest climate change. A regional conference had been hosted in Kathmandu recently with the slogan "From Kathmandu to Copenhagen". This meet had tried to agree on a common agenda about climate change so that the countries occupying the Himalayan belt could raise their voice in unison in the global summit to be held in Denmark in December. Furthermore, Nepal has formed a separate ministry and high-level climate change council to deal with this issue. These steps are commendable but certainly not sufficient given the global threat that climate change poses. Nepal should lobby support particularly to save the Himalayan ecology, at the same time seeing to it that the countries notorious for green house emissions agree to cut it down so that the rising trend of climate change is reversed. The talks should move on, but not of the talk shop kind that achieves nothing but disagreements.

Attached significance

The printing operation from Itahari to cater to Eastern Nepal must have come as a reassuring gesture to the readers, subscribers and well-wishers of The Himalayan Times and its sister vernacular publication Annapurna Post. It is but a reflection of the growing popularity of THT and AP arising from the trust that the people have shown for them. This has given added vigour and thrust for the expansion of the reach to the people every morning with their cup of tea. All that we have achieved here at THT has been the continued faith of the readers in our efforts for the past eight years. It may not seem out of the context to feel that we have been able notch up another milestone in our endeavour to be of interest and value to our valued readers.

It is agreed that the journey that started in 2001

is not basking on self-glory, but striving for quality that will be evident in the days to come. To be able

to further our printing facilities in Itahari for east Nepal is as momentous as has been our delving

into what made history in the years since THT

made its tremendous presence felt. It also gives

us reason to feel elated to be able to come up

with this achievement on the auspicious occasion

of Vijaya Dashami.