Kathmandu: Nepal and Bhutan have jointly proposed including a dedicated agenda item on temperature rise in the Himalayan region at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), the secretariat of Nepal's Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment said in a press statement on Saturday.
Source: IANS
The two countries have proposed an agenda item titled '1.5-Degree Temperature Rise in the Himalayan Region' at the conference, scheduled to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20. Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment Geeta Chaudhary submitted the proposal on behalf of the two countries under Rule 12 of the conference's draft rules of procedure, according to the minister's secretariat.
The move comes amid growing concerns over climate-related disasters, including devastating floods in Nepal's Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers on August 26, triggered by an avalanche damming a river, and a glacial lake outburst flood in Bhutan on Thursday night. In Bhutan, a flash flood triggered by the bursting of the Shintaphu glacial lake washed away infrastructure at the Gasa Tshachu natural hot springs, according to reports, and no casualties had been reported as of Friday.
The proposal states that rising temperatures are accelerating glacier melt, increasing water insecurity and exposing communities to extreme weather events, posing risks of irreversible damage to Himalayan ecosystems. Rivers originating in the region provide water, food and energy to more than two billion people living downstream, while the Himalayas contain nearly half of the world's important biodiversity areas, it says.
Under the proposal, Nepal and Bhutan have called for scientific studies on temperature rise in the Himalayan region and the implications of exceeding temperature targets. They have also proposed an annual high-level dialogue on mountains and climate change, the initiation of a process to develop an action plan for Himalayan ecosystems under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the inclusion of mountain-region priorities in international discussions on climate adaptation, climate finance, and loss and damage.
The proposal highlights the economic consequences of climate-related disasters, citing the August 26 floods in Nepal's Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, which caused an estimated 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in damage, while recovery and reconstruction are expected to require 4.7 billion dollars, according to a Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment report prepared by the Nepali government.
The joint submission follows Nepal's National Climate Summit in Kathmandu on Thursday, where Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal set Himalayan protection, loss and damage, accessible climate finance and climate justice as Nepal's COP31 priorities, and Minister Chaudhary said Nepal and Bhutan were preparing to jointly advance the mountain agenda at the conference.
Source: The Hona News