More than 1.9 million people in Nepal are at high risk due to climate change. The landlocked country is home to the largest concentration of glaciers after the polar region. With the glaciers melting because of global warming, the region has become highly vulnerable to flash floods as well as soil erosion and landslides in the mountainous region.
“There are many challenges that the communities are facing – from frequent and uncertain flash floods to destruction of natural and manmade dykes," says Stuti Basnyet, spokesperson for USAID. “In addition there have been incidences of heavy rainfall in rain shadow areas like Upper Mustang, leading to destruction of homes and property of local communities.”
Threat to wildlife
Apart from the human population, Nepal’s diverse wildlife faces imminent threats from global warming. “There have been increasing incidences of abnormal migration of species due to climate change. Increasing temperatures have forced species to migrate to higher altitudes for survival,” Basnyet says. At the heart of this problem is the water scarcity faced by animals in the months leading up to the monsoon – a recent phenomenon attributed to climate change.
Expectedly, these effects are also harming Nepal’s valuable tourism industry. Unpredictable weather patterns are affecting the country’s famed Himalayan trekking and hiking tours. “Foggy, unpredictable weather is affecting international and domestic flights making tourists’ arrival and departure uncertain. Recently, a group of tourists was stranded at Lukla airport (eastern Nepal) for seven days due to unexpected bad weather,” says Basnyet.
Poor governance
Apart from the natural disasters facing Nepal, its inherent man-made problems make matters worse. “These threats are compounded by poor governance, political instability, social inequalities, extreme poverty, illiteracy, and population pressures,” says Basnyet.
The government has often been accused of failing to respond adequately to infrastructure and development issues. What's more, Nepal’s long running civil war between the government and the Maoist rebels is responsible for obstructing development in many parts of the country.
A new initiative
Hariyo Ban, which means green forests in Nepali, is an approach that hopes to assist those at the bottom of the pyramid. “The most vulnerable to climate change risks are the very poor people who have no access to land and resources. The programme will provide livelihood opportunities to these people. A couple of examples of this are sustainable harvesting of non-timber products and providing home stay for tourists,” Basnyet says.
Apart from creating sustainable means of livelihood for communities, Hariyo Ban also takes measures to conserve wildlife by halting illegal hunting. Also, local community groups will be involved in leadership roles across disadvantaged populations to form strong grassroots organisations.
Nepal produces 0.025 per cent of world green house gas emissions – negligible compared to large neighbouring countries like India and China. Sadly though, the tiny mountainous country is bearing the brunt of the ill-effects of the global phenomenon.
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