Addressing a press meet at Nepal Tourism Board Monday, Appa said, "It is important that the attention of the world community is drawn toward the plight of the people living in the lap of the Himalayas," adding, "While it is urgent that Nepal engage in raising awareness on the issue, it is equally important to clean the heaps of waste disposed at the Everest base camp."
He also added that he will share interesting episodes from his experiences during his Europe tour, beginning November 20 in Prague and culminating in Copenhagen on December 11.
Stating that Nepal was made known to the world first by the Himalayas and it is the duty of the climbers to come together to save the Himalayas now, Dawa Sherpa, another renowned Nepali climber, said, "We are confident that at least a 1,000 people will easily be mobilized for the Copenhagen march."
Pointing at the main objective of the event, Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation Deepak Bohara, who conceptualized the entire plan, told reporters that the world community has ignored the Himalayas in its climate change discussions. "When we talk about the impact of global warming in the Arctic or on the island nations, why aren´t the Himalayas not mentioned?" he questioned. "The Himalayas are melting and we can´t let the world remain a silent spectator," Bohara said.
Minister Bohara informed that the government has planned to extend an invitation to former US President Bill Clinton, and Al Gore, who is the former US vice-president and now a leading environmental activist, and some other famous personalities to attend the march as a sign of solidarity to Nepali people´s cause and to help in raising awareness. He also said that the Non-Resident Nepalese community in Europe will be fully mobilized for the event.
During the function, Claudia W Sadoff of the World Bank said that the institution is fully behind the government´s effort. "It is very exciting that Nepal is taking a lead role in raising awareness on the impact of climate change in the Himalayas and the World Bank will support it," she said.
The Union of Asian Alpine Association (UAAA) too has committed to support the event. Speaking on the occasion, Ang Tsering Sherpa, a member of the UAAA and former president of Nepal Mountaineering Association, said that the role of India and China is very critical in this matter and informed that the UAAA´s recently concluded convention in Hong Kong has already adopted a resolution with the slogan Save the Mountains.
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