KATHMANDU, Nov 13: Nepal has called on the international community to provide adequate, predictable and grant-based climate finance to protect mountain ecosystems and communities from the growing impacts of climate change.
Speaking at a high-level discussion at the Nepal Pavilion during the ongoing COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment Gita Chaudhary said Nepal would require between $18 billion and $20 billion for climate adaptation between 2025 and 2035.
Chaudhary, who also chairs the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), urged developed countries to increase financial support through grants rather than loans, stressing that vulnerable mountain nations need adequate resources to respond to the climate crisis.
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Describing the Himalayas as a global heritage, she said their protection was a shared responsibility of the international community.
"Protecting the Himalayas is not merely our national duty; it is a collective global responsibility," she said.
Although Nepal contributes negligibly to global greenhouse gas emissions, its mountain communities are facing growing threats from melting glaciers, expanding glacial lakes, extreme rainfall, floods and landslides, she said.
Referring to the disaster that struck the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi region in August, Chaudhary said the damage had affected both people's livelihoods and the national economy. She said approximately $4.78 billion would be required for post-disaster recovery alone, equivalent to nearly 10 percent of Nepal's gross domestic product.
She stressed that climate justice should go beyond financial assistance, noting that monetary support alone could not compensate families displaced by climate-related disasters or those who lost their loved ones.
Outlining Nepal's priorities for COP31, Chaudhary called for efforts to keep the global temperature rise within the 1.5-degree Celsius limit, secure institutional recognition of mountain issues under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and increase climate finance for vulnerable countries.
She also proposed regular high-level dialogues on mountain issues, building on Nepal's Sagarmatha Dialogue initiative, and a dedicated work programme focusing on mountain regions.
Representatives from the NTNC, the Adaptation Fund and China also highlighted the need to protect Himalayan ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain communities. They stressed locally led adaptation, direct access to climate finance for local communities, nature-based solutions and transparent mobilisation of financial resources.
