Dr. Divas Bahadur Basnyat - Coordinator-Water & Climate Program
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Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, in his keynote address, emphasized that Nepal and the broader Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region face three immediate and critical planetary challenges climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. He stressed the urgency of taking decisive actions in this decade. Dr. Gyamtsho also pointed out that Nepal can capitalize on its abundant biodiversity, natural assets, and human resources, indicating that it doesn't need to remain poor. He also added that the Hindu Kush Himalaya, often referred to as the third pole, stands out due to its unique habitability compared to the North and South Poles. Besides facing challenges like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, one of the most alarming issues is the significant demographic shift, with thousands of youths migrating out of the region. The area experiences both excess water and water scarcity issues. To address these complex issues, a Hindu Kush Himalaya council had been formed. The full keynote address is _1715858055.JPG)
e pivotal role of indigenous communities, comprising 5% of the population and occupying 25% of the land, in soil carbon sequestration, noting their contribution of 36% of intact forests. She advocated for collecting and highlighting indigenous knowledge. The talk also centered on reducing emissions, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, maintaining forest cover at 45%, promoting public transportation, and conducting interdependent research on climate, health, mountains, and women's health. Ms. Labe urged researchers to identify obstacles to climate change and mountain research.
During the event, the Chief Guest, the Minister for Forests and Environment, highlighted Nepal's severe challenges stemming from climate change. Despite Nepal's minimal contribution to global climate change, it faces substantial negative consequences. The Minister emphasized the necessity of climate justice for Nepal, underscoring the fairness and equity needed in addressing climate issues. He praised think tanks like NDRI for their valuable research efforts, providing evidence for informed policy-making. He mentioned that think tanks like NDRI play a crucial role in advocating for climate justice. The Minister's remarks underscored the importance of such institutions in guiding policy decisions and advancing the cause of climate justice, ensuring fair treatment for Nepal in the global climate change discourse.
Dr. Krishna Pahari, President of NDRI, in his closing remarks of the opening and keynote session, highlighted that while acknowledging the achievements of the past two decades, NDRI is now preparing for its forthcoming journey, anticipating significant challenges such as climate change alongside other issues, yet also foreseeing opportunities arising from advancements in sciences, connectivity, and human capabilities. He emphasized NDRI's belief in the transformative power of evidence in societal change and expressed the organization's commitment to collaborating with all stakeholders, including the government, development partners, academia, and civil society, towards the shared objective of benefiting society through evidence-based practices.
The second part of the program was the panel discussion session entitled "Way Forward for a Climate Resilient Future," which was moderated by Dr. Divas B. Basnyat, Lead of the Water and Climate Program at NDRI. The expert panels included Dr. Zhang Lanying, Founder of Sources for Action and Co-founder of Cihai Foundation (China), Dr. Arun Bhakta Shrestha Strategic group lead on reducing climate and environmental risks (ICIMOD), Prof. Dr. Jyoti Parikh Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (India), and Dr. Madhav Karki member of the Environment and Climate Change Management National Council (Nepal). Dr. Basnyat pointed out that traditional planning relying on historical climate and hydrological data does not work anymore as the future is expected to be different than the past because of climate and other anthropogenic changes. While we are accustomed to known climate variability or uncertainty based on past data, future climate uncertainty requires us to move from a known-unknown (based on historical data) to an unknown-unknown future (due to climate uncertainty.
Dr. Arun emphasized the critical need for a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected drivers of risk across various sectors, especially concerning water, energy, and the food system. Climate change emerged as the foremost driver, impacting sectors profoundly, particularly water availability. Additionally, socio-economic factors like population growth, industrialization, and urbanization contribute significantly to increased demand and scarcity. Land use changes and degradation further exacerbate these challenges. To manage these risks effectively, Dr. Arun highlighted the importance of context-specific actions, including sustainable water management practices, nature-based solutions, and climate-resilient practices based on evidence. He stressed the necessity of strategic adaptation strategies grounded in future scenarios, emphasizing sustainable practices like watershed management, groundwater recharge, and ecosystem-based adaptation. Collaboration across boundaries and strong capacity-building initiatives were also highlighted as essential components for successful risk management in shared territories.
Dr. Karki emphasized the multi-dimensional challenges posed by climate change for Nepal, citing the milestone of the Government of Nepal's (GoN) involvement in COP26, 2021 (Scotland). He noted that while the Paris Agreement was significant, it wasn't operational until COP26, with Article 6 not ratified until then. GoN had prepared and received approval for its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plan (NAP), and a long-term strategy (LTS) for emission reduction. Despite these achievements, there remains a substantial demand-supply gap, requiring $4.5 billion per year as per the NAP, or $6.5 billion with additional measures, representing 3-5 times Nepal's GDP until 2050. Dr. Karki highlighted GoN's efforts to mobilize climate funds but acknowledged the need for a knowledge-based strategy, diplomatic advocacy, and capacity building across institutions and individuals. He stressed the importance of mainstreaming climate change across sectors, using climate funds effectively, and presenting strong evidence to access loss and damage funds. Dr. Karki also underlined the role of think tanks in conducting new research, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and mobilizing climate finance.
Professor Dr. Ram Manohar Shrestha, Professor Emeritus at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, in his special remarks in the discussion, emphasized the distinct nature of research between mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change. He advocated for adopting and implementing internationally available mitigation strategies while developing specific adaptation strategies, especially for transportation and building infrastructure to address various topographic challenges. He stressed the prioritization of hydropower development in the energy sector and proposed sector-wise adaptation strategies, suggesting the establishment of dedicated research institutes or centers for agriculture, water resources, and transportation. Additionally, he recommended region-wise adaptation strategies where feasible. Prof. Shrestha highlighted the importance of macro adaptation strategies beyond hydropower in the power generation sector and identified a gap in adaptation finance due to a lack of a portfolio of projects. Considering the banking sector's significant role as a primary funding source for hydropower development, Prof. Ram emphasized the importance of conducting comprehensive research into the advantages and disadvantages.