Nepal Wants World To Counter 'Loss And Damage' From Climate Change - Environment Minister

Nepal Wants World to Counter 'Loss and Damage' From Climate Change - Environment Minister

Nepal, like other developing countries, is more affected by climate change and urges the international community to address liability of developed countries in relation to the environmental damage already incurred by most vulnerable nations, Nepal's minister of forests and environment, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, said on Friday in an interview with Sputnik during the 25th UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid

MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th December, 2019) Nepal, like other developing countries, is more affected by climate change and urges the international community to address liability of developed countries in relation to the environmental damage already incurred by most vulnerable nations, Nepal's minister of forests and environment, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, said on Friday in an interview with Sputnik during the 25th UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid.

"This COP is very important for Nepal as the mountainous country, which is adversely affected by climate change ... Despite the insignificant contribution to emissions from Nepal and other developing countries, we are more impacted. That's why loss and damage is our priority agenda. It's urgent and the international community is aware of the seriousness of this agenda ... But the main point is how do you generate secure climate finance in order to address the losses and damages? That's why our focus too is on capacity-building, developing technology transfer," Basnet said.

The minister also said that he hoped all parties invited to the Sagarmatha Dialogue summit in Nepal in April 2020, which would in particular focus on the issues of climate change specific to the mountainous and small island states, would accept the invitation. The forum is planned to be held once every two years.

The COP25 started on December 2 and will run through Friday.

Views on loss and damage concept differ in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Some experts say that wealthy countries should financially compensate for all damage poor countries suffer from climate change, while others argue emphasis should be initially made on risk reduction mechanisms.