Antalya [Turkey], November 12 – Nepal has called for stronger global climate action warning that the mountain crisis threatens economies, ecosystems and human lives worldwide.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal made the call at a mountain resilience discussion during the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) on Thursday. He said melting glaciers, shrinking snow cover and disaster risks threatened global water and food security. He called for keeping warming below 1.5 degrees.
“When mountains are in crisis, all humanity is in crisis,” Khanal said, calling mountains freshwater sources.
Citing the August 26 floods in Nepal’s mountainous region, dubbed a “Himalayan tsunami”, he said mudflows triggered by glacier and rock collapses had caused loss of life and damaged bridges, hydropower infrastructure and livelihoods.
Khanal outlined five priorities: emissions cuts, grant-based climate finance, effective loss-and-damage arrangements, science-based monitoring and early-warning systems, and recognition of mountain issues under the UN climate framework.
He urged predictable grants for adaptation and reconstruction, saying disaster-hit countries should not depend on loans. He also called for faster, fairer delivery of loss-and-damage funds to vulnerable communities.
Khanal urged countries to turn political commitments into action and investment. He highlighted Nepal’s proposed “Sagarmatha to the Sea” partnership to link mountain and coastal communities across borders.
