Nepal

On top of the challenges of political instability, the geography and economy of Nepal place its people under severe risks from the impacts of climate change. The country has a large dependency on rain-fed agriculture. Approximately 86% of the population are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods and the sector contributes about 33% of GDP. This means there is a high sensi­tivity to changes in precipitation, while the mountainous topography makes the land prone to flash floods. The severity of these is predicted to increase under climate change scenarios with more intense precipitation. Of particular concern are hazards associated with Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) events. These rela­tively rare events have massive impacts. Temperature rises in mountain regions increase the amount of meltwater from the retreating glaciers[1], which accumulates behind natural dams of rock and soil (moraine). The moraine damns eventually break and release huge quantities of water with catastrophic consequences for people living in the valleys below. Moreover, changes in Himalayan glaciers present a huge challenge to populations downstream who are dependent on steady supplies of meltwater feeding streams and rivers. These concerns are all the more pressing given that temperatures appear to be rising more quickly at higher elevations.

The government identified the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MoSTE) as the Designated National Authority for implementa­tion and co-ordination of climate change policies. A Climate Change Management Division was established within the MoSTE in 2010. A more targeted response comes from the 2009 establishment of the 25-member Climate Change Council, headed by the Prime Minister. In addition, to co-ordinate and implement collaborative programmes, a multi-stakeholder Climate Change Initiatives Co-ordination Committee has been formed with representation from relevant ministries and institutions, international and national non-government organisations, academia, private sector and donors.

The key piece of climate change legislation is the 2011 Climate Change Policy. Implementation of the policy is complemented by a number of developments; most notably the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and National Framework on Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPAs) accompany the Climate Change Policy. Other projects complement these national-level initiatives, such as projects focused on capacity building (e.g. National Capacity Needs Self-Assessment Project between 2007 and 2009), and impact assessments examining knowledge generation and assessments such as the Technology Action Plan and related Tech­nology Needs Assessment Project, and the 2014 Economic Impact Assessment of Climate Change in Key Sectors in Nepal.

In the international arena, Nepal has been actively participating in climate negotiation under the UNFCCC process since 2007. As a result of its initiatives on climate change, Nepal has been nominated as the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Co-ordination Group for 2013 and 2014 under the UNFCCC process. This provides an opportunity to lead 48 LDCs, and enhance climate change activities in the country. The MoSTE is currently preparing the Second National Commu­nication.

Energy supply

Total energy consumption between 2008 and 2009 was 9.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent (401 million GJ) and 87% of it derived from traditional resources or biomass (fuel wood from forests and trees, agricultural residues from crops and animal dung), 12% from commercial sources (coal, grid electricity and petroleum products) and less than 1% from the alternative sources (biogas, solar power, wind and micro-level hydropower). The Hydropower Development Policy of 2001 sets out strategies to develop hydropower to generate electricity for Nepal (including rural electrification) and for export. The Hydropower Development Plan 2009 aims to develop 10,000 MW of hydropower in 10 years to respond to energy crisis in the country. The task force has submitted the draft report, but it is yet to be discussed and ratified by the Government.

REDD+ and LULUCF

The 2007 interim three-year plan referred to climate change and specifically the potential of REDD+ and carbon trading. There is anticipation that mitigation approaches through forestry can provide win-win outcomes, conferring watershed, biodiversity and soil conservation benefits. REDD+ can also contribute to poverty reduction in the context of climate change. Given the high proportions of people dependent upon agriculture and natural resources including forests, there is a strong focus on community-based forestry management under REDD+. However, there are concerns among forest users such as the Federation of Community Forest Users, Nepal that REDD+ implementation involves too much recentralisation, and that too much revenue from collaborative forest manage­ment programmes will be passed back to central government.

Institutionally, the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation has taken the lead role in implementing REDD+, and has developed a REDD+ department (“cell”) in addition to declaring it a ministerial priority. The cell is responsible for co-ordinating REDD+ readiness processes under the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and other REDD projects including developing the REDD+ Preparedness Plan.

Adaptation

With the aim of making the country’s economy and infrastructure climate-resilient, the National Planning Commission has emphasised the need to screen development plans for resiliency. Implementation of the Climate Change Policy (2011) and the NAPA were the first high-level responses to climate change, intended to mainstream adaptation to climate change within national policies and reduce vulnerability. The Policy also encourages development sectors to incorporate climate change concerns into policies and other instruments of rele­vant sectors. The Policy equally emphasises development and use of clean and renewable energies and knowledge generation to address impacts of climate change through adaptation and impact mitigation.

The Nepal Climate Change Support Programme (NCCSP) assisted by the United Nations Development Programme commenced in 2013 (and is expected to continue till December 2015). The NCCSP provides assistance to climate change adaptation for the poorest and most vulnerable communities and its key targets include the development of 100 LAPAs and to reduce the vulnerability of 1 million people by 2015. It implemented Nepal’s NAPA and endorsed the National Framework on LAPAs. The National Framework on LAPAs act as major guiding policy instruments for mainstreaming climate change activities in general, particularly climate change adaptation. MoSTE is now engaged in implementing NAPA-prioritised projects with support from DFID and EU, and the Least Developed Countries Fund.

[1]               Glaciers in the Dudh Koshi basin are retreating at rates of 10m/yr to 60m/yr