Nepal faces multiple climate change-related disasters every year, including extreme rainfall, floods, landslides, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), droughts, and wildfires. As a result, Nepal is focusing on three key issues at COP-29.
On October 2, the day is average the monsoon season typically ends in Nepal. However, at the month of the end of the monsoon, Nepal has been experiencing heavy rainfall for four years regularly which has had a significant impact on the country.
Six days before the official end of the average monsoon season, Nepal experienced extreme rainfall, leading to the loss of more than 240 lives due to landslides and floods. According to the Government of Nepal, the two days of rainfall caused about one billion USD in damage to infrastructure, including roads, hydropower plants, bridges, drinking water systems, and more across the country. K.P. Sharma Oli, the Prime Minister of Nepal, stated that the catastrophic disaster on September 27 and 28 was the worst since the 2015 earthquake. Scientists have also said that the increase in such disasters in Nepal over the last decade is directly related to climate change.
Binod Pokharel, Associate Professor in the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology at Tribhuvan University, said that Nepal has experienced extreme rainfall at the end of the monsoon season for the past four years. “Rainfall patterns are changing, with maximum rainfall occurring in a short period, which is directly related to climate change,” he said. “In the Himalayan region, where there used to be little to no rainfall, the amount has increased by 100% compared to the average rainfall.”
According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology of Nepal, on September 27 and 28, 25 rainfall measurement stations recorded unprecedented levels of rainfall.
What is the Nepal Agenda in COP29
Nepal faces multiple climate change-related disasters every year, including extreme rainfall, floods, landslides, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), droughts, and wildfires. As a result, Nepal is focusing on three key issues at COP-29. Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, head of the Climate Change and Management Division at the Ministry of Forest and Environment of Nepal, stated that climate finance, loss and damage, and mountain-related issues will be the country’s main priorities at this COP.
“Mountain-related issues and loss and damage are our primary concerns because, as a mountainous country, we have been severely impacted by GLOF, landslides, and floods,” he said. “We need climate finance to address climate-induced hazards.”
Extreme heat and warming have impacted the High Himalayan region, causing ice to melt faster and glacial lakes to form more quickly than before.
According to a report by ICIMOD and UNDP, In 2000, there were 3,601 glacial lakes in Nepal’s three major river basins—Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali—covering an area of 179.56 square kilometers. As glaciers melt, the number and size of these lakes are increasing. By 2005, the number had risen to 3,696 lakes covering 186.44 square kilometers. In 2015, there were 3,624 lakes occupying 195.39 square kilometers. Between 2000 and 2015, 23 glaciers expanded by 15.8 square kilometers. Since 2015, no new studies have been conducted, but the number and size of these glaciers have likely continued to increase.
A small glacial lake burst on August 16, 2024, in the Solukhumbu district, located in the world-famous Everest region. The glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) caused significant damage to Thame Village, a popular tourist destination. The flood damaged 55 buildings, a small hydropower plant, a road, and a bridge.
Raju Pandit Chhetri, an expert in climate finance and a negotiator from Nepal, said that Nepal has suffered significant losses in infrastructure and human life due to climate change-related disasters. Therefore, Nepal must present its agenda, backed by scientific data, to help the global community understand the impact of climate change in the Himalayan region.
“A lot of damage was caused by recent floods and landslides. It’s crucial to raise awareness globally by presenting clear data on human and infrastructure losses. Mitigation is key—the less we do, the worse these events will get,” he said. “We’ve suffered greatly and must link this to the global issue of loss and damage. The Glacier Lake burst in the Everest region should highlight the connection between mountains and seas. That is our identity.”
He stated that this year a new climate finance goal will be established, which is crucial and related to the Paris Agreement. “The success or failure of the Paris Agreement hinges on these climate finance goals. Nepal should take this matter seriously,” Pandit said.
