AFP Google News 31 Aug 09;
KATHMANDU — Nepal's prime minister opened the first climate change conference of Himalayan nations on Monday with a warning about the dangers of melting glaciers, floods and violent storms for the region.
With 1.3 billion people dependent on the water that flows down from the melting Himalayan glaciers, Madhav Kumar Nepal said cross-border cooperation was essential in tackling the impact of climate change.
"The threats and risks of climate change have manifested themselves in the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, rising sea levels and violent storm surges," he said as he opened the talks in Kathmandu.
"More frequent extreme weather events have affected agricultural production across the region.
"The potentially catastrophic impact on lives and livelihoods has assumed a huge importance in our international relations."
South Asian environment officials have gathered in Kathmandu for the conference, aimed at highlighting the problems facing the region ahead of a key climate change summit in Copenhagen in December.
However, the absence of a representative from the Indian government is expected to weaken any message that comes out of the talks.
Environmental campaigners refer to the Himalayas as the "third pole" and say the melting glaciers are the biggest potential contributors to rising sea levels after the north and south poles.
But this is the first time Himalayan governments have come together to lobby for ambitious emission reduction targets at the Copenhagen summit, which aims to seal a new international climate change accord.
"Nepal's message needs to be heard, and the message of the mountains needs to be heard," said World Bank water and climate expert Claudia Sadoff ahead of the conference.
"The Himalayas have their own very real set of challenges, but there are also a lot of adaptation and mitigation opportunities in the mountains."
Glaciers in the Himalayas, a 2,400-kilometre (1,500-mile) range that sweeps through Pakistan, India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, provide headwaters for Asia's nine largest rivers, a lifeline for people who live downstream.
"The Himalayas are the source of the world's seven largest rivers and supply water to 40 percent of its population," said Mohan Munasinghe, vice chairman of the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change.
Munasinghe said South Asian governments must begin working together to tackle flooding and water management problems.
"We cannot afford to fail," he told delegates.
Himalayan climate talks end with call for help
Claire Cozens Yahoo News 1 Sep 09;
KATHMANDU (AFP) – The first climate change talks between Himalayan nations ended here Tuesday with a call for international assistance, but some observers criticised the failure of key figures to show up.
The people of South Asia are among those most likely to be affected by climate change, said a statement issued after two days of talks in Kathmandu aimed at highlighting the problems facing the region.
Around 1.3 billion people depend on the water that flows down from the Himalayan glaciers, which experts say are melting at an alarming rate, threatening to bring floods and later drought to the region.
"(The region) is a climate change hotspot that influences the lives of half the world's population," said a statement issued after the talks.
"Climate change in this region will affect peoples and ecosystems from the mountains to the coast to the sea."
The Kathmandu conference was the first time Himalayan governments have come together to lobby for ambitious emission reduction targets ahead of the key Copenhagen summit of world leaders in December, which aims to seal a new international climate change accord.
But with few countries represented at ministerial level, some delegates questioned the strength of the statement.
"There's not much in it. I don't think the right people were here," said Mohamed Aslam, environment minister for the Maldives, the low-lying island nation which has campaigned strongly on climate change.
"(But) it's a good start and it shows they (Himalayan nations) now realise they can no longer ignore the issue."
Nepalese lawmaker and environmental campaigner Sunil Pant expressed disappointment with the outcome of the talks, saying they had produced "nothing significant to take to Copenhagen."
"The whole aim was to outline how South Asians could work together," he said. "But the right people didn't turn out, and there were conflicting positions."
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were all represented at the talks.
Regional power India, which has already expressed its opposition to binding emissions cuts, sent a senior civil servant.
The statement called on developed nations to provide financial assistance to help poor countries in the region adapt to the changing conditions, which have brought food shortages in some of the world's poorest communities.
Environmental campaigners refer to the Himalayas as the "third pole" and say the melting glaciers are the biggest potential contributors to rising sea levels after the north and south poles.
