Climate Change in Nepal: Policy and Programs

Abstract

This chapter sums up the climate change policies and programs, status of greenhouse gas emissions, trend of weather variables and other aspects of climate change in Nepal. Nepal started addressing the issues of climate change in its policy documents from 2002, however it has been struggling to develop specific policy instruments to implement the climate policy paradigms. The country achieved reduction in the GHG emission in recent years mainly through the promotion of alternative energies and forest conservation facilitated by international climate regimes. There is a consistent increase in temperature with marked spatial differences in its trend. Precipitation, however, shows large interannual variations with negative trend. Precipitation is expected to get more intense in the future. The increased temperature and more erratic precipitation are expected to impact the glacier in the Himalayas, livelihood assets through increased incidence of water-related disasters, human health, and agriculture sector.