Stephen Bailey: You need a bit of height to appreciate the size of a brick factory. You need to get close to appreciate the human cost. From a hill over Duwakot you can see people labouring in the grey mud beneath the towering chimney.  Down in the factory you can see the weather beaten faces,

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Searchlight SA: Climate change causes severe damage to the most socio-economically exposed communities. South Asia is home to almost 40% of the worlds poorest, and therefore faces a double conundrum. Countries in the region must not only support their populations from negotiating the swift socio-economic changes that have come to characterize their economies, but must

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D+C: The impacts of climate change make the poorest people on earth suffer more than others. This is evident in Mustang, a northern district of Nepal. Entire villages are thinking of relocating because water scarcity is getting worse. Swiss researchers assessed the options. Mustang is a tough place to live because of desert-like drought, freezing

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BBC: Nandi Lal Paswan, 59, is a farmer in Sripur, East Terai in Nepal. He is married and takes responsibility for the six other family members living in his house. Nandi Lal is content with his life, but he has worked hard to get where he is today. Thirty years ago he began farming a

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Himalayan Times: Climate change has always remained as one of the hot topics of discussion amongst the environmentalists, governments, policymakers as well as other bodies concerned. As per Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increase in global average air and ocean

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CDKN: Pakistan is one of the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the world: it accounts for just 0.8% of total global emissions, and ranks 135th in terms of per capita emissions.  Unfortunately, Pakistan is also one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world.  Over the past 20 years, 141 extreme events

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Himalayan Times: Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between two super powers India and China, has gained popularity after introducing a new development measure, Gross National Happiness (GNH), in recent years. The fourth monarch of Bhutan, Jigme Singey Wangchuck, introduced it in the early 1990s along with his vision of establishing good governance, promoting sustainable

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The Better India: Puja Devi, 30, watches with satisfaction as her young son gulps down his glass of milk and then reaches for his satchel, ready to go to school. For some months now, the happy mother has been able to provide milk for her son every day, a far cry from earlier times when

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MP: A project to improve food security among vulnerable rural groups coordinated by Mountain Partnership member the International Potato Centre (CIP) is underway in four Latin American countries. In the Andes, the potato is one of the most important crops in the agricultural sector. However, in areas where the tuber is produced, chronic malnutrition in

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Scidev.Net: With extra funding and empowering legislation Pakistan’s autonomous Global Climate Change Impact Centre (GCCIC) is set to take on a regional and international role in climate research. Legislation passed this month (6 March) is expected to transform the GCCIC into a centre capable of providing data for decision making and formulating policy in areas

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Alertnet: Wooden water wheels have long captured energy from mountain streams. New versions work even better, helping provide a local, sustainable source of energy to Indian villages high in the Himalayas. Living in an isolated Himalayan hamlet, 2,500 meters (5,600 feet) above sea level, Govind Singh Rana seems an unlikely candidate for wealth. But by

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PR Web: University of Massachusetts Boston professor and leading conservation biologist Kamal Bawa and conservation photographer Sandesh Kadur announce the release of their book Himalaya: Mountains of Life. Five years in the making, the book focuses on the Eastern Himalaya—the first time the region’s threatened biodiversity and cultures have been documented together by a preeminent

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Times of India: GitaDevi of Kullu used to routinely visit apple orchards and jungles every morning, collect some guchhi ( morel mushroom, also known as common morel, morel or yellow morel) and leave it to dry near the tandoor and sell it for high prices to traders at her doorstep. She used to earn good

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A United Nations scheme intended to guarantee everyone access to clean energy could help to keep global temperature rise below 2°C, researchers say, although it would not achieve this without sharp cuts in emissions of all the main greenhouse gases. LONDON, 24 February – Eradicating poverty by making modern energy supplies available to everyone is

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ClimateNewsNetwork: One of the Climate News Network’s editors, Kieran Cooke, was among a group of journalists recently investigating the impact of climate change in Nepal and the Himalayas. He reports on some of the problems facing farmers in the region. KATHMANDU, 15 February – Life has been good in the past few years for Saraswati

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RTCC: The latest Globe Climate Legislation Study was published in January 2013, focusing on 33 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. For the first time climate policymakers have a clear idea of how countries around the world are attempting to control their greenhouse gas emissions. We have selected the highlights from Globe’s analysis

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CHI: In recent disasters in Indian Himalayan region we lost many human lives, livestock population, agriculture land, livelihood opportunities and huge infrastructure overnight.  The most affected states due to these calamities in India are Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim and part of West Bengal. The flood in Kosi and Indus basins in Nepal and Pakistan

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The Thirdpole: The Tibetan Plateau covers approximately 25% of China’s land area, spreading out over 2.5 million square kilometres in the west of the country. Home to the largest store of freshwater outside of the poles, it feeds water into Asia’s major rivers which supply water to over a billion people. As a result of

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Global Press Institute: As climate change disrupts water flow patterns in every region of Nepal, the availability of drinking water has become a serious threat to farms, livestock and families. For 53 years, Sunchari Dunwar, 65, has had the same daily routine. Married at the age of 12, she has risen early every morning to

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Climate News Network: India has made giant strides in increasing rice production, both to feed its own people and for export. But the price has been massive water consumption, and rising greenhouse gas emissions. LONDON, 30 January – India has to find a new model of development if the twin challenges of job creation and

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The Tribune: Research, awareness campaigns and the integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies in planning and development are essential to help Pakistan cope with future climate change challenges. These were the recommendations of a recently conducted survey by Save the Children to assess the impacts of climate change on children and their families in

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World Bank: The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved funding of a project that aims to enhance government capacity to mitigate climate-related hazards in Nepal by improving the accuracy and timeliness of weather and flood forecasts and warnings for climate-vulnerable communities. Funded by a Strategic Climate Fund grant of US$16 million, and a

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Alertnet: Muhammad Mushtaq moved his family and several neighbours to safety last September when their homes in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, were flooded by an overflowing stream during heavy monsoon rains. Mushtaq, who lives in a three-room tin-roofed house perched on a steep river bank at risk of landslides and floods, put into

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Yahoo News: Soot, the black carbon that triggers smog and bouts of coughing, is also the biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, says a four-year assessment by US researchers. The new study concludes that black carbon, the soot particles in smoke and smog, contributes about twice as much to global warming as previously

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Daily Mail UK: The bone-chilling cold in the Capital and similar extreme weather events across the country over the past few years are more than just freak happenings. Consider the following: In July 2005, four days of continuous rain left Mumbai completely flooded. In 1999, a super cyclone ravaged Orissa, while the country came under

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Nepali Times: The climate conference in Doha last month was another missed opportunity to stop the catastrophic warming of the planet. Known by its wordy official name, the 18th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was also confined to just that: words.The Doha Climate Summit failed to set

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Guardian: Bhutan’s green schools project is an attempt to bring its revolutionary ‘happiness’ model to all young people. The Jigme Losel primary school in the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu, is a riot of green. Plants cover most surfaces and are piled precariously on walls and stairwells. On the wall behind the school’s vegetable patch a hand-painted

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The Telegraph: The creator of the four billion pixel interactive image of Everest has warned that more must be done to tackle climate change in order to save world’s highest mountain. Since the image, made up of 477 individual photographs taken during the climbing season in spring 2012, went viral, David Breashears says he has

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In July, The Economist published a piece describing the effects of climate change in India and discovered two prevailing trends: first, India is getting warmer, and second, the summer monsoons are coming later and later in the year. Time Magazine recently looked into the phenomenon and found that India’s energy supply and distribution problems may

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IISC: Climate change vulnerability profiles are developed at the district level for agriculture, water and forest sectors for the North East region of India for the current and projected future climates. An index-based approach was used where a set of indicators that represent key sectors of vulnerability (agriculture, forest, water) is selected using the statistical

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Dandc.eu: India is expected to feel severe impacts of climate change. The country’s northeastern region, for instance, is highly vulnerable. Anticipated impacts include melting of glaciers, more floods and extended droughts. At the same time, the region’s natural resources are under enormous pressure due to population growth and rising prosperity. Germany’s KfW Development Bank has

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First Post: Climate change leading to natural disasters, particularly flood and erosion, has affected the livelihood options of thousands of people across Assam, a study has found out. The impact of the climate change is most pronounced among marginalised women, but it has also pushed people from prosperous families into taking up work of domestic

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MP: The Mountain Partnership is a United Nations voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the lives of mountain people and protecting mountain environments around the world.  The Task Force meeting took place in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs during 29-31 October 2012 of Mountain Partnership that is coordinated UN’s FAO based in Rome,

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Alertnet: Aid and environment groups have criticised the outcome of the U.N. climate talks in Dohaas a betrayal of the poorest people who are suffering the worst impacts of more extreme weather and rising seas. But negotiators from developing states have singled out an agreement to advance work on loss and damage from climate change

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My Republica: The lead up to this year’s UN Conference on Climate Change was pretty bland. The meetings got underway in Doha on November 26 without the prelude of the picturesque Cabinet meetings near the top of world. In the lead up to the annual UN Conference on Climate Change three years ago, Nepal’s government

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Govt. of Bhutan: Thimphu, November 30: A Financing Agreement (FA) to formalise the European Union’s (EU) support to Bhutan under the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was signed between the EU and the government. The Officiating Secretary of the Gross National Happiness Commission signed the FA in the presence of the EU Ambassador to Bhutan,

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MP Press Release: Mainstreaming Rio+20 outcomes in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes for prosperous, resilient, and sustainable mountain ecosystems and communities” was held in Doha, Qatar, on 3 December 2012, on the sidelines of the 2012 UN Climate Change Conference.   The strong negative impact of climate change on the life

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Huffingtonpost: Growing up in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, I would often see crows perched on nearby trees and on the rooftops of our homes. We would chase them as they tried to pick up food that was kept to dry out in the sun. Ten years on, it has become rare to hear the

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  Pakistan Today: Despite severe flooding in 2011, Pakistan managed to drop itself from first last year, to third position this year in the league table for countries that were worst hit by extreme weather events in 2011, according to a ‘climate risk index 2013’ published here on Tuesday. In 2011, the ranking of the

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Outreach: Dr. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, CEO of Food Agriculture Natural Resources Policy Advocacy Network and spokesperson for global agriculture coalition Farming First Women are the fountain of life. They are mothers, innovators, educators, farmers and custodians of the environment, particularly rural women. In Africa, 70% of the population – of which a significant portion are

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UNU: Adaptation to climate change (CC) impact is an emerging area of research and development in Nepal. Many households were deeply affected by climatic variability and natural disasters coupled with a decade-long conflict, leaving them with few options to cope with CC in Nepal. A study was conducted on people’s experience in CC and its

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The News: The ever-increasing roles of the private sector and businesses in protecting coastal areas and maintaining their ecological integrity were the main topics of discussion at a learning event of the ninth regional meeting of the Mangroves for the Future initiative titled “Resilience, Climate Change and the Private Sector in Sustainable Coastal Management”. Leading

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Guardian: A world four degrees warmer could be too hot to handle, but the exciting prospect of low-carbon living could stop it happening. The question about climate change is no longer whether it is real. The question is what the world is going to look like for our children as they grow up. I have

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Taylor Wilmot: In the twentieth century big dams and other development projects were often associated with progress and prosperous economic development for many countries, including India (Khagram, 2005). Dam development projects entice governments with the promise of hydroelectricity, irrigation, and drinking water for their growing populations. They represent an abundant resource to developing countries (Khagram,

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Scidevnet: The impact of climate changeon key food crops in Africa and South Asia may be much worse than previously estimated — with reductions of up to 40 per cent by the 2080s — according to a study, which synthesised results from related studies published over the last 20 years. It also identified “major gaps

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Tribune: The European Union has provided a grant of 1.2 million euros for conducting a climate change impact assessment study in Swat basin in the wake of Munda Dam multi-purpose project in Mohmand Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). For the study, a joint venture comprising two renowned firms – AHT of Germany

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The News: Pakistan is facing serious threats due to climate changes fast taking place particularly in mountainous regions of Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya, it is learnt.  “The carbonaceous filth has started mixing into Indus waters pouring in from Glaciers (snow melting) which could leave hazardous consequences for life of every kind in the water passageways,” officials told

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World Crunch: The future of Bhutan‘s agriculture industry will be organic. The country, which mainly grows oranges, apples, rice and potatoes, had decided to become 100% organic in the next 10 years. Situated in the craggy foothills of the Himalayas, only 3% of the kingdom’s territory is actually farmland. However, 80% of the population of

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  Himalayan Times: The United Nations observes the Disaster Risk Reduction Day every year on the 13th of October. The United Nations is focusing on urban disaster risk reduction this year because of the higher contribution of the urban areas to the GDP of the country compared to their rural counterpart. In Nepal, the urban

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Conservation International: Over the past few years, CI [Conservation International] has had the good fortune to work with — and ultimately bring onto our board — natural capital thought leader Pavan Sukhdev. Our relationship with Pavan initially centered around his efforts as lead author on “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)” study, but has

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Cassie Denbow: The Hindu-Kush Himalayas (HKH) is one of the most diverse ecological regions in the world. Stretching from Afghanistan to Myanmar, the mountainous region encompasses the world’s highest peaks, 30% of the world’s glaciers[1], and provides between 1.3-1.8 billion[2] people with water and other natural resources. The Western Indian Himalayas are the segment of

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Alertnet: Since India’s independence, the mammoth task of feeding its hundreds of millions, most of whom are extremely poor, has been a major challenge to policymakers. In the coming decades, the issue of food insecurity is likely to affect almost all Indians. However, for the poorest amongst us, it could be catastrophic. India ranks 65

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The News: In a tattered mud-and-twigs hut, some 16 kilometers away from Jati Tehsil in Thatta district, Hanifa lights up her cigarette confidently telling us she can handle a natural disaster if it comes. She sounds pretty brave as she narrates her tales of survival from a series of natural disasters in the last two

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Mountain Voice: In the series of Mountain Voice project the Climate Himalaya team interviewed Dr. David J Molden, Director General of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD, Nepal) and discussed about the climate related issues in Himalayan region and about scientific communications and policy making processes. Climate Himalaya: Barring exceptions, it is business as

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University of Bonn: Population dynamics, changes in land management, and the future of mountain areas in Northern Caucasus: The example of North Ossetia: This study deals with population dynamics in the mountains of North Ossetia-Alania (Russian Federation) over the last 120 years. It documents the loss of mountain population over this period and analyses its

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Epoch Times: Last week, Bhutan Minister of Agriculture and Forests Pema Gyamtsho, announced an ambitious plan to turn food production 100 percent organic by 2020. In a country where 79 percent of the population is involved in agriculture, along with the people’s high spiritual aspirations, going organic sounds like an easy task. But challenges are

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On 2 October 2012, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Members of the European Parliament, Mr. Gerbrandy and Ms. Schroedter, organised a joint event at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss the future of green jobs in the context of the Rio+20outcomes. Entitled “Working towards a green economy

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AFP: The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, famed for seeking “happiness” for its citizens, is aiming to become the first nation in the world to turn its home-grown food and farmers 100 percent organic. The tiny Buddhist-majority nation wedged between China and India has an unusual and some say enviable approach to economic development, centred on

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Huffington Post: The recent headline that 100 million people will die by 2030 if climate change is not addressed doubtlessly had people around the world imagining doomsday catastrophes. Don’t panic just yet, as this figure is perhaps a textbook example of how to lie with statistics. DARA, the Spain-based humanitarian NGO that released the report

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DAWN/Foreign Policy: GLOBAL warming is the increase in the temperature of the earth’s near-surface air and that of the temperature of oceans. This rise in the temperature will cause the sea level to rise. This will increase the intensity of the occurrence of extreme weather events, leading to a change in agricultural productivity, trade, water

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