IPS News: Farmers in this fertile central district of south Nepal are convinced that an intense drought between May and early July that destroyed their maize crops is the result of climate change.  “Last year my farms produced over 20 quintals of maize, but this time I could barely harvest one quintal,” 60-year-old farmer Padmakanta

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Telegraph Nepal: It was in 1991 when I first visited Nepal as a graduate student at Indiana University, working on a research project on the management of common pool resources under the leadership of Professor Elinor Ostrom. To get myself prepared for the visit, I had been reading case studies of irrigation management in Nepal

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CCAFS: Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate risks, and food security is especially sensitive to climate variability. For example, over the last decade, around 30,845 hectares of land owned by almost 5% of households became uncultivable due to climate-related hazards. In the Eastern Terai, too, the unusually low rains of 2005/2006

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RTCC: Nepal is on the front line of climate change. While the country’s greenhouse gas emissions are negligible, Nepal’s various communities are already feeling the impacts of a changing climate. Rising temperatures, flash floods, droughts, retreating glaciers and glacier lake outbursts are all increasingly dangerous occurrences. Nepal is also one of the poorest countries in the

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IPS News: Every morning, as Gian Pietro Verza walks up the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier in this Himalayan country’s north-east to take measurements, the wind makes colourful prayer flags flutter noisily. That same wind carries soot particles that are causing the snow on the mountains to melt faster. Photo: The Imja Glacier below

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My Republica: When monsoon arrives on time, nobody feels happier and more liberated than the farmer. This year, however, the late arrival of monsoon around the country has left the farmers anxious and troubled. By mid July, fields should have turned green with recently planted paddy but this has not happened yet. In many parts

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CDKN’s Elizabeth Colebourn and Ram Chandra Khanal report from Asian Development Bank (ADB) workshops on the Economics of Climate Change held across South Asia in July where they showcased lessons from CDKN’s work in Nepal. New research and evidence is published every week on the impact of climate change in South Asia: changing rainfall patterns,

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Deccan Chronical: Nepal’s elusive snow leopards, thought to number just 500 in the wild, are under threat from warmer and wetter weather in the Himalayas that is reducing their habitat, a new study says. Changing weather patterns are pushing forests further into the leopards’ territory and they could lose 40 per cent of their hunting

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ADB: District-level Training Toolkit on Climate Change and Environmental Management, Part A: Facilitator’s Guide. Ministry of Environment for the last ten years has been playing leading a role to address the issues on environment management. MoEnv is working as regulatory institution in the field of pollution control, EIA, IEE and various other issues. MoEnv is

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Treehugger: In the foothills of Nepal’s Himalayas, the Himalayan stinging nettle plants grows naturally in the wild. Ellie Skeele, founder of Himalayan Wild Fibers, is in the process of developing the nettle fiber industry with the local community. According to the Center for Sustainable Fashion, Himalayan nettle is the longest fiber currently known to humankind

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Nepaleseteacher: Inter governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate change as a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change

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IUCN: In Himalayan regions the temperature has been rising day by day. The different study report shows that temperatures in the Himalayas are increasing at a faster rate. What snow was remaining on the mountains has melted completely and the glaciers have retreated quickly. Many of the mountain ranges are barren, without snow over them.

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CDKN: Previous studies, and common sense, tell us that development in Nepal is already being affected by climate change. Economic growth is dependent on the agricultural sector, which is sensitive to variations in the climate. Extreme events, such as glacial lake outburst floods, threaten lives and livelihoods. However, the Government still does not have a

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Mountain Voice: In a series of our Mountain Voice, the Climate Himalaya team interacted with youth in western Himalayan region of India to understand that how aware and concerned they are about various environment issues and how involved the Youth’s are in various developmental processes. As per our interaction with Youth in western Himalayan region

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My Republica: During the upcoming Rio+20 summit in Brazil, the main expectation of developing mountainous countries in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region is stronger political commitment. Nepal, for example, hopes that the Rio+20 outcome document will express concrete global support for greater synergy, balance, and integration of the pillars of sustainable development—environmental, economic, socio-political, and

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Cockrell School of Engineering: Professor Daene McKinney is part of a group of more than 30 scientists from 15 countries around the world who are studying Nepal, Peru and other places affected by rising glacial lake levels. High above a community of villagers, Nepal’s Imja Lake rises quietly each year, expanding its reach in both

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Manila Bulletin: To dub Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) “the world’s highest garbage dump” is neither novel nor obscure. In 1963, 10 years after human beings first conquered the world’s highest mountain, a Sherpa guide witnessed human waste, discarded climbing gears, and other rubbish on the summit and asserted that parts of the mountain had become

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Gorakhpatra: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that the mountainous countries should set up a separate fund and move with an action plan to battle the adverse effects of climate change. Addressing a function organized here by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology to mark the World Environment Day on Tuesday, Dr Bhattarai

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During CoP 17 of UNFCCC with the representation of over 20,000 delegates from about 200 countries, the world discussed three major issues of climate change i.e.  commitment period of Kyoto protocol, the process of action on binding regime-as equity and, the future course of actions on Cancun and Bali action plans. As mountains are the

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One of the study published in Nature, states that Fewer than 120 (0.075%) have had their mass balance (the sum of the annual mass gains and losses of the glacier) directly measured in Himalayan region, and for only 37 of these are there records extending beyond 30 years. Extrapolating this tiny sample of observations to

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In our focus countries Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, it has been observed that the governments have shown their concerns about climatic changes in Himalayan regions. With its advocacy for national happiness index Bhutan is working on many of its glaciers and flood information systems. However, Bhutan’s Climate Summit during 2011 was not a very

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Utilitiproducts: As Nepal experiences energy crisis of unprecedented severity with eight to twelve hours of power cuts on a daily basis, urban areas have turned to alternative sources of energy, including fossil fuels like petroleum and solar power. Besides the obvious threats by energy crises like declining economic growth, inflation, and unemployment, the pressure to

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Skeptical Science: The lofty mountains at the Roof of the World, the Himalayas, harbor many strange and mythical things.  From the Abominable Snowman (myth) to the magnificent Potala Palace (wondrously real), to the far horizon of lost Shambhala (mythical [?] Shangri-La) to the manifold tales of the Vedas (also real), many a fanciful tale emerge

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Climate Change Institute: The tempo of erosion in the Himalaya has received considerable attention because of the important role erosion plays in the development of the range, and more generally, because of the broad interest in the rich interactions between tectonics, topography and climate that govern mountain building. Little is known, however, about rates of

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Himalayan Times and Red Star: The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology said it will form a special team of experts to represent in Nepal in global climate change negotiations. The team, which will be permanent in nature, will comprise experts from government agencies, academia and legal and non-governmental sectors, will be responsible for taking

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IPS News: After years of working out of a small, dimly-lit office in a crowded bazaar here, Yug Tamrakar has just moved up a gravel road to occupy five floors of a new building, where sunlight pours through large glass windows. The light in the new premises of the 52-year-old’s company is a glistening reminder

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Chinadaily: Amid the mounting tensions of melting Himalayas, Nepal marked the first ascent of the Mt. Everest amid various activities here on Tuesday. Also known as ‘International Everest Day” , the day commemorates the first successful ascent of Mt. Qomolangma by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal and Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand on May

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IDS: Nepal’s National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) provides a clear guideline for the disbursement of at least 80 per cent of adaptation funds on implementation at the local level. To support implementation the government of Nepal has recently developed a national framework for a Local Adaptation Plan for Action (LAPA). The LAPA framework aims

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Alertnet: Malnutrition is worsening in developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India because of the impacts of climate change – particularly on water resources, a key input for producing food for more than a billion people in the region. Climate change and rising temperatures have now badly disturbed food production patterns and have deepened

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The Daily Beast: More deaths on Everest underscore its problems with overcrowding and unstable weather and geography, writes Nick Heil. By now, everyone has seen the startling photos and video of the conga line of climbers ascending Everest earlier this month. If you’ve ever wondered what a human traffic jam looks like at the roof

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Future Path: Mount Everest at approximately 29,092 feet or 8,845 metres stands as a moumental challenge for mountain climbers world wide. Climbers have been ascending Everest for decades. Hundreds of climbers have ascended Everest since the first successful expedition by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1951. Everest stands as a omnipresent sentinel standing

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eKantipur: Himalayas are warming about three times faster than the global average temperature during the last 25 year period, says a new study. The report made public on Wednesday states the average annual precipitation during the same period has increased by 6.52 millimetre per year in the region. Authored by Uttam Babu Shrestha, Shiva Gautam

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IDRC: The main threats from climate change vary across an ecologically diverse country. Researchers are working with villagers to identify and meet the local challenges in six Nepali communities. Research focusTo assess the vulnerability of rural communities in Nepal’s diverse ecological regions to help them develop their own climate change adaptation plans. The challengeNepal’s fame

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IIED: The Vice-President of Nepal — His Excellency Parmanand Jha — hosted the launch of a new report that details how the country can benefit from bringing its environment and development policies into harmony. The report, by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Kathmandu-based Asian Centre for Environment Management and Sustainable

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“In no way can the recent air crash and the one few months ago in Nepal could be linked to climatic aberration. Those who have flown on these over-used and under-maintained planes would agree that such disasters were indeed waiting to happen. Professionals who have no option but to fly to distant locations within the

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Gadling: The Himalayan Stove Project is a non-profit organization that has a very clearly defined message and goal. The group looks to improve the lives of those living in the Himalaya Mountains while simultaneously preserving the environment there as well. To accomplish this lofty goal, the HSP intends to deliver 10,000 clean cooking stoves to

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weADAPT: This work is part of a Policy Brief on Climate Change in Nepal produced by Practical Action in 2008 and provides a summary of climate change as currently experienced in Nepal, and projections of future changes. Climate change in Nepal Some level of uncertainty is inevitable in measuring and anticipating climate change. Attributing individual

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Zee News: Possibly the least urbanized country in South Asia, Nepal is also the fastest urbanizing nation in the region — and unless the government seriously manages urbanization better, the country could fail to attain economic efficiency from the process, a new World Bank study has warned. The findings of the study — Urban Growth

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UN-Habitat: has developed a checklist for mainstreaming gender under the second phase of Cities and Climate Change Initiatives (CCCI) initiated by UN-Habitat in 20 cities of 13 countries. The check list is being tested in different countries and Nepal (Kathmandu Valley) is one of those few countries chosen by UN-Habitat. The purpose of testing the

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IRIN News: The needs of millions of indigenous mountain people across Nepal are overlooked, imperilling their food security and hindering their economic progress, activists and experts say. “People in the mountains of Nepal are worse off in terms of total poverty – food and non-food poverty,” said Jean-Yves Gerlitz, co-author of a recent study on

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Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma: I’m indeed grateful to all the members who made written submissions to the discussions on ‘rewriting mountain perspective‘. At bilateral level, many others have contributed their unwritten thoughts and reflections. While many have gone public with their inputs, others have restricted themselves to drawing-room conversations such that they remain ‘unidentified’ in the

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Ekantipur: Climate change is the definitive challenge of the 21st century. Changes in the climate destroy the basis on which human life subsists; drought, for instance, leads to shortages in food and water. Rising sea levels are already threatening the territories of small island states and vast stretches of coastland. Climate change impacts in Nepal

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One World South Asia: At an outreach event in New Delhi, India, climate experts said that South Asian countries will have to work hard on climate change related issues not just because the region is vulnerable but also because there is not much research and data collection. By: Rahul Kumar/OneWorld South Asia New Delhi: Even though

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Sudan Division: Rio+20 offers the world a unique chance to advance the sustainable development agenda. The conference has three main objectives: to secure renewed political commitment to sustainable development, to assess progress and gaps in implementation of agreed commitments, and to address new and emerging challenges. The two themes of the Conference are a green

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Sustain Labour: Nepalese workers and their trade unions are committed to fighting climate change by protecting Nepal’s beautiful forests and livelihoods, and are taking concrete actions to reduce deforestation. For over 30 years Nepalese communities have been working hard to manage their forests and to help protect their environment. Between 119 million and 1.42 billion

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WRI Publication: This report introduces the National Adaptive Capacity (NAC) framework, a tool to help governments bring institutional capacity development into their adaptation planning processes. The NAC framework enables its users to systematically assess institutional strengths and weaknesses that may help or hinder adaptation. National adaptation plans may then be better designed to make best

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Sudan Vision: The timely, thought-provoking essays of this book provide valuable evidence of the impact of different gender and faith perspectives on practical development issues while also highlighting the complexities and ambiguities of religious influences. Development workers, researchers and social activists will gain from these studies a greater awareness and more critical understanding of how

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SciDevnet: Climate researchers pay too little attention to social sciences, delegates at the International Conference of Mountain Countries on Climate Change have heard. The meeting in Nepal (5–6 April) was attended by around 30 country representatives, and concluded with a ‘Kathmandu Call for Action’, with a view to highlighting the specific needs of mountain countries

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Himalayan Times: Ace mountaineer Appa Sherpa, who has conquered Mount Everest for 21 times, is planning to announce a greater alliance for the preservation of Himalayan region in the country and taking an initiative to form an international support group for the overall development of the region. “With an aim to preserve the entire Himalayan

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Himalayan Times: The government of Nepal recently hosted a high level international conference of mountain countries on climate change. Nepal extended invitation to 55 countries, however, only nine ministers attended and less than 30 countries sent their representatives. Regardless of the attendance, one must praise the courage shown by the government in hosting such a

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Forestry Nepal: Climate change is contemporary global threat to the animal world. Green house gases are resulting global warming which is creating different impacts in the world. Because of human activities green house gases are increasing. Nepal’s temperature is increasing at an alarming rate. Increasing temperature is creating different impacts on biodiversity, health the environment

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SNV Nepal: Given the high potential for renewable energy technologies (RETs) to contribute to both climate mitigation and adaptation, it is increasingly important to address climate change issues when planning for RET dissemination. However, sustainable utilisation of Nepal’s available energy resources will only be possible if planning is carried out at the local level with

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GlacierWorks: is pleased to present Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers of the Greater Himalaya for a limited engagement at Everest Base Camp (April 10 – May 10, 2012). Sponsored in part by Mountain Hardwear, the Base Camp exhibition showcases mountaineer David Breashears’ modern, high-resolution glacier imagery alongside matched archival photographs taken over the past century

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Telegraph Nepal: The Nepalese Ministry of Environment launched the Nepal Climate Change Support Programme at the International Conference of Mountain Countries on Climate Change in Kathmandu, April 5, 2012. The first phase of this Euro 16.5 m (NRs 1,800,000,000)  programme aims to reduce the vulnerability of 2 million women and men in the Mid and

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SevenSisters Post: Success stories on bio-gas and energy generation in a village in Uttar Pradesh and crop pattern as part of climate change mitigation in neighbouring Nepal were some of the highlights of the week-long basin development programme in Tura which concluded on Wednesday. The meeting also dwelt on financial inclusion and ways and means

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Climate Change Network Nepal: A roundtable discussion on Progress and Implementation Status of Climate Change Policy and Programmes in Nepal was held successfully with participation of around 60 representatives from different government and non government organizations including development activists from 9 districts outside Kathmandu.Mr. Batu Krishna Uprety, Ministry of Environment (MoEnv.) shared the implementation status

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Manjeet’s Blog (Negotiating Everyday): In principle Nepal’s hydropower potential is impressive due to rugged mountain terrain from which snow and rain fed rivers produce significant amount of seasonal water flow. Owing to this natural hydrological processes, Nepal projected an image since 1970s that this country has one of the richest hydropower potential in the world

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Antonio M. Claparols , Journal on line: AS I write this, the weather seems to be bringing its worse to Europe early, inasmuch as drought has hit some of the European countries such as Spain and Italy. So early in the spring — and already severe drought is threatening that part of the world. This

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Ramesh Parsad Bhushal, The Himalayan: “The government’s initiative to bring more than fifty countries to Nepal‚ and start a process for new alliance of mountain countries in the long run to hype the mountain agenda may have various implications in the future‚ but it depends on how the country deals with the challenges” From the

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The Himalayan, KATHMANDU: The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Nepal office, has been named for the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for 2012. Awarded by the Stockholm International Water Institute, this prestigious prize honors individuals, institutions or organisations whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and to the improved health of

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