UK government´s Department for International Department (DFID) has announced £50 million (US$ 80 million) grant assistance to Nepal for tackling climate change. The grant was provided to Nepal in view of its vulnerability to climate change impacts. Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered his support to the programme, launched less than a month before December’s crucial Copenhagen negotiations.
The Prime Minister said: "Countries right across the world need to take urgent and radical action to tackle climate change. The poorest and most vulnerable countries need our help to do so. That is why we are announcing today a £40m package of support to work with Nepal to tackle deforestation. And with less than a month to go to Copenhagen, it is time for the world to step up and make the bold decisions we need to secure a global, comprehensive and binding climate change deal.”
“Nepal is in the front line of the battle against climate change with the Himalayan glaciers melting faster than anywhere else in the world,” said UK International Development Minister Gareth Thomas, according to a statement issued here by the Department for International Development (DFID). “Deforestation is Nepal’s biggest source of greenhouse gases and we need to reverse that trend.” (Read: Nepal and the wicked problem of climate change)
“We would like to ensure participation of maximum local people in our reforestation program,” Simon Lucas, Climate Change Officer at DFID Nepal, said. DFID claims to have contributed towards reforestation in Nepal by at least 10 per cent through its various programs in the past.
“A fair and equitable deal in the upcoming Copenhagen climate change meet is vital to help ensure that the Least Developed Countries, including Nepal are given necessary funds and support to fight the devastating impacts of climate change,” read the statement.
Out of the total grant, £40 million ($ 66 million) will go towards protecting Nepal’s forests by supporting the National Forestry Programme (NFP) with other donors. The NFP aims to help increase incomes of around 1.2 million people by 50 percent. The ten-year National Forestry Programme will give Nepalese communities ownership of the thousands of hectares of forest currently under government control, helping some of the world’s poorest people to earn an income from their natural resources and put a stop to the rampant deforestation currently blighting the country. The UK will offer another £10 million to help increase Nepal’s resilience to climate change impacts. For this, measures like improving emergency warning systems, protecting the vulnerable from floods and landslides and supporting community water schemes to increase their ability to cope with drought will be taken. The DFID will be spending up to £50 million ($80 million) over the next 10 years to help tackle climate change and improve lives of the poor in Nepal.
Nepal currently has the highest per-capita carbon emissions in South Asia, at 6.6 tonnes per person per year, and the vast majority of this is caused by deforestation. The Government of Nepal does not currently have the capacity to monitor all of the nation’s forests, which cover 40% of the country, and has already handed over a fifth of Nepal’s forests to local communities to help counter this. By allowing communities to earn a living from the forests, the programme aims to increase the incomes of 1.2 million people by 50 per cent. A projected reduction in carbon emissions could also raise around £10 million on the international carbon markets.
Earlier this year, the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown had called for an international financial initiative worth $100 billion to support developing countries to combat climate change. In response to his call, the European Union (EU) agreed to increase the figure to $135 billion. The support from DFID, which has already announced 172 million pounds to Nepal over the next three years, comes as a part of the international initiative.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, MyRepublica, DFID Press Release
This is indeed going to help
This is indeed going to help a long way in improving the ecological balance in the region. Afforestation drive in this Himalayan region should be given more support from other oranizations as well to help save the enviroment and depletion of the ozone layer.
nice to know
i hope the fund will reach to the deserving peoples of Nepal who really need it!
Very good news for Nepal. But
Very good news for Nepal. But it really reach to poor and excluded section of the Nepali Community or The fund will be trapped by certain elite section of Nepali as existing British Supported forestry programme of Nepal? In future it is neccessary to reformulate the funding mechanism of British Aid. Other wise , in the tormoil political situation of Nepal, people will padlock the DFID office of Nepal.
Climate change and agriculture parrern
Nice to hear good news. Nepal is now severely affected from climate change that has exerted negetive impact in agriculture. The ultimate result is food deficiency. It would be worthful if the fund can be utilise in climate change and adptation to agriculture. As a combating instrument action research on cropping pattern with due consideration for irrigation infrastructure would be useful.
Its a good news but we can
Its a good news but we can only hope for the fund reaching the grass root level for the political leaders and NGOs are sure to gobble up a large section of it.
I agree with Mr. Subash and would like to add two more area where focus is needed and they are our disaster management system and the conserving and harnessing our water resources for as the glaciers retreat, there are going to be first many large floods and then scarcity of water with even the largest rivers drying up for ever.
If this fund is going to
If this fund is going to support for ultra poor communities for leasehold foresty member for their sustainable development through their own promoting financial institution in their area that can reduce poverty line in nepal in mid hill resion(area) in nepal
this news is good for the
this news is good for the resarcher were worked in this field.the programme should be focoused to the younger researcher
Me, being a Nepalese citizen
Me, being a Nepalese citizen know for sure that the incoming funds are not going to be used or utilized. The funds are going to be abused by the elite for their own personal benefits.
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