Strategic Affairs Nepal, a Kathmandu-based think-tank, organized a talk program titled Climate Change and Monsoon-induced Disasters in South Asia, on July 24.

The renowned environmental scientist Dr. Uttam Babu Shrestha delivered his presentation on it. He highlighted the challenges ushered by climate change. He emphasized that one of the three global crises that mankind is now experiencing is climate change. He presented an overview of climate change in the global and South Asian settings serving as the main starting point. 

Both natural and artificial systems have been influenced by climate change. Climate-related catastrophes including floods, droughts, landslides, and coastal erosion have harmed billions of people over the past 30 years and cost hundreds of billions in property and infrastructure losses. No location on earth is more susceptible to more than 800 million people in South Asia being at risk of dying due to climate change as the environment changes, and income (rise in temperature, erratic rainfall, and drying up water sources). 

He further enhanced these challenges with case studies in terms of Nepal’s context. The talk detailed on the changes in temperature and precipitation indicators' intensity, duration, frequency, and extremes during the past century on both national and global scales. In the context of South Asia and Nepal and their connections with climate change, it will present the spatiotemporal changes in climate-induced catastrophes. Future climatic changes and the threats they bring will be covered towards the conclusion of the discussion.

Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Kathmandu-based diplomatic and environment journalist spoke about the need of regional frameworks to tackle the climate-induced disaster in South Asia. He said regional organizations like SAARC and BIMSTEC can play a pivotal role to mitigate the effects of climate change. He said without political stability in this region, climate change issues will not get a priority.