E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, FEB 15 -

At a time when the government is all set to receive a loan for its climate change programme, different stakeholders have sent mixed reactions about the government’s efforts.

A recipient of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), Nepal is in the process of taking US $ 60 million of the total of US $110 million set aside for PPCR from the World Bank, with Asian Development Bank as the implementing agency. The remaining US $50 million will be provided as grant for the same programme.  

While government officials say the government is taking the loan not only for climate change adaptation but for strengthening different development programmes, including construction of embankments, promoting climate resilience agriculture and technical assistance, non-government representatives say development and climate change adaptation are two different issues that need to be addressed separately.

“Fund for climate change adaptation is not a choice for least developed countries (LDCs) like Nepal. It is the duty of developed countries to support developing countries that are vulnerable to climate change impacts because of lack of resources and appropriate technologies,” said Raju Pandit Chhettri of the United Missions to Nepal (UMN). He was addressing an interaction on ‘Loan for fighting climate change impacts’ organised by Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists on Monday. Pandit said Nepal is vying for the LDC chair under the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change and that the country could lose the confidence of other members with its decision to take the loan.

Forest expert Jagdish Chandra Baral told the audience at the programme that Nepal should not take the loan in haste as it is just experimenting on climate issues. “The country still has not got any expertise on fighting climate change impacts. So why face a challenge by taking such a huge loan?” questioned Baral.

However, government officials say donor agencies played a key role while selecting Nepal as one of the recipients of the PPCR in 2010. Batu Krishna Uprety, Environment Officer and Chief of the Environment Assessment Section, said just saying no to loans right now would not do justice to people suffering from climate change impacts.

Posted on: 2011-02-15 08:49

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