November 1: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that Nepal is at high risk due to regional and global climate change. He also mentioned that Nepali people have had to face multi-faceted challenges due to rising temperature and widespread changes in rainfall pattern, increase in disaster and extreme events.    
In the first meeting of the National Council for Environmental Protection and Climate Change Management on Monday, which was formed as per the provisions of the Environment Act, 2076, PM Deuba said that the government has accorded top priority to climate change and environmental protection.    
The 27th Conference of Parties to the International Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-27) is going to be held in Egypt from November 6 to 18. In this context, Prime Minister Deuba said that Nepal should urge the rich and developed countries of the world to revise their ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term low emission development strategy to limit the global temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius.    
In this regard, Nepal should lobby with the United Nations Climate Secretariat for active leadership, he said and expressed his commitment to take initiatives to ensure the progress of the 'Santiago Loss and Damage Mechanism' and the demand for a separate loss and damage finance system by putting the loss and damage finance system formally on the agenda.    
During the meeting, documents related to the preparations for the COP-27, national prescribed implementation plan, climate finance strategy and action plan prepared in coordination with the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers were presented.    
The meeting also approved the Council's Meeting Procedures 2079, National Determined Contribution Implementation Plan, Climate Finance Strategy and Action Plan and Nepal's concept paper related to COP-27. -- RSS