KATHMANDU: Bangladesh’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, has raised concerns that Bangladesh’s very existence could be imperiled by the melting snow in the Nepal Himalayas due to climate change.

Addressing the ‘Global Dialogue on Mountain, People and Climate,’ which commenced in Kathmandu today to draw global attention to the impact of climate change in the Himalayas, Chowdhury highlighted that climate change has significantly impacted the Himalayas, leading to rapid snow melting.

This phenomenon could result in severe problems like flooding in Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi minister emphasized the risk to the downstream and coastal regions of Bangladesh if timely measures and appropriate alertness are not adopted to mitigate the impact of climate change.

He stressed the need for efforts to minimize climate change impacts and enhance climate resilience.

“The developed countries emit 81 percent of the total global carbon emissions.

Developing countries like Nepal and Bangladesh are facing problems due to this.

The developed countries have not fulfilled their commitments made at various climate conferences regarding lowering carbon emissions. Now, they should be urged to take action,” he added.

Minister Chowdhury further stated that government efforts alone are insufficient to alleviate poverty and prevent the impacts of climate change.

He stressed the need for managing the budget required to implement climate change adaptation programs and reiterated the necessity of political will to address these issues.

Experts from 25 countries are participating in the Global Dialogue.

More than 200 individuals representing mountainous and small island nations, including Nepal, as well as the international community, development partners, INGOs, the private sector, and civil society are attending the program.

The experts will deliberate on topics such as coordination, prioritizing, and strengthening climate-resilient activities based on mountain ecosystems.