A Call From The Top Of The World: Text of Mt. Everest Declaration
The Nepali cabinet, from the top of the world (almost literally), calls the world to preserve the Himalayas, and the world.
Following the highest altitude (Kalapathar plateau, 5,262 metres, the Himalayas) cabinet meeting in history on Friday, Nepal's Prime Minister read out the Sagarmatha (Mt. Evererest) Declaration, aimed at drawing the world's attention to the impact of climate change in the HImalayan region, on the eve of the UN-sponsored climate summit, Dec 7-18, in Copehagen.
The following is the unofficial English translation of the Nepali text. This is a rush copy of translation by Nepal Monitor:
Sagarmatha Declaration on Climate Change
Kalapathar, Mt. Everest Base Camp, 5542 meters, Nepal
The world’s tallest peak Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) and the world’s beautiful mountain ranges that span to both East and West of Sagarmatha have had a positive and extraordinary contribution in the civilization, economic-social-cultural prosperity of the 1 billion and 300 million people, and natural heritage as well as tourism development and other various areas.
In recent times, the world’s climate change has affected various areas, such as human life, social and economic development, bio diversity, tourism development, including he Himalayas. As a result, the risk of heavy precipitation, or very light precipitation, floods, landslides, glacial landslides, drought has increased. This has had negative impact not only on the land masses in the vicinity of the Himalayas but also on South Asia as well as the environmental balance the entire world.
The world is our common home. Acknowledging that as much as the world as our common home is important to us, it is also important to our future generations, we have been expressing bilateral and multi-lateral commitments on sustainable development and environmental preservations since several decades. Through the Sagarmatha Declaration, we would like to highlight our collective commitment on climate change and areas of mutual cooperation. For the entire humanity to move ahead in the preservation of world heritage, bio diversity, sustainable economic-social-cultural development, tourism development, as well as to help preserve mountain ranges, including Sagarmatha, the Government of Nepal thus makes this Declaration:
1. We express commitment to work together with the South Asian nations as well as other nations in order to protect the Himalayas and that mountain ecosystem that are at risk because of climate change and to draw the attention of the world community to this issue.
2. To launch mass awareness campaigns, at the local as well as the national level, on studies of the potential impact and ways of mitigation about the adverse situations created by climate change in the Himalayan ranges and the affected areas, on the local livelihood and subsistence, specially among the poor, marginalized groups, indigenous people, dalits, women, and children.
3. To address the negative impact of climate change in advance and to foster social resilience in agriculture and other areas, adopt early warning system, develop a blueprint on climate change, and enhance the needed skills in this area.
4. In course of preserving the mountain ecosystem, expand the currently preserved 20 percent area of Nepal to 25 percent in the country and consolidate the forest area to 40 percent. To explicate our commitment, declare Gaurishakar and Apinapa regions as conservation areas.
5. Obtain support of the world community to effectively implement projects in accordance with Nepal’s needs, in order to address the adverse impact of climate change on Nepal’s social-economic sector, specially water-resources, agriculture, bio-diversity, forests, human life, and health. Also endorse the proposal requiring developed nations to contribute at least 1.5 percent of their GDP to the Climate Change Fund.
6. With the confidence that by developing clean energy, we can reduce carbon emission in the region, draw attention of developed and neighboring countries for the appropriate, modern technology, its easily accessible transfer and investment.
7. Take the initiative to amend the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in order to make it more accessible and beneficial to poor nations and for Nepal to fully benefit from it.
8. To prevent perilous situations due to human-induced climate change, call for maintaining the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere below 350 PPM (Parts Per Million) and the average temperature of the planet at the level that existed in the pre-industrial world, not more than 1.5 degree centigrade.
9. Given that very limited research has been carried out concerning the impact of climate change on the process of snow and glacial melt in the Himalayan region, take the initiative to meet knowledge needs in this respect.
10. Call to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in order to mitigate the serious impact of greenhouse gases and other activities on mountain ecosystem and the Himalayas. In addition, draw attention of everyone to obtain compensation from the countries emitting greenhouse gases, and relief for poor nations and people adversely affected by such gases.
4 December, 2009
Watch video:
Nepal: Statement by PM Madhav Nepal on 2009 UN Climate Change Summit
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Posted by Editor on December 5, 2009 1:43 AM