Kathmandu. According to the Economic Survey 2082-83, the challenges of climate change are increasing. At a time when global warming and greenhouse gas emissions are accelerating, Nepal too has stepped up its commitments and programmes for mitigation and adaptation.

According to the Economic Survey 2082-83, Nepal has been actively participating in international structures and agreements related to climate change. Nepal is a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The policies and institutional provisions including the National Climate Change Policy-2076, Environment Conservation Act-2076 and the Local Level Adaptation Action Plan are in the works.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report 2023-2024, the average temperature of the Earth has increased by 1.45 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial period (1850-1900). It has warned that this increase could reach more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in the coming years. “Warming has a direct impact on environmental, economic and social sectors, as well as challenges the balance between human communities and ecosystems,” the report said.

According to the Long-Term Climate Risk Index (1993-2022) released by Germanwatch in 2025, Nepal is ranked 69th among the countries at high risk in terms of climate risk. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise globally. In 1990, the world’s total emissions were 32.73 billion metric tons, which increased to 50.8 billion metric tons in 2023. China, the United States, India, Russia, Brazil, Japan and the top 10 countries account for about 60 percent of the world’s emissions.

According to the survey, greenhouse gas emissions have been increasing in Nepal in recent years. In the 1990s, the annual average was 22.7 million metric tons, which has increased to an annual average of 49.6 million metric tons in the last decade (2014-2023).

Although the contribution of agriculture sector to Nepal’s total emission is still high, its proportion is declining. Emissions from the agriculture sector have come down from 78.25 percent in 1990 to 48.57 percent in 2023. However, emissions from energy, industrial, land-use change and transport sectors are rising.

Nepal has set a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by 17.12 percent by 2030 and 26.79 percent by 2035 as the third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC-3) by 2025. Nepal has been receiving various international financial assistance in the mitigation and adaptation sector of climate change. A total of 163.79 million US dollars has been collected from 13 different projects till the fiscal year 2081/82 and contracts for additional 18 million US dollars have been signed till mid-March of the current fiscal year.

Nepal has also made remarkable achievements in carbon trade from forest sector. For the first time, the Forest Development Fund (FDF) has received 9.4 million US dollars by reducing some 18.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions through the Red Plus programme implemented in the Terai region. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2081-82, the Alternative Energy Promotion Center has earned more than 6.655 million euros from carbon trading by reducing 20192 metric tons of carbon emissions through the renewable energy program.

The government has signed an emission reduction agreement worth USD 40 million to sell carbon in forest areas of 36 districts of Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. Similarly, Sagarmatha Sambad was organized in Kathmandu on May 2082 with the objective of highlighting the serious impact of climate change, especially in the mountainous region.