Nepal’s Climate Negotiation Strategy Post COP 21/Paris Agreement
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Department of International Relations and Diplomacy
Abstract
Climate change is an urgent global issue with long-term implications for the
sustainable development of all countries. Realizing the immediate impacts and long-
term implications, countries are now integrating climate change in their development
policies. The multilateral process on climate change evolved in 1992 with the
adoption of United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), later with
Kyoto Protocol and the subsequent Paris Agreement. Countries meet throughout the
year and at the Conference of Parties (COP) to take stock on progress of these
multilateral agreements. However, as of now a very little progress has been made in
terms of achieving the objectives of these agreements. As climate change has
intensified and the consequences have worsened over the years, Nepal is also
experiencing similar consequences.
Nepal contributes negligible amount of greenhouse gases compared to the global
emissions. Yet the consequences that Nepal faces are far worse. The impacts ranges
across the geographic locations, such as melting of glaciers, intensified rainfall, droughts,
floods, landslides, to name a few. This study explores the strategy adopted by Nepal in
climate change negotiations while participating at COP 21 to COP 25, focusing on impact
of climate change at the social, economic and environmental levels.
The findings conclude that the major reasons for limited progress in these meetings
are power dynamics between countries, complex geopolitical environment, inadequate
economic policies, limited institutional and technical capacity, high vulnerability
against natural disasters and climate change yet lack of prioritization.
Key Words: Conference of Parties, Climate Change, Negotiations, Strategies,
Emissions