Ministers and heads of delegations from six of the eight countries that share the Earth’s tallest cryosphere zone — the Himalayas — held a meeting hosted by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on the second day of COP29 on Tuesday, where Tobgay flagged that breaching the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees Celsius goal could trigger disasters that will spell doom for millions of people downstream.
“The HKH (Hindu Kush Himalayas) region — the biodiversity hotspot to the world, a repository of some of the world’s largest amounts of ice, this water tower that supports almost 2 billion people — is at risk,” Tobgay said.
“We are vulnerable, and the effects of climate change are already affecting our entire region. The fact that we are fast ascending towards 1.5 degrees Celsius will accelerate disasters for the entire region, 240 million people in HKH and 1.6 billion live downstream. We need to do more. We need to come together with a unified source of vision, with one voice and call for action,” he said.
The event was attended by Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, Minister of Forests and Environment, Nepal; Romina Khursheed Alam, Coordinator to Prime Minister for the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination, Pakistan; Farhina Ahmad, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh; Naresh Pal Gangwar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, India; Karma Tshering, Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Bhutan and Lu Shixun, Deputy Director General, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China.
India highlighted air pollution as a shared challenge within the Indo-Gangetic Airshed. “Most of our countries fall under the same airshed, i.e., the Indo-Gangetic Airshed. This is a transboundary issue. All countries must work together to address air pollution,” Gangwar said, according to a statement issued by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
He urged nations, particularly Pakistan and Bangladesh, to take proactive, collaborative steps to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders.
Nepal’s Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri shared urgent reminders of climate vulnerability, noting the recent devastating Thame flood that swept away an entire village and the September floods that tragically claimed over 150 lives. He called for solidarity in the fight against climate change and urged everyone to work toward a global partnership.
Bhutan, Madagascar, Panama, and Suriname launched a forum for carbon neutral countries at COP29 and also issued a Joint Declaration.
“As carbon-negative and carbon-neutral countries, we take a unique responsibility and view this as an opportunity to keep our momentum as part of carbon-negative and carbon-neutral countries to protect and enhance carbon sinks and promote nature-positive pathways as we move toward a future that safeguards biodiversity, supports sustainable development and ensures resilience against the impacts of climate change,” the joint statement said.
Brazil is expected to announce its new NDC for 2035 on Wednesday. The south American country’s new climate target is likely to commit to cutting emissions by 67% by 2035 and put Brazil on a pathway to reach net-zero by 2050.
“Getting there requires bold domestic policies to halt deforestation and promote restoration, decarbonise its energy sector and foster green industry. Embarking on this journey to a new climate economy will create jobs, boost economic growth and avoid more dangerous climate impacts. The government must also ensure these actions promote social justice and build resilient communities,” the World Resources Institute said on Thursday.
