NC pledges to enable nation with zero carbon emission by 2045

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) has pledged to enable the nation with zero carbon emissions by 2045.

In the resolution paper unveiled today for the House of Representatives and State Assembly elections, NC has made the commitment to adopt different policies and principles to make the country having zero carbon emissions in the stipulated time.

NC has laid emphasis on green and productive economic development, preservation of forest area, economic generation, eco-tourism, organic agriculture system and food security from carbon credit, timber-based industry and bio-diversity protection for zero carbon emission.

Likewise, the resolution paper placed emphasis on promoting clean energy, assuring environmental security and developing physical infrastructure only after assessing impacts against assurances.

Prime Minister and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba unveiled the resolution paper at a programme organized at the party central office on Saturday.

Though the Constitution has guaranteed every citizen a right to live in a clean and health environment, climate change has created new risks and challenges.

The paper pledged that the NC would adopt the climate adaptation and carbon classification policy and also to mainstream the policy and programmes in coordination with all levels and stakeholders.

Among other commitments included in the paper are setting up an early-warning system for safety of lives from climate change risks, establishing of climate change research centre according to geography, developing of ecosystem-based adaptive capacity of local rural communities and setting up of mechanisms for environmental service payment.

NC has committed to run programmes in a way to promote policy for the private sector to operate enterprises based on agriculture and timber according to the principle of the green economy.

NC has put forward a policy of addressing total demands of energy through the mobilization of hydropower and clean energy.

The party has also stipulated its plan to utilize and protect rivers, preserve lakes and wise use of bio-diversity including forest heritage. Likewise, the party has come up with a commitment to carry out research and study and promote the national heritage of medicinal plants, medicinal science, Ayurveda and naturopathy and make them a national identity marker.

Considering that disaster management was imperative to sustain the economic-social progress of the country, NC has laid emphasis on bringing disaster management into the development mainstream by installing an early-warning system and real-time flood monitoring and mobilizing drone technology.

NC has pledged to develop a comprehensive work plan to pursue new policies and principle on post-disaster reconstruction, and emergency information systems and coordinate with concerned agencies of the development partners and neighbouring countries.