Kathmandu: An international conference on "mountain people adapting to change" kicked off in Kathmandu Sunday, aiming at providing a platform to discuss best ways to help mountain communities to deal with adverse impacts of climate change.
The four-day conference, jointly organised by the Nepal government and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), attracted more than 200 scientists, experts, government representatives and stakeholders from 22 countries, Xinhua reported.
Govind Raj Pokhrel, vice chair of Nepal's National Planning Commission, said at the inauguration ceremony that Nepal's poverty rate, which stands at 23 percent now, could rise again "if we fail to tackle climate-induced disasters and climate change."
This year alone, natural disasters have cause huge damage to the country's infrastructure facilities, excluding individual houses, he said, adding, "If we cannot minimise the impacts of climate-induced disasters, more people will find themselves below poverty line."
David Molden, director general of the ICIMOD, said that mountain people have developed a huge diversity of options to adapt to different mountain environments.
