Great Himalaya Trail Climate Smart Celebrity Trek – Kathmandu Send Off

Main Messages

• Nepal and UK united in the aim of achieving an ambitious, equitable and legally binding climate change deal.
• Climate Change in Nepal is ‘here and now’, the world needs to see the effects
• Poorest and most vulnerable most affected – need help to adapt
• The trek helps all these agendas – why the UK through DFID support and UK diplomatic efforts keen to support
• Trek success though lies with us here tonight –  all have a role to promote

Detail

COP 17 in Durban has just happened. The UK is pleased with the progress that was made; both the UK and Nepal played active roles in securing the agreements that were reached.

And both our countries have made substantial progress recently to combat global warming, with the UK enacting legal commitments on emissions and Nepal putting its climate change policies into practice through its NAPA programmes.

The UK Government, through DFID, is proud to support the global effort on climate change, including the work of the Government of Nepal. We have committed £2.9bn to combat climate change globally. The signing this week of the Nepal Climate Change Support Programme - along with the EU and UNDP – put into practical action the UK’s global commitments to help the countries most affected by climate change. And more is already being planned for Nepal, in forestry and low carbon growth.

But we need to recognise that there is still a long way to go – to achieve the ambitious, equitable, legally binding global deal that we both want.

In particular, an agreement that recognises the particular vulnerability of the mountainous regions of the world and their potential for supporting low carbon growth, for example through the development of hydropower and forest resources.

Mountain Day at Durban put the record straight on the science of melting glaciers in the Himalaya and this work will feed into the Rio+ 20 and future UNFCCC debates.

But science is hard digest by the public and politicians, unless backed by images and individual stories that highlight the impacts of climate change, changes that are happening now in Nepal – this is what this trek will do.

Importantly, the trek will also support the promotion of the Great Himalaya Trail – an iconic tourism product that Nepal should be rightly proud of; a trail which will attract tourists to some of the most stunning places on the planet, but also some of the poorest and most climate vulnerable. But by doing so, it will give those most vulnerable to and affected by climate change alternative, sustainable and climate proof sources of income.

So today we are meeting to support the efforts of a group of Nepali climate champions who are committed to ensuring these messages are heard loud and clear around the world.

They should first be congratulated for their initiative – and then given some medical attention due to the madness obvious in even proposing such an idea.

But seriously, the fact we are all here this evening shows that they are right in undertaking this trek. They are right because the messages of how climate change is affecting the Himalaya are not being heard.

1.5 billion people in South Asia depend on the waters which flow from the Himalaya. They deserve a voice in the climate change negotiations and we all can play a role in ensuring that their voices are heard.

All of you here tonight have already shown your commitment to this cause and it seems a little unfair to ask you to do more.

But as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch, or indeed Ambassador’s reception!

We all have contacts, friends, networks that we can call on to help promote the Trek and its messages. So before you leave tonight, please take a flier, which sets out the detail and purpose of the trek, and promise to pass it on to at least five people who you think might be able to support further this important venture.

Support which might include funding, publicity, contacts, links to other events, or simply putting your boots on and joining the trek at some point - we can all do more. I certainly intend to.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are planning to bring out a GHT guide in print and electronic format on plants and their use along the GHT, the first of a series that will enrich interpretation for Nepal trekkers, improve the visitor experience, and promote local cultural/environmental awareness along the Trail.  In order to ensure that the guide is most usefully targeted, the RBGE have prepared a user requirements survey on http://surveys.customersmatter.co.uk/rbge/rbge.htm. We would encourage those interested in this important and exciting project to complete the survey.

Finally, I would like to reiterate my congratulations to Nepal for its leadership in championing the cause of mountain states in the Global climate debate. The UK stands with you in this cause. And I ask you to raise your glasses to those about to embark on their long walk; God’s speed and good luck!