Nepal marks Earth Day
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E-mail Xinhua, April 23, 2012
Nepal marked the "Earth Day" on Sunday in capital Kathmandu by organizing various programs with the slogan "Let's move the Earth."
World Wildlife Federation (WWF) had organized a photo contest titled "Earth and You" to mark the Earth Day.
World Earth Day is being commemorated on April 22 annually by 192 countries around the world each year to increase awareness on protecting Earth's natural environment for a sustainable future.
The first World Earth Day was marked in the year 1970.
The WWF held a exhibition of the photography competition and also a painting exhibition to celebrate the Earth Day.
Chief guest for the event Mr. David C. Atteberry, the Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development, said "the Earth Day started as a day of national environmental recognition in the USA but now has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect the environment.
"The U.S. government is pleased to be helping Nepal in maintaining its unique biodiversity and tackling the challenges of climate change for people and nature," he added.
The "Earth and You" photography contest displayed Nepal's forests and the sustainable benefits people derive from them for their livelihoods and well being as well as "Climate reality", showing linkages between climate, people and nature.
The WWF has also planned to plant 1 million trees by the year 2020 in Nepal.
Likewise, the painting exhibition entitled "Under the Bodhi Tree" displayed various features of the environment which 12 artist had produced in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
In Nepal, the average temperature is rising by 0.06 degrees Celsius annually.
According to experts, mountainous Nepal emits only 0.025 percent of global greenhouse gas, among the lowest in the world; however, the irony is that it is ranked as the fourth most climate vulnerable country in the world.
Nepal posses a lot of threat of glacier lake outburst flood ( GLOF) triggered by the climate change which if occurred could sweep away numerous villages that sustain in the downstream areas.
According to International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), as many as 20 glacial lakes have been identified and regarded as the ones which can outburst and cause flash floods.
Recently, Nepal had held an international conference of Mountain countries which came up with a common agenda called " Kathmandu Calls For Action" which is due to be presented in the RIO +20.
The action paper demanded collaborative and effective actions at all levels for addressing climate-induced vulnerabilities and impacts on mountains.
It also urged the development partners to support through the provision of dedicated funding arrangements for the adaptation programs in the mountain countries.
