Kathmandu: Minister for Forest and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri has emphasized the necessity of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to mitigate the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons, which are significant contributors to global warming. During today’s House of Representatives (HoR) session, Minister Shahi advocated for the prompt amendment of the proposal to protect the ozone layer and curb climate change impacts.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the United Nations has projected that the Kigali Amendment will decrease the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by over 80 percent in the next 30 years. This amendment could potentially avert up to 0.4°C of global warming by the century’s end if fully implemented. Minister Shahi underscored the amendment’s alignment with the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, to which Nepal has been a party since 1994. Additionally, Nepal has ratified four other amendments to the Montreal Protocol over the years.
The HoR session unanimously advanced the proposal presented by Minister Shahi that calls for a comprehensive discussion on the Kigali Amendment. Various lawmakers, including Raghji Pant, Chanda Karki, Nagina Yadav, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, Bimala Subedi, Madhav Sapkokta, Binita Kathayat, Narayani Sharma, and Hemraj Rai, engaged in discussions regarding the proposal.
In related activities, the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation, Devendra Dahal, presented the annual report of the Muslim Commission for the year 2079/080 BS on behalf of the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak introduced the Nepal Police Bill, 2081, in the HoR for detailed clause-wise discussions.
The HoR also passed a condolence motion mourning the death of Constituent Assembly (CA) Member Bidur Prasad Sapkota, who represented Kavre. Sapkota passed away last Tuesday at the age of 59. The subsequent meeting of the HoR is scheduled for 1:00 PM on February 24.