Climate resilience planning in mountainous regions in Nepal

Nepal faces significant climate vulnerabilities, including flash floods, landslides, and water scarcity, with temperatures projected to rise up to 1.8°C even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C. While the country has a robust set of national policies and a federal structure that empowers local governments, the implementation of climate resilience at the municipal level is hindered by a lack of technical capacity, unclear jurisdictional responsibilities, and limited financial resources. The brief recommends establishing 'resilience cells' to coordinate inter-ministerial efforts, integrating climate indicators into local budget performance measures, and adopting integrated planning that combines mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction through nature-based solutions.

• Nepal is highly susceptible to climate hazards, ranking as the tenth most climate-affected country globally for the 2000-2019 period. Projections indicate that temperatures in Nepal may rise by as much as 1.8°C, even if the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal is met.
• Climate change severely threatens food and water security in Nepal; over 70% of agricultural land is rainfed, making it vulnerable to droughts and floods, while cities like Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur face clean water scarcity.
• Despite an ambitious national policy framework—including the Second Nationally Determined Contribution, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and the Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA)—there is a lack of clarity regarding the specific responsibilities of local versus regional governments in reducing emissions and building resilience.
• The transition to a federal structure has created a capacity gap; municipalities now hold responsibilities previously managed by district offices but lack the technical and human resources to develop and implement local action plans.
• Local climate action is constrained by fragmented inter-ministerial coordination and financial limitations. While the National Climate Change Policy aims to deliver 80% of climate funds to the local level, the absence of robust institutional structures and monitoring mechanisms limits this flow.
• Municipalities often fail to engage local stakeholders in climate planning, particularly women and marginalised groups such as Dalits or tribal communities.
• To improve resilience, the brief recommends creating 'resilience cells' to coordinate between ministries and local bodies, implementing local budget markers for climate action, and strengthening the technical capacity of staff to analyze GHG emissions and climate data.

APA

Rahul, Sadhukhan, B., Udas, E., Agrawal, N. K., Maharjan, A., & Rana, P. J. B. (2022). Climate resilience planning in mountainous regions in Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/Climate%20Resilience%20Planning%20in%20Mountainous%20Regions.pdf

Chicago

Rahul, Bedoshruti Sadhukhan, Erica Udas, Nand Kishor Agrawal, Amina Maharjan, and Pradyumna J. B. Rana. Climate resilience planning in mountainous regions in Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2022. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/Climate%20Resilience%20Planning%20in%20Mountainous%20Regions.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rahul |last2=Sadhukhan |first2=Bedoshruti |last3=Udas |first3=Erica |last4=Agrawal |first4=Nand Kishor |last5=Maharjan |first5=Amina |last6=Rana |first6=Pradyumna J. B. |title=Climate resilience planning in mountainous regions in Nepal |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=June 2022 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/Climate%20Resilience%20Planning%20in%20Mountainous%20Regions.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rahul2022climate, author = {Rahul and Sadhukhan, Bedoshruti and Udas, Erica and Agrawal, Nand Kishor and Maharjan, Amina and Rana, Pradyumna J. B.}, title = {{Climate resilience planning in mountainous regions in Nepal}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/Climate%20Resilience%20Planning%20in%20Mountainous%20Regions.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }