Leaders not serious about environmental crisis: Former President Yadav

Former President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has said that neither the world's powerful nations nor Nepal's political leadership have taken climate change and the environmental crisis seriously.

He expressed this view while addressing the 36th annual general meeting of the Nepal Diabetes Society in Kathmandu on Saturday.

He remarked that it is unfortunate that policymaking leaders dismiss the issue lightly or call it a "lie" even as scientific evidence repeatedly sounds the alarm.

Recalling that he had given top priority to Chure conservation during his presidency, Dr. Yadav said that only by protecting the Chure range can the snow of the Himalayas and the ecology of the hills be kept safe.

He claimed he had repeatedly raised the danger that, if the destruction of the Chure is not stopped, the fertile land of the Tarai could turn into desert. However, he complained that neither the government nor any political party had given weight to his suggestions.

He also expressed concern over the tendency to ignore the warnings and fact-based reports issued by scientific institutions on climate change, noting that powerful leaders in the United States and some other countries rejecting scientific reports outright has added further peril to the planet's future.