Sagarmatha Dialogue speaker warns Nepal is losing glaciers, urges global climate action

An unidentified speaker addressing Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli at the Sagarmatha Dialogue in Nepal warned that the country’s glaciers are shrinking rapidly and urged nations to accelerate climate action and finance.

The speaker said Nepal has “lost close to one third of its size in just over 30 years,” and that glaciers have “melted 65% faster in the last decade than in the previous” decade. “The rooftops of the world are caving in,” the speaker said, adding that glacier retreat threatens river flows and could reduce future water supplies for major Himalayan rivers.

The speaker named the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra as rivers that could face “massively reduced flows,” and warned that, combined with saltwater intrusion, shrinking flows could “decimate deltas.” He also said such changes could force “millions of people on the move with fierce competition for water and land,” and accelerate floods, droughts and landslides worldwide.

Explaining why immediate action matters, the speaker pointed to Nepal’s national policies and initiatives, citing the country’s local adaptation plans, reforestation efforts and its push on climate goals. The speaker called for the largest emitters to lead efforts to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and urged countries to deliver on climate finance commitments, including support for loss-and-damage funds.

The speaker also urged investment in renewable energy and in early-warning systems, saying the United Nations is an ally in those efforts. “Stop the madness,” the speaker said, describing last year’s message from Nepal to the world and urging stronger international cooperation.

The remarks were delivered as a speech rather than a formal proposal or vote; no committee action or binding decision was recorded in the transcript.