According to an instance given by an official, still around 65 percent of the total population of the country are dependent on firewood for cooking and it will be a big mistake if, in the name of going green, the people are barred from using it without giving them alternatives.

 

Developed countries are prepared to call for an "equal" level of commitment from developing countries on going green, which include call for increasing forest coverage, switching to cleaner forms of energy and reducing carbon emissions from industries.

 

“We cannot afford to make mistakes that industrialised countries made during their era of development by creating pollution,” Krishna Gyawali, the secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MoEST), told the Post on Monday. “But we can also not accept any imposition in the name of environment protection if that really discriminates us against those who have already developed themselves and hinders our development, which is our priority,” he added.

 

Governments from over 172 countries are taking part in the Rio plus 20 Conference on Sustainable Development being organised this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through June 20-22.

 

The meeting also mark 20 years of commitments made by governments at the first international conference on environment at the Earth Summit in 1992.

 

Green economy must be used to promote and enhance capacity in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) without constraining the policy space to pursue their national development agendas, the country's status report to be presented at the Brazil conference and prepared by the National Planning Commission says.

 

The report further states that the country still has a long way to go in terms of sustainable development as both the social and environmental pillars remain weak.

 

According to Gyawali, Nepal has immense untapped potential and resources which, once utilised, would help it to follow the green economy path and reach a green, sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.

 

Developed countries have embraced green economy as a new roadmap for sustainable path by investing in more sophisticated technologies and information. However, Nepal cannot afford to follow them and must instead choose its own path of sustainable development and provide its people access to clean energy by promoting its natural resources like hydropower, forests, agriculture and ecotourism, according to Madan Lal Shrestha, an academician at the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

 

“We must cooperate with the world to move towards greener economy, but we must not accept any obligations at the expense of the livelihoods of the people,” Shrestha said. According to him, adopting a greener and sustainable development path is a great opportunity for the country to harness the benefits of its natural resources, particularly hydropower and forests.

 

“Our success lies in striking a fine balance between environment and development. This is what greenness means in our context,”