NEW YORK, Sept 27: Nepal’s Himalayan climate risks and its potential to emerge as a clean-energy hub in South Asia featured prominently at a reception hosted by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative during Climate Week NYC.
Sambridhi Gyawali, a media entrepreneur and climate and clean-energy advocate, addressed the gathering alongside indigenous leaders, climate campaigners and government representatives.
The programme featured opening remarks by Lena, Chief of the Lenape Nation, followed by Tzeporah Berman, chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. Other speakers included Dr Engineer Isaac Kiva, Secretary of Renewable Energy of Kenya; Issifu Seidu, Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability of Ghana; and Yuvelis Morales Blanco, winner of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize.
Gyawali brought a Himalayan perspective to the discussion, referring to the rapid rise of the Trishuli River during Nepal’s August floods and highlighting the growing risks faced by communities in the Himalayas.
“Same physics. Same warming world. The difference was ten days of lead time — the surveillance, the resources, the skills and technology we don’t have,” she said, comparing Nepal’s experience with the glacier collapse in Blatten, Switzerland.
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Gyawali also stressed that addressing climate change should not come at the expense of economic development.
“Ending fossil fuel extraction does not mean ending growth. It does not mean asking the world to choose between development and climate action. It means choosing a different engine for development,” she said.
She called for greater international investment in Nepal’s renewable energy sector, climate-resilient infrastructure and regional energy connectivity, arguing that Nepal could contribute to meeting South Asia’s growing energy needs.
“Protecting the Himalayas is not charity for Nepal. It is an investment in South Asia’s future,” she said.
Gyawali also called for a global framework to halt the expansion of coal, oil and gas, establish a fair pathway for phasing down existing production and finance a just transition.
“We need the world to produce energy differently. And Nepal is ready to be part of that future,” she said.
Concluding her remarks, Gyawali challenged the international climate community to support countries such as Nepal that face significant climate risks despite having contributed relatively little to global emissions.
“Nepal has already shown you what a country can do right. Now show us what the world can do when a country gets it right — and still isn’t safe,” she said.
Her participation at Climate Week NYC is part of a broader effort to bring Nepal’s Himalayan climate risks, climate-justice concerns and clean-energy potential to the international climate debate.
