The idea of climate change in Nepal is not news at all. However, people in many places of Nepal are still struggling to understand that climate change is real and can be mitigated. According to World Bank Report released in June, 2013, with an expected increase in 2⁰C rise in world temperature in the next few decades, Nepal will face a host of challenges like glacial outburst, erratic monsoon and water insecurity. The various national and international researchers have time and again warned the rural people of Nepal who are relatively more prone to the impacts of climate change. On the verge of critical situations, what plans and policies are made and how effective are they?

Rural areas in Nepal has its characteristics of low literacy rate, lack of transportation, no signs of communication, youths being drifted away either to urban areas or foreign land. A survey conducted by a project on Public Health and Environment, 2014 found out that people have noticed changes like erratic rainfall, drought etc in rural Nepal. But many consider these as curse by gods and goddesses. So, instead of useful measures of adaptation and mitigation, they have been practicing worships (Pujas) to please gods and keep climate favorable for cropping. Environment protection and mitigating the impacts like those of climate change seems to be quite impossible without change in their attitude.

The mountains and Himalayas in Nepal are the evergreen sources of water. Nepal being one of the richest countries in the world in water resources, greater potentiality lies in hydropower, irrigation and water recreation. The effects of climate change are seen as threat to judicious distribution of water leading to even probable water scarcity in time to come. And the guesses are that rural areas will be much more affected. The sources of water in rural areas are the water sprouts and rivers flowing through mountains. So, it will be a hard time for people when situations remains arrested with no progress.

Nepal developed National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) in 2010 under UNFCCC. This program has been promoting Community based Adaptation through integrated management of water, forest, biodiversity, agriculture etc. It has also been focusing on the socio-economic aspects of rural people so that sustainable solutions to climate change can be implemented. There are many other projects running regarding the adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

Rural Nepal is an example of big challenges to face climate change. The top to bottom approaches practiced in most of the parts of the country will definitely have to watch out the consequences of leaving the minute details behind. First thing I think which should be done in rural Nepal is to create a base, a foundation for people to understand what really is and what it should be. The huge programs will be ineffective if people are simply lured through direct benefits and not through real sustainable understanding. People should be told they are sick and then the medicine should be given, if medicines are given without making them aware, they will confuse it with unnecessary food supplements. What I want to say is that fight against climate change in rural Nepal needs more understanding to make people able to understand the understanding itself.