KATHMANDU / Visiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said ecology and communities are being dramatically affected by climate change.

He made this statement through a video message from the base camp of Mt Everest in Solukhumbu following the observation of the Sagarmatha region this morning. During the visit, he reached Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-4 in Solukhumbu district.

He also urged the world community to help prevent climate change. “Glaciers are melting at record levels and sea level is rising. Serious impacts of climate change have been seen here like in Antarctica and Greenland. We see floods, we see landslides; we see communities being dramatically impacted. We need to stop this matter,” he said.

He said he wants to draw the attention of the world community to prevent impacts of climate change seen in the ecology and life in the Himalayan region. “We must make sure that we must limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Glaciers are retreating. We cannot retreat. We must move forward on climate action,” he said.