Myanmar working on national climate change policy

The Myanmar government is working towards the adoption of a national climate change policy, the launch of which it expects to announce soon, a media report said on Tuesday.

The policy is being formulated in collaboration with civil society, private sector and experts from across all sectors, and will be launched along with a new national climate change strategy and action plan, Xinhua news agency reported.

President U. Htin Kyaw disclosed this at a ceremony celebrating the World Environment Day in Nay Pyi Taw on Monday.

The President encouraged Myanmar people to appreciate and help preserve the beauty of the country, one of the most ecologically diverse countries in Asia, urging people to take forward the call of the theme of the World Environment Day to connect with the nature.

Myanmar is home to over 18,000 species of plants, some 1,100 species of birds and almost 300 species of mammals. Of them, 61 species of plants and 44 species of mammals are globally classified as endangered or critically endangered species.

The species of Golden Deer and six species of bird in the global endangered species list can only be found in Myanmar.

Myanmar, a signatory to the Paris Climate Change Agreement, has voiced commitment to preserving and protecting the environment which includes combating the effects of global warming.

However, Myanmar's many natural forests are being depleted at a rapid rate with air quality and fresh water resources being threatened.

The country is experiencing an unprecedented increase in temperature and extreme weather events more than ever before.

Some major storms struck the country in 2008 and in 2017, towns and villages in western Rakhine state were impacted by the powerful cyclone Mora.

--IANS

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