Introduction

• Climate change is a phenomenon caused by greenhouse gas emissions from fuel combustion, deforestation, urbanization, and industrialization, which result in variations in solar energy, temperature, and precipitation (Uprety 1999).
• It is a real threat to human life worldwide, largely affecting water resources, agriculture, coastal regions, freshwater habitats, vegetation and forest, snow cover and melting, and geological processes such as landslides, desertification, and floods. It has long-term effects on food security and human health.
• The average annual temperature increase in Nepal was recorded as 0.060 C, and in the Terai and Himalayas, it was 0.040 and 0.080 C, respectively (Shrestha et al., 1999).
• It may be due to solar radiation absorbed by glacial lakes as well as radiation absorbed by land because of snow melting in the Himalayan region (Malla, 2008).
• Likewise, Rainfall was recorded minimum in the years 1972, 1977, 1992, and 2005 and maximum in the years 1975, 1985, and 1998.
• Erratic rainfall events (i.e. higher intensity of rains but less number of rainy days and unusual rain) with no decrease in the total amount of annual precipitation have been experienced.
• Such events increase the possibility of climate extremes like irregular monsoon patterns, drought, and floods. For eg. there was a rain deficit in the eastern Terai and western Terai regions, normal rain in the far western region, and heavy rain in the mid-western region creating floods, landslides, and inundation.