For the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, world leaders will establish a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change in Paris between 30 November and 11 December.
On 29 November I marched in Nepal in solidarity with the thousands of people across the world joining action/2015 and the Global Climate March. The global march is a chance for all of us to come together on the eve of the negotiations and remind leaders that the most vulnerable are the hardest hit by climate change. This includes older people.
The destruction caused by the two devastating earthquakes to hit Nepal in April and May this year demonstrate how inadequately prepared we are to tackle the potential impact of climate change. Older people aged 60 and over make up more than 8 percent of Nepal's populationand are disproportionately affected by disasters, highlighting the need to recognise them in future negotiations on climate change.
I have been interested in ageing issues since 2008 when I cared for my father who had dementia. This experience taught me how little I knew about dementia and the huge impact it can have on a family's life.
Back in 2008, my father started behaving differently and someone advised me to take him to a psychiatrist, where -- for the first time -- I heard the word dementia. They told me there was no cure and I was overwhelmed by how helpless I felt. It was probably the worst day of my life, I felt completely alone.
I realised that there must be thousands of families suffering from the impacts of dementia in Nepal and yet we were ignorant about the condition. There are many social taboos and misconceptions around older people and their health in my country. For example, dementia cases are simply denied, kept as a family secret or misunderstood as madness.
I was convinced that making people aware of the issues of an ageing population was very important for Nepali society.
In 2011 I established Ageing Nepal, an organisation working with NGOs, civil society and individuals focused on ageing issues to support older people at the community level. A year later my father passed away.
Now I thank my father for adding value to my life. My work with Ageing Nepal has benefited many older people and their families thanks to the lessons I learned from him.
As we get older we are more likely to experience reduced mobility, impaired sight and hearing, chronic health conditions such as diabetes, respiratory illness and dementia, as well as greater vulnerability to heat and cold. These affect an older person's ability to adapt and cope during disasters. Leaders must acknowledge this if they are to create a climate change framework that is sustainable for all people and leaves no one behind.
This year has been significant for campaigners around the world. Thousands have been mobilised to raise awareness of the decisions made throughout 2015 and now is the final push in Paris for the COP21 negotiations that will impact our planet and its people.
The action/2015 campaign has allowed Ageing Nepal to be creative and free to decide the best way to campaign for ourselves. It has allowed us to expand our network with other organisations and individuals.
In September we took part in the Light the Way mobilisations ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals summit. We held a candle lit vigil with younger people, handed out pamphlets and produced our own dizzy goals video to raise awareness of the SDGs.
This month we will mobilise across different cities in Nepal. We will organise a clean-up of the river Bagmati, march in a street rally and perform a cultural dance. In the Kaski district we are hoping to host a paragliding event with COP21 banners.
We're doing all this to help the world to realise that older people do exist, that they have the same potential to contribute to society as anyone else. I still do not see the needs of older people being addressed in many of our national policies.
We must inspire other older people to be part of this movement. These issues are about us too. They affect me and the world's 901 million older people like me (UNDESA).
If we don't act now to consider older people in national planning and implementation of climate change strategies, we risk failing future generations. Together, our voices are more powerful than in isolation.
Support the movement to see how far your voice can travel.
This post is part of a "Climate Justice" series produced by The Huffington Post, in conjunction with the U.N.'s 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris (Nov. 30-Dec. 11), aka the climate-change conference. The series will put a spotlight on populations who are adversely affected by climate change. To view the entire series, visit here.