The unprecedented forest fires, the delayed monsoons, the fast-emerging glacial lakes, the frequent flash floods and landslides - all are indicative of our worsening climate.[break]
Our agrarian communities, for centuries, have dealt with the extremities of the Himalayan weather, and harnessed the natural resources to support their lives and livelihoods. Yet the severity and frequency of climate change-induced challenges are proving to be more than a match for our natural ability to adapt.
Our antiquated tools and traditional practices must be complimented by modern day management practices and technological innovations. Climate change has in it the potential to rob us of our wealth -- our mountains, our rivers, our forests, our bio-diversity -- all of them.
But if we pay just a little attention we could see the silver lining too - it’s right there. Despite widespread deforestation over the last several decades we still have 40 percent of our land mass covered by forests - some half of that under protected area systems.
We house most of the highest peaks of the Himalayas and its glaciers known by the rest of the world as the ‘water towers of Asia’. Climate change stands as the biggest threat to them, but adapting to it will turn out to be the biggest opportunity for us as a nation.
We are blessed with enormous clean energy potential - wind, solar, bio-fuel, bio-mass, hydro - you name it. Harnessing them smartly will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels - the biggest drain on our foreign currency reserves.
They will carry the fruits of development to the far-flung areas of Nepal promoting inclusive growth. Pursuing low carbon development path will fuel, in our case, our economic growth.
Nepal missed out on the Industrial Revolution, the Dot-com Revolution and many other periods of heightened economic activities around the world.
This thanks largely to the vested interest of our rulers who converted the country of Gautam Buddha - hailed as the Light of Asia - into a parochial society closed not just to the people from other parts of the world but also to progressive ideas.
Today, barring us, the whole of South Asia is growing at a phenomenal rate - with India and China clearly leading the pack. Look a little closely - they all played on their competitive advantages. Nepal’s competitive advantage is its immense natural resources.
We must harness them smartly. We stand at a momentous period in history where choices we make today will decide whether or not we, and the generations following us, will be able to enjoy the fruits of development.
Morally, the industrialized world cannot reprimand us for failing to take mitigation measures given their terrible record on this count.
Nonetheless we, in our own self-interest, must go for climate adaptation and low carbon development. Forget climate change - these are simply good economic prescriptions for our country. Opting for smarter and leap-frogging technologies are our societal and economic needs given our unfriendly terrain.
Climate adaptation asks for better forest management, river basin management, smarter irrigation facilities and so on - all of them good for our economy and society.
Besides, proactive measures on these would build us a strong moral case to seek global technological and financial assistance.
This will help attract foreign direct investment too. The fact that we would take such exemplary initiatives despite our low industrial base would make us a leader among the Himalayan community of nations, indeed in the entire world on climate change and clean energy. We simply cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity.
We remain a clean economy by world standards contributing a mere 0.025% to global greenhouse gas emission.
Global consumer awareness and their increasing propensity to buy products sourced from cleaner economies ought to be applied to our advantage. We must lend a hand to our fledgling exports by providing them with a clean economy branding advantage.
Peace cannot be sustained without the economy doing well. Conflicts cannot be contained without providing livelihood opportunities to the masses.
Ignoring the economy is leading to the mass exodus of our young and productive work force to other countries. This is denting the productivity of our labor-intensive farming, further increasing the incidence of poverty.
This remains a vicious cycle, and climate change accentuates this considerably. We cannot afford to remain quiet. This is an extraordinary situation that demands extraordinary response.
Climate change certainly is the biggest ecological threat humanity has ever witnessed. Yet, the human kind has proven time and again that it can get the better of any challenge that comes its way. Coming closer to Nepal, we can clearly convert this threat to our economic and social advantage.
Peace and economy in Nepal are intricately linked to climate change, and dealing with one helps the others.
The author is the founder of Himalayan Climate Initiative and can be contacted at prashantsingh@himlayanclimate.com
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