Having a larger organization like Sierra Club with a nationwide network can help Nepal make big national projects like Nijgadh Airport and Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway environment-friendly.
Currently, Nepal is experiencing more urgent environmental issues than the United States had faced at the time when Sierra Club was established in 1891.The Nijgadh Airport and the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway are two strong examples of how environmentally harmful actions are mounting rapidly in Nepal. Despite current political upheavals, Nepal is pushing ahead through the decades-long political turmoil. But balancing an increased demand for infrastructural development along with economic change by maintaining green Nepal along with the current ecosystem is not an easy task for Nepal.
Destroying green Nepal and the current ecosystem also has a direct consequence on turning our mountains black and bare. When these mountains change, they don’t remain silent and isolated. Instead, they revolt against human tyranny in different forms like losing cool air from the atmosphere. Consequently, we miss opportunities to see beautiful scenic beauty. Even though organizations like WWF, USAID, and scores of other INGOs and NGOs have been working diligently at the grass-roots level of Nepal with various types of programs, a larger organization like Sierra Club with a nationwide network across Nepal and constant political lobbying can be a way forward to make big national projects like Nijgadh Airport and Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway environment-friendly.
About Sierra Club
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With the motto “explore, enjoy, and protect the planet,” preservationist John Muir founded the Sierra Club almost 129 years ago on May 28, 1892. This US-based organization has a large network all over the 50 states and two US territories (Washington DC and Puerto Rico). Having such a long history, this club has been involved in two major areas: (1) lobbying activism to promote environmental causes and (2) promoting and guiding outdoor recreational activities that include wilderness courses, hiking and outings, occasional alpine expeditions, and a book series. Additionally, the club has also been active in opposing expansions in dams and local mines. The Sierra Club is the first large-scale environmental preservation organization in the world and is currently one of the leading environmental organizations in the US. This club has a strong reputation across the US. The members of the club belong to statewide chapters and local groups. These members regularly make monetary donations to the club, which is one significant portion of the large annual budget that exceeds more than $100 million. The rest of the income source comes from other various organizations and companies like energy and drilling companies.
A large amount of the club’s budget goes toward lobbying political leaders and environmentally friendly political agendas during the elections. The Sierra Club partners with organizations like American Votes to coordinate and promote progressive candidates and their issues. In 1963, the club also added its first Canadian chapter—now Canada has a wide Sierra Club network across the country. This club also has a student-run sister organization named the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC).
Relevant for Nepal
As Nepal is investing in large development projects like the airport and expressway, a large organization like Sierra Club will have a big impact on the country to bring more attention to environmental preservations. Covering 19881.58 acres of land, the Nijgadh international airport is planned to be the largest in South Asia, and the Kathmandu-Terai expressway is considered to be one of the fastest routes to connect Nepal’s Tarai region with the capital city Kathmandu. The controversial Nijgadh airport plan and the Kathmandu-Tarai expressway building both have been extremely costly, leading to the loss of countless trees. If this plan is enacted, more than 2.4 million trees will be cut down in Nijgadh in the next five years whereas Nepal Army has already started chopping down more than 27,000 trees to build Kathmandu-Tarai expressway. The proposed recovery plan to plant 25 saplings for every tree that will be cut down cannot reinstate the disrupted biodiversity and wildlife that will be caused by chopping down countless number of trees.
Similar to the US, Nepal needs an organization like the Sierra Club that functions on a larger scale. The two possible paths to move forward are either creating an organization similar to the Sierra Club or teaming up with the Sierra Club and start lobbying Nepal government and the political parties. Politics is one of the major influencing factors in different areas in Nepal. Intervening in the current political dynamics is not an easy chore to reverse the effect and derive sustainable results to hand over the green and safer earth to the next generations. However, lobbying the major political parties to have environmentally friendly policies and ideologies can be the only viable path to move ahead. For example, when major political parties like the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and Nepali Congress (NC) hold their national conventions and publish election manifestos, lobbying them to adopt environmentally friendly approach can be one effective strategy.
The proposed large organization would start building a nationwide network through its memberships and, at the same time, intervene to make environmentally friendly policies and plans. In doing so, having a large organization will bring twofold benefits: first, it helps maintain a green environment with white mountains, and second, it would encourage the government to commit to plans that do not impact the earth in the long run.
Pressing concerns
While infrastructure development and economic growth are two important steps in nation-building and for humanity, our generation cannot afford such environmentally high-cost infrastructure developments like the Nijgadh airport and Kathmandu-Tarai expressway that demand rampant environmental destruction. The government cannot ignore the pressing questions that environmentalists have put forward. One still unanswered question is whether the decision of making the Nijgadh airport in the current proposed size is a need-based plan or is guided by a corrupt idea of destroying such a large number of trees. While environmentalists have been campaigning nationwide and arguing against the possible irreparable environmental damage, these efforts have been ineffective. Despite public criticism, the Nijgadh airport and Kathmandu-Tarai expressway aren’t halted to this date. The development of the airport and expressway are inevitable part for Nepal’s economic growth. But Nepal government should also have some contingency plans for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to these developments. Future projects should consider the environment from now on.
While Nepal advances in economic development plans like the Nijgadh airport and the Kathmandu-Tarai expressway, saving trees and maintaining green Nepal should also be the equal priority of the country. Following in the footsteps of robust organizations like the Sierra Club would be a good move for Nepal. A similar organization would be heavily involved in political activism and holding leaders accountable to their green promises. Some benefits of political activism that can result in making sustainable developmental plans and maintaining current biodiversity and ecosystem.
