{"id":28129,"date":"2009-06-30T07:13:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-30T07:13:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2021-04-08T12:33:23","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T12:33:23","slug":"a-sustainable-path-for-nepal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/a-sustainable-path-for-nepal\/","title":{"rendered":"A sustainable path for Nepal"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been little over a year since Nepal was declared<\/a> a democratic republic<\/span>; the burden of responsibilities weighs more now than ever on <\/span>the country\u2019s <\/span>policy-makers. Throughout this<\/span> time, the conversation among the framers of Nepal\u2019s new constitution has been predominantly<\/span> \u2013 and rightly \u2013<\/span> about delivering people\u2019s aspirations: principally, <\/span>social justice and development. One is not possible with the other<\/span>, and Nepal\u2019s policy-makers must also consider the implications of the<\/span>ir relationships with the environment and sustainability. <\/span>To not also consider all of these issues would seriously undermine the longevity of the policies <\/span>Nepal hopes to draft into its new constitution.<\/p>\n

Our natural environment and the changes it experiences are the defining issues of the era. Environmental problems <\/span>not only affect Nepal\u2019s poor and marginalised, but <\/span>every Nepali. The policies that we create to safeguard our environment are at the core of Nepal\u2019s ambition <\/span>to deliver social justice and development. <\/span>However, they are not given the attention require<\/span>d by policymakers.<\/p>\n

Issues surrounding food security, health, land use and development are all directly linked to climate change. <\/span>Reports say that developing nations will be hit hardest by climate change. And e<\/span>ven within poor countries like Nepal, the poorest and most marginalised communities will be the<\/span> worst affected. This is a problem that we have inherited and will hand down to future generations <\/span>\u2013 with added \u201c<\/span>interest\u201d \u2013 if immediate action <\/span>is not taken to address environment<\/span>al concerns.  <\/p>\n

Let us look at the topics that are the most important for<\/span> social justice: rights to food, good health, land and a home. Until the 1970s, Nepal was self-sufficient in its food production and supply. But today<\/span> \u2013 for various reasons, including population growth<\/span> and mismanagement of resources<\/span> \u2013 food insecurity is a chronic problem in Nepal. Last year\u2019s<\/span> food crisis<\/span><\/a> led to protests, riots and strict food export policies in countries around the world. Subsequent reports<\/a> have raised concerns that unless we pay attention to climate change<\/span>, it will cause further <\/span>havoc for our food supply.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Nepal also cannot address climate change and food security<\/span> without considering land-use policies. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI<\/a>) <\/span>has <\/span>reported that agriculture not only provides livelihood<\/span>s to more than half of the world\u2019s poorest people, but also <\/span>accounts for 14% of the world\u2019s greenhouse<\/span>–gas emissions; while land-use change<\/span>, such as forest loss, contributes 19%. <\/span>Half of these <\/span>agricultural emissions and 80 % of land-use change and forestry emissions come from developing countries. <\/span>Clearing the forests for food growth and land distribution is not an option<\/span>, as forests are one of the most important elements in preserving the environment. In fact, Nepal needs to actively restore some of its lost forest vegetation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Scientific reports increasingly relate climate change with health issues<\/span>: a study by the Global Humanitarian Forum <\/span>estimated<\/a> last month that climate change kills 315,000 and seriously 325 million <\/span>people every year. By 2030, the number of people killed could rise to 500,000 and 10% of the world’s population <\/span>could be affected. Countries like Nepal will <\/span>be among the hardest hit.<\/p>\n

Sources of energy are, of course,<\/span> crucial to development<\/span>, but burning fossil fuels and firewood have disastrous long-term effects on the environment, and large hydropower <\/span>projects have ecological implications, too<\/span>. This is an intergenerational problem that requires consistent and cohesive intergenerational solutions. <\/span>So, how does Nepal move ahead? <\/span>The country could either take the traditional path that prioritises development over other concerns<\/span>, such as the environment: the prevailing view <\/span>among the political leadership. Or we could transition to sustainable development.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Sustainable development is a path that ensures all development activities cause the least amount of harm to our environment, <\/span>and <\/span>includes the responsibilities of mitigating, and adapting to, climate change. But this is a cause that Nepal cannot work towards on its own<\/span>; developing countries must help Nepal.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the build-up to the Copenhagen climate-change conference in December, <\/span>a proposal submitted by Mexico has picked up steam. <\/span>Mexico argues for the establishment of a <\/span>\u201cgreen fund\u201d, <\/span>designed specifically to help countries like Nepal develop in a sustainable way<\/span>, not only by providing money, but also with much-needed technical expertise. Such programmes will have global repercussions, and can help Nepal<\/span> to set an example among industrialising countries<\/span> by taking an alternative development path.<\/p>\n

The environment must be made a crucial part of current policy-making conversations; simply adding a few environment<\/span>al policies is not enough. Policy-makers must understand<\/span> the importance of implementation. With the constitution as the legal framework, Nepal must work towards <\/span>a sustainable socio-economic development agenda. Climate change is an intergenerational problem and <\/span>Nepal\u2019s constitution is an intergenerational guideline. <\/span>Nepal must not fail to <\/span>draft a constitution that addresses the most pressing problem of the coming decades. Domestically, Nepal <\/span>requires a renewed and urgent understanding of the relationship between social justice, development and environmental sustainability. Multilaterally, <\/span>Nepal needs an unflinching commitment <\/span>of help to address climate change from countries that contributed the most to creating th<\/span>e problem. The international community must press Nepal to deliver on its goals in a sustainable manner<\/span>; and it is their fundamental duty to support <\/span>the country in that process.<\/p>\n

Gagan Thapa <\/i>is a member<\/i> of the Fundamental Rights Committee<\/i> of Nepal\u2019s Constituent Assembly<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Kashish Das Shresth<\/span><\/i> is director<\/i> of 350 Nepal<\/i><\/p>\n

An earlier version of this article was published by the Kathmandu Post <\/i>on <\/span>June 5<\/i>, 2009<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n


\n<\/i><\/i>Homepage photo by dul_conte<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How can a developing country make sustainability a part of its political constitution? Just over a year since Nepal was declared a republic, Gagan Thapa and Kashish Das Shresth address the country\u2019s need for action on climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":495,"featured_media":53884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[761,757],"tags":[],"hashtags":[],"country":[],"class_list":["post-28129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","category-energy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA sustainable path for Nepal | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How can a developing country make sustainability a part of its political constitution? 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