In a time of constant doubt about the truth, it is ever important to have credibility in sources, when reading or writing about a relevant topic. I believe that the three criteria needed for a source to be credible is reliable sources of information such as governmental offices as well as powerful nongovernmental organizations. A credible source also needs to have been peer reviewed by experts in the field before being published. This paper examines different factors that make the Economic Impact Assessment of Climate Change in Key Sectors in Nepal Technical Report a credible source. These strengths in credibility can be seen in the combination of governmental groups and private organizations that worked on producing this piece, the amount of people who peer reviewed this source, and finally through the language used as it admits its own short comings.
One of the main strengths of this paper informative report is the amount of high diversity of organizations that were involved throughout the process. These organizations include different sectors of the Nepali Government lead by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment. Other members represented the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Agricultural Development. A few other governmental groups, the National Planning Commission and the Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention, were also involved with this report. The fact that so many of these groups were involved with the creation of this report is a wonderful indication towards its credibility. When addressing the impacts that climate change is and will have on an area it is necessary to use an interdisciplinary approach as the issues being faced do not cover simply one field of study.
Another strength of this report is found in the nongovernmental organizations that also helped to produce this report. These groups include the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), the Global Climate Adaptation Partnership (GCAP), Integrated Development Society Nepal (IDS-N), and Practical Action Consulting (PAC). This combination of groups, like the diversity of governmental groups, shows the thoroughness and thought that went into the creation of this report. It is important to have the presence of both governmental and nongovernmental groups throughout a strong research based report and this paper clearly had that. This project was requested by the government but carried out by the NGO’s.
Before being published this paper was peer reviewed by many people in CDKN. This peer review process is an important step to take before publishing because experts can catch any mistakes or misrepresented information. Peer reviewing with experts is also useful because it is a way to make sure that the information being represented in clear for the reader to understand.
The IDS Nepal report is a trustworthy source in the field of climate change.
IDS-Nepal, PAC and GCAP (2014). Economic Impact Assessment of Climate Change In Key Sectors in Nzepal. IDS-Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.