Nepal Risk Timeline and the 2017 Monsoon Season

Posted on September 12, 2017 by

Timeline:

1996: February: Maoist Rebellion Begins, civil war ensues

2006: November: Civil War ends leaving 20,000 people dead and more displaced.

2008: May: Nepal becomes a republic

2015: 25 April: Earthquake kills thousands of people and causes widespread devastation

2014: November: Nepal and India decide to build huge dam on Arun River in Nepal to help    mitigate energy shortages (this is symbolic of several controversial development projects)

2016: February: Nepal Submits its NDC for the Paris Agreement

2017: June to August: Monsoon Season: rainfall causes historic flooding

While all the events on this timeline are important, I think the damaged caused by this year’s monsoons is going to be particularly devastating for the current population. The monsoon season this year lead to historic flooding in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. The communities in these countries are dependent on the monsoon season to replenish the rivers and a monsoon season with below average rainfall can have disastrous consequences. However, they are facing the opposite problem this year with historic flooding. In Nepal over a hundred people have died and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, causing major threats to their security.

One of the most important long-term impacts of the flooding is the effect on farming because a huge portion of the country depends on agriculture. The floods have washed away huge amounts of farmland which is going to lead to widespread food insecurity, especially for subsistence farmers. The flooding is also leaving people without a source of clean drinking water, which among other things, leads to the spread of disease.

The spread of disease is a huge concern in the countries affected by flooding. Diseases like cholera and typhoid are commonly contracted through consuming contaminated water and outbreaks of malaria are common after floods. Displacement camps are also a concern because disease tends to spread faster when so many people must live so close together.

Many people living in displaced persons camps will have nothing to return to when the floods recede, making them exceedingly vulnerable in the long term. Additionally, landslides triggered by the flooding have destroyed infrastructure in some places, making it difficult for many communities to receive aid. There have also been questions raised about the impact of dams on the flooding and how future projects could impact the monsoon season.

This flooding has had a huge impact on the security of Nepal. The monsoons have washed away people’s belongings and homes as well as their main sources of food. People are left without food, clean water, and shelter, all things that are essential to their security. The loss of farmland is going to be particularly devastating, given the number of people in the country who depend on agriculture.

 

Bibliography

Gettleman, Jeffrey. “More Than 1,000 Died in South Asia Floods This Summer.” New York Times. 29 August, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/world/asia/floods-south-asia-india-bangladesh-nepal-houston.html.

Gharib, Malaka. “Epic Floods Challenge Aid Workers On Opposite Sides of the World.” NPR. 29 August, 2017. http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/08/29/547002884/epic-floods-not-just-in-texas-are-a-challenge-for-aid-groups.

Humanitarian Health Action. “Flooding and communicable diseases fact sheet.” World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/ems/flood_cds/en/.

No Author. “Millions affected as monsoon floods ravage Nepal, India.” Al Jazeera. 14 August, 2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/floods-landslides-kill-dozens-nepal-india-170813132206327.html.

 

 

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Relevance of The 2015 Gorkha Earthquake

Posted on September 12, 2017 by

Nepali Timeline:

 

1996: Nepali Civil War begins

2001: Prince Dipendra assassinates nine royal family members

2002: King Gyanendra temporarily dissolves government

2008: Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist wins election, Nepal becomes the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

April 2015: Nepal Earthquake

 

Nepal was devastated by the Gorkha earthquake on April 25th, 2015. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed over 600,000 structures near and around Kathmandu, killed around 9,000 people, and injured thousands of Nepali people’s (Rafferty 2015). In a UN report, an estimated 8 million people were affected by the first earthquake, resulting aftershocks, avalanches, and landslides (Rafferty 2015). With a total population of only 30 million people, having over a quarter of the population having been negatively affected by the earthquake has put a tremendous amount of strain on social, economic, and environmental systems in Nepal.

The 2015 Gorkha earthquake is important to understand due to its impact on Nepali peoples. Firstly, this event has had lasting repercussions on the human security of Nepali peoples. Human security has been defined as,” safety from such chronic threats as hunger, disease and repression and protection from sudden and hurtful disruptions in the patterns of daily life (Johns 1). The 2015 earthquake in Nepal disrupted social systems by destroying Nepalese communities’ livelihoods. Homes and community buildings were lost in the hundreds of thousands, which has also had lasting impacts on an already struggling Nepali population. Around 42% of Nepalese peoples were expected to be below the poverty line before the strike of the 2015 earthquake, thus rendering its aftermath devastating for the already impoverished Nepalese peoples (Mathew and Upreti 141).

Second, natural disasters when paired with climate change can exacerbate their negative effects on people’s. Nepal was ranked 13th on the climate change risk atlas, so when a natural disaster such as the 2015 earthquake hits, an already vulnerable population is put under even greater stress (U.S. AID). Additionally, Nepal has up until very recently had incredibly unstable political systems (Mathew and Upreti 138), which was put under pressure by the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake. Food supplies, access to natural resources, and the overall stability of Nepali communities are expected to decline as the risks of climate change grows greater, so the importance of comprehending the effects of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake on the Nepalese peoples is incredibly important for this course.

Works Cited

Johns, Luke. “A critical evaluation of the concept of human security.” Retrieved August 18 (2014): 2015.

Matthew, Richard A., and Bishnu Raj Upreti. “Environmental Change and Human Security in Nepal.” Global Environmental Change and Human Security (2010): 137-154.

Rafferty, John P. “Nepal Earthquake of 2015.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Apr. 2017.

 

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Response to President Trump’s Letter on Leaving the Paris Accord

Posted on September 12, 2017 by

President Trump’s letter explaining why the United States is pulling out of the Paris Agreement is full of lies and muddled half-truths. This essay will focus in on Trump’s claim that the United States economy and workforce would be drastically hurt by transitioning from the current carbon-based economy to one fueled primarily by green energy. He states that,” while the agreement would have a negligible effect on climate change, it would impose unfair burdens on American workers and hurt our Nation’s global competitiveness” (Trump 2017). I interpret the statement that the Paris Agreement would ‘impose burdens on American workers and hurt our nation’s global competitiveness’ in reference to our economic strength and worker employment which he mentions in greater detail midway through the essay. (The Paris Agreement would) “put millions of American jobs at risk, particularly those in manufacturing and other energy-intensive industries” (Trump 2017). I would rank these statements as ‘mostly false’ in regards to the politifact ranking scale.

First, he states that the agreement would have a negligible (insignificant) effect on climate change. To say that the Paris Accords goal of keeping global temperatures from rising is insignificant completely overlooks the importance of keeping global temperature rise as small as possible in order to minimize the greatest impacts of climate change. This statement is completely false due to how the United States is the second highest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, which makes all efforts by U.S. to cut down on GHG emissions extremely vital (IPCC 2014).

Second, Trump’s letter states that the Paris Agreement would burden “American workers and hurt our Nation’s global competitiveness… (and) put millions of American jobs at risk, especially those in manufacturing and other energy-intensive industries” (Trump 2017). In a report from the Center for American Progress, it is projected that investments in green energy would bolster the U.S. economy and provide millions of new jobs in the green energy sector (Pollin et al. 2009). Their analyses predicts that roughly 2.5 million new jobs could be created through investments by the U.S. government and private industry into renewable energy in a decade alone (Pollin et al. 2009). While Trumps point that the transition away from fossil fuels to green energy would take away jobs from workers in manufacturing and other energy-intensive industries is true, the Center for American Progress’s report details that only about 800,000 jobs would be lost in these industries in comparison to the 2.5 million new jobs that would be created in the green energy sector. Staying in the Paris Accord and continuing to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to a green economy would both stimulate the economy and create jobs, thus rendering Trump’s claims to be untrue.

President Trump’s letter of why he withdrew the united states from the Paris Accord is unfounded on many levels. The threat of Climate Change to the United States and the world is growing every day that the ‘business as usual’ mindsets continues. Trump’s reasoning of why staying in the Paris Accord would hurt American workers and the economy is ignoring the conspicuous fact that a green economy would provide millions of jobs, strengthen the U.S. economy, and simultaneously lower the United States amount of greenhouse gas emissions. With the threat of climate change growing larger every day, it is absolutely necessary for the United States to stay on track with its plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, I hope that the United States will do what is needed to combat climate change, regardless of what President Trump has done.

Work Cited

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2014–Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Pollin, Robert, James Heintz, and Heidi Garrett-Peltier. The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy: How the economic stimulus program and new legislation can boost US economic growth and employment. No. economic_benefits. Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 2009.

 

 

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UNFCCC Adaptation

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provides a well written and concise summary on the topic of climate change adaption. The UNFCCC defines climate change adaptation as the processes, practices, and structures that countries must undertake in order to reduce a country’s vulnerability to climate change (UNFCCC 2017). However, the severity and types of adaption measures will be different for every country as detailed by the UNFCCC. A balance between cost management and efficiency will be needed in all applied scenarios in order to maximize the adaption efforts.

The UNFCCC recognizes that climate change adaptation must be dealt with at international, regional, national, and local levels and that all groups, including minorities, indigenous peoples, marginalized peoples, etc., must be accounted for. The system in which countries are recommended to adapt to climate change is detailed as beginning with assessing the impacts and risks brought on by the changing climate. Following this assessment, a plan for adaption is composed, taking into account costs and benefits of the plans. Then the plan is implemented on all the necessary levels (international, national, local, etc.) with policies and strategies being developed as needed to carry out the climate adaption plans. Lastly, the adaption plans are monitored and evaluated in order to better improve upon and make adjustments as needed to improve adaption methods while gaining / spreading knowledge to other institutions to better handle climate change issues around the world.

The UNFCCC details some of the issues that countries are currently or will have to face in the future as the climate change worsens. Agricultural systems will be stressed as rainfall patterns such as rates of evaporation, runoff, and soil moisture change. Forests will face issues as the number of insects, wildfires, droughts, and intensive storms increase which will negatively affect overall ecosystem health. Water resources will become more limited as the amount of water falls and more pressure is put on those water sources left available. Lastly, coastlines will become inundated by rising sea levels, flood surges will become more frequent, and the widening of eroding river banks will worsen.

To help combat climate change, the UN has created several programs to assist countries that are less able to make these adaptions. LDCs are the least developed countries that are the most incapable of dealing with the changing climate. National adaption programs of actions (NAPAs) are developed for these LDCs to help identify and respond to each country’s adaption needs. The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) was established to garner funds and support to help implement adaption programs in addition to the Least Developed Countries Group (LEG) to help provide advice and technical support to countries in need.

Climate Change Adaption efforts as detailed by the UNFCCC are important for providing some of the best and most relevant information / data to deal with climate change. And as new data is collected, the UNFCCC will continue to update and provide more of this relevant information as needed to more efficiently deal with climate change. As climate change worsens, more and more countries will become more vulnerable which will make these adaption methods and strategies provided by the UNFCCC more and more valuable.

 

Work Cited

United Nations. “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change EHandbook.” 2017.

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Nepal’s Most Significant Recent Events

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

1962
•Manhendra comes to power and implements the panchayat system of government. This allowed the king to rule with the help of councils (panchayat).

1987-1990
•Tensions between Nepal and India grow. This results in the interruption of trade, expulsion of Nepalese from Indian states, requirement of a work permit for the Indians working in Nepal, which worsens the Nepalese economy.

1996-2006
•Nepalese Civil War (People’s War)
•Result of the government’s decision to focus on industrializing Kathmandu while marginalizing women and people in poverty. As well as conflicts and disagreements between the royal army, different political parties, the monarch and the Maoists
•Maoists were considered terrorists
•At least 14 soldiers of the Royal Nepalese Army, 50 police officers, and several other government officials, and over 50 Maoists were killed
•State of emergency was declared

June 1st, 2001
•Nearly all members of the royal family were massacred by the Prince Dipendra who during a family dinner got into a heated argument with his mother over his decision to marry a foreign woman
•10 members of the family were killed and four were wounded

April 25, 2015
•8.1 Magnitude shook Nepal for 56 seconds
•Killed more than 9,000 people and injured over 25,000
•Thousands of people lost their homes and were displaced

Nepalese Civil War

Until this day people in Nepal are suffering from the aftermath of the Civil War. The war, which lasted from 1996 to 2006, left Nepal devastated. As stated in chapter seven of the reading, during the war, 13,000 people died, 200,000 people were displaced in the country, nearly 2 million people had emigrated, over 10,000 girls were taken to India to work in dangerous conditions and to be used for sex, approximately 200,000 children were killed in landmines each year, hundreds of school were destroyed, and so on. During these years the population grew, the rate of unemployment increased, the literacy rates remained low (specially among women), and resources were scarce. Due to the fact that the civil war ended only 11 years ago, Nepal is still recovering from the events that took place during the war as well as the deadly earthquake of 2015.

When we go to Nepal and we begin to ask questions regarding their socioeconomic status, the changes that have occurred, and how they have adapted to these changes with scarce resources, they will most likely all link back to these events. There are a lot of people that are still displaced within the country, and about one half of the population does not know how to read, most Nepalese remain under the poverty line, and so forth. Being that the country is so impoverished, it may be visible that they have not been able to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Nepalese government tries to unite the people in fighting against the Maoists of Nepal.

This past summer India, Bangladesh, and Nepal were the victims of flooding which left over 1000 people dead. A large number of people were forced to leave their homes and try to find a safe place in which to be in. According to the NYTimes article, the seasonal monsoon rains that occur during the summertime have affected 41 million people. It is nearly impossible to relocate millions of people in countries that are already densely populated so most of these people have been left to sleep where they can. Scientists have become concerned because it is one of the most severe flooding that have occurred in South Asia and they predict that with warmer temperatures the flooding will be much worse.

Floods in India reach 4 feet high.

Citation

Gettleman, Jeffrey. “More Than 1,000 Died in South Asia Floods This Summer.” The New York Times. August 29, 2017. Accessed September 11, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/world/asia/floods-south-asia-india-bangladesh-nepal-houston.html.

Matthew, Richard and Upreti, Bishnu “Environmental Change and Human Security in Nepal” MIT Press 137-154

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Fact-checking Donald Trump’s statement

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

In President Trump’s response letter to why he decided to pull-out from the Paris Climate Agreement, one of the reasonings behind it is that the “emissions commitments would require us [the United States] to shift energy production from affordable, reliable fuels to those that are more costly and less reliable.” This statement is at most half-true, as it only looks atthe immediate short-term economic impacts of transitioning to cleaner energy alternatives, while disregarding the long-term economic benefits. Both the affordability and reliability of fossil fuels, comparatively to renewable energy, needs to be re-evaluated.

Is the cost of fossil fuel cheaper than renewables?

As fossil fuels have been contributing to more than 80% of total electricity generation in the U.S. over the past few decades, undeniably, they are the most important source of energy that fuels the nation (EIA, 2015). However, according to Lazard, a financial advisory and asset management firm, when comparing the prices of unsubsidized fossil fuels to other unsubsidized alternative energy sources, we find that wind and solar power are the most cost-competitive, followed by coal and natural gas (Figure 1).

Figure 1. US Unsubsidized levelized Cost of Energy. Source: Lazard, 2016.

In fact, with increasing investments into wind and solar, the cost of production for the two have been dramatically decreasing over the past decade. The average price of a solar panel has dropped almost 60 percent since 2011 (SEIA, 2012). The cost of generating electricity from wind dropped more than 20 percent between 2010 and 2012 (AWEA, 2012).

Figure 2. Unsubsidized Levelized Cost of Energy. Source: Lazard, 2016.

With continued investments into renewable energy, the UCS (2009) predicts that if a policy aiming for a 25% renewable electricity standard would have major economic benefits, leading to 4.1 percent lower natural gas prices and 7.6 percent lower electricity prices by 2030. In countries where investments into solar energy have been emphasized, such as Saudi Arabia or India, the cost for solar cells have been rapidly decreasing, with the highest capability of producing energy at 0.0029c/KWh, comparatively to the 0.06c/KWh of coal, or 0.04c/Kwh from natural gas (Micu, 2016).

The social cost of fossil fuel energy

Upon discussing the costs of fossil fuel, it is hard to ignore the negative externalities that is created from the extraction and burning of fossil fuel. The cleanest fossil fuel – natural gas, still emits between 0.6 and 2 pounds of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour, while coal emits between 1.4 and 3.6 pounds of CO2E/kWh . Renewable energy sources emit significantly less CO2, with wind emitting only 0.02 pounds of CO2E/kWh and solar 0.07 to 0.2 CO2E/kWh (UCS, 2013). As CO2 emissions directly contribute to the greenhouse effect, a decrease in CO2 emissions from transitioning to cleaner energy alternatives is much needed.

In addition to contributing to the global problem of climate change, the burning of fossil fuel in electricity plants has also been linked to major health problems nationwide. The air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants is linked to breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, and cancer. The aggregate national economic impact associated with these health impacts is between $361.7 and $886.5 billion, or between 2.5 percent and 6 percent of gross domestic product (Rizk, 2013).

 

 What future does President Trump want for the United States?

According to a report by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2012), with the current renewable electricity generation technology (not even including the technological advancements within the next few decades), along with a more flexible electric system, renewable energy is fully capable of supporting 80% of total US electricity generation in 2050, while reliably ensuring, on an hourly basis, that energy demand is met in every region in the U.S. Thus, it is up for President Trump to decide the future of the country’s electricity system. Given the economic, health, and environmental benefits of transitioning to a cleaner energy grid, it still staggers me how the President is still in full support of the coal industry and out-right criticizing the transition to renewables.

 

Sources Cited

AWEA. 2012. Federal Production Tax Credit for Wind Energy.

Lazard. 2016. Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis. Retrieved from  https://www.lazard.com/media/438038/levelized-cost-of-energy-v100.pdf

Micu, A. 2016. The price of solar keeps falling, Dubai received the lowest ever asking bid for energy. ZME Science. Retreived from http://www.zmescience.com/science/dubai-solar-cheap-55116/

Mai, T.; Sandor, D.; Wiser, R.; Schneider, T (2012). Renewable Electricity Futures Study: Executive Summary. NREL/TP-6A20-52409-ES. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Machol, Rizk. 2013. Economic value of U.S. fossil fuel electricity health impacts. Environment International 52 75–80.

Union of Concerned Scientists. 2013. Benefits of Renewable Energy Use. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/renewable-energy/public-benefits-of-renewable-power#references

Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). 2009. Clean Power Green Jobs.

US Energy Information Administration, 2015. Fossil fuels have made up at least 80% of U.S. fuel mix since 1900. Retreived from https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=21912.

SEIA. 2012. Solar Market Insight Report 2012 Q3.

 

 

 

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A brief timeline of Nepal’s contemporary history

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

1950: King Tribhuvan overthrew the ruling Ranas, with the support from India. As India was fighting for independence as its own democratic state, Nepal formed its first democratic government, after a long ruling of the monarch.

1962: King Mahendra, Tribhuvan son, took power and established the panchayat system, a political system where the democratic government serves the ruling king as his council. The democratic Nepal existed for 12 short years.

1990: Constant public protests lead to the formation of a new constitution, re-establishing a multi-party democracy, which spurred the formation of over a hundred political parties.

1994:  Due to slow social changes to the political system, where the monarch still remained in strong power, undermining a multi-party democratic government system, the United People’s Front fragmented due to conflicting ideologies. The Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist was formed.

1996: The Maoists launched the People’s War, aiming to topple the monarchy.

2000: The royal family of King Birendra was massacred by Crown Prince Dipendra. King Gyanendra took over the throne. King Gyanendra dissolved the parliament in 2002 to take a stronger grip on the government. This fueled more to the fire for the Maoist insurgencies.

2006: The civil war came to an end with the signing of a 12-point understanding peace resolution. The remaining seven political parties pledged with the Maoists to officially end the ruling of the Monarch and begin to establish a democratic government, with the condition that the insurgency forces maintain separate from the National Army, and to be under the supervision of the UN. As a result of this civil war, about 13,000 people were killed and 200,000 – 300,000 people were displaced from their homes.

2008: Elections results for seats in the Constituent Assembly was announced, with the Maoists winning the plurality. Prachanda (CPN-M) became the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Nepal. Ram Baran Yadav became the first president.

2008-2014: The newly formed government worked to form a new constitution. The efforts proved to be unfruitful as the constitution was voted to be delayed for two years in 2010, only for the deadline to be missed again in 2012.

April 25th, 2015:

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Kathmandu and its surrounding, killing nearly 9000 people and destroying over a half a million homes. The economic losses were about 9 billion US dollars, about a third of Nepal’s GDP. Understanding the political context at the time and the international response towards the disaster is extremely important, as the remnants of the destruction still very much remain 2 years after. As this course aims to examine the climate risks and resilience in Nepal, the aftermath of the earthquake and civil war has left the Nepali people more vulnerable to climate shocks. Thus, through this case study of the earthquake, we can learn short-term and long-term post-disaster management strategies and how effective they can be at re-establishing people’s livelihoods. Unfortunately, for Nepal’s case, the government had not been effective. As the earthquake stroke during a vital time period of the republic establishing its constitution, the government had to rearrange its priorities, diverting its resources to respond to the disaster. Within 3-4 hours after the earthquake, the government issued a request for international assistance and soon received support. Foreign donors pledged $4.4 billion in aid to re-establish the country’s major infrastructural systems. The Nepali government, learning from the mistakes in the international response in Haiti, wanted to maintain maximum autonomy during the disaster relief process. This action, however, slowed down the recovery process, as international funding had to go through the government. On the political side, the Constituent Assembly rushed to approve the new constitution, which was established September 2015. Due to a lack of consensus among the Constituent Assembly, 8 long months after the disaster, the government finally issued a bill for the establishment of the National Reconstruction Authority, a national body, reporting to the cabinet, to provide oversight to recovery efforts from international and local actors. Two years after the disaster, recovery efforts have still remained inadequate, as the government has only spent $330,000 out of the $4.4 billion pledged assistance, and rebuilt only 3.5% of the destroyed homes.

 

People rushing to help a victim of the earthquake. Source: CNN

As we continue to learn about Nepal, it is important to understand that the earthquake has truly re-shaped the lives of the people there. Even though the disaster happened 2 years ago, there still remains insecurity for the livelihoods of many in Nepal.

 

Sources Cited

Barry, E. 2016. A Year After Earthquake, Nepal’s Recovery Is Just Beginning. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/world/asia/nepals-earthquake-recovery-remains-in-disarray-a-year-later.html

BBC News. 8 June 2017. Nepal Profile – Timeline. BBC. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12499391.

Jha, P., 2014. Battles of the new republic: a contemporary history of Nepal. Oxford University Press.

Kumar, N. 2016.Why Nepal Is Still in Rubble a Year After a Devastating Quake. TIME. Retrieved from http://time.com/4305225/nepal-earthquake-anniversary-disaster/

Matthew, R.A. and Upreti, B.R., 2010. Environmental Change and Human Security in Nepal. Global Environmental Change and Human Security, pp.137-54.

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Monsoon Season & Natural Disasters in Nepal Timeline

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

People displaced by the floods take temporary refuge along a road in southern Nepal. Photo: UNICEF Nepal/2017/NShrestha

August 2017– Seasonal flooding from monsoon rains causes widespread devastation in Himalayan foothills in Nepal, Bangladesh and India. Estimated 1200 people killed and 40 million people affected. Read more.

October 2016– The military and Sherpas complete drainage of Imja glacial lake near Mount Everest by 3.4 meters. Read more.

November 2016– Paris Climate Agreement entered into force.

July 2015– Landslides in western Nepal near Pokhara kill estimated 29 people. Read more.

May 2015– 7.3 (major) Earthquake centered east of Kathmandu. Read more.

April 2015– 7.8 (major) Earthquake near Gorkha resulting in over 8,000 deaths. Read more.

April 2015– Nepal approves 1.6 billion USD hydropower project by China’s Three Gorges. Read more.

Background

Nepal’s monsoon season (June to September) brings heavy rains and triggers landslides every year. Over 6,000 rivers and streams increase the threat of flooding in Nepal, especially across the Terai region. Although flooding (including glacial lake outburst flooding) and landslides are the most common natural disasters that Nepal faces, drought, wildfires, and earthquakes also pose serious threats to Nepali livelihood. Dangerous and unpredictable conditions make many activities particularly risky during monsoon season such as transportation (of people and goods) and agricultural activities. Over 80% of the Nepali population live in rural areas, many relying on subsistence farming. The poor, uneducated, and unemployed people who remain most vulnerable to disasters tend to settle the flood and land slide prone areas including steep slopes and low-lying regions. Due to deep poverty, rural inhabitants often have no resources to recover from disasters. Families will often return to these vulnerable areas after monsoon season to maintain access to resources such as fertile land and water. Relocation to avoid disasters is seldom an option for poor families (Newar).

South Asia Floods Kill Estimated 1,200 People

Floods across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal have affected 40 million people. Rains have caused landslides which have killed over 100 Nepali people and damaged homes, land, and infrastructure across the Himalayan foothills. The growing flood waters and continuous rainfall threaten people’s water, sanitation, health, and shelters while relief aid is arriving and being dispersed. Other concerns that the flooding has sparked include waste management (as garbage and wastewater fill the roads and waterways), travel (accessibility to public transit is restricted/limited), productivity (schools and businesses shut down), and power outages (Siddique).

Disaster Preparedness and Response

Governments continue to struggle to support affected populations and speed up recovery from monsoon floods as impacted areas continue to see rainfall and communities remain stranded in waist-level waters. The immediate basic needs of disaster victims and affected communities have tended to overwhelm governments and organizations, limiting or restricting resources (and time) dedicated to long-term prevention strategies. Without established, nationally coordinated preparedness strategies (that optimize the resources and skills of response teams and involve stakeholders in planning), Monsoon season will continue to devastate the poorest communities in the Himalayan foothills while reducing their resilience to future disasters.

Works Cited

Newar, Naresh. “Nepal’s Poor Live in the Shadow of Natural Disasters.” Inter Press Service IPS, 11 Aug 2014. www.ipsnews.net/2014/08/nepals-poor-live-in-the-shadow-of-natural-disasters.

Siddique, Haroon. “South Asia Floods Kill 1,200 and Shut 1.8 Million Children Out of School.” The Guardian, 30 Aug. 2017. www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/30/mumbai-paralysed-by-floods-as-india-and-region-hit-by-worst-monsoon-rains-in-years.

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Living with Nepal’s History – The Civil War and Climate Change

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A Timeline of Climate Change in Nepal

1951 – The Rana monarchy falls and Nepal opens up to global trade. Nepal joins the United Nations four years later. Liberalized trade improved incomes but also exposed Nepal to global price shocks. UN membership opened the door for political participation in global climate agreements.

Remains of the Rana Dynasty Palaces From WikiCommons

1992 – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change convenes to prevent “dangerous human interference with the climate system”.

1996 – 2006 – A Maoist revolution tears Nepal apart in a civil war. Some villages are governed by the rebels. Over a million Nepalese flee the country.

Maoist Village From WikiCommons

2008 – The Republic of Nepal forms with the Maoist party holding a plurality of seats in parliament. The monarchy is dissolved.

April 2015 – A violent earthquake devastates communities in Nepal. The destruction limits ability to react to climate changes.

Earthquake – 2015 From WikiCommons

April 2016 – The Paris Climate Agreement sets Nationally Determined Contributions to keep climate impact below 2 degrees Celsius. Nepal participates.

Defining the Political Environment

Matthew and Upreti highlight the environmental factors that pushed the civil war in Nepal and their legacies. This recent period is useful to understand climate risks and resilience in Nepal because the conflict reformed human systems and capacities for adaptation. It also highlights sensitive points in local relationships with the environment. Areas under rebel occupation neglected forest conservation during the war, limiting the stewardship of a major energy source. Arable land is already in short supply in Nepal and is disproportionately concentrated in the hands of the wealthy (Matthew and Upreti 146). In a case study shortly after the conflict, Upreti observes that the insurgents seized land from elites to redistribute to the poor, but the poor did not cultivate this land out of fear (Upreti 12). The already scarce land fell into disuse. This context spurred the Maoist uprising and poses socioeconomic risks under climate pressure. Under economic pressure, the Maoists over-harvested medicinal flora (Upreti 11). Future income shocks could trigger similar behavior.

The civil war was partially triggered by a feeling that development had failed the people of Nepal. In terms of infrastructure and services, these grievances continue to exist. If the government is unable to meet current need in rural areas (Matthew and Upreti 149), it may not be prepared to build climate resilience in rural areas. Legitimacy in the post-civil war system is both a means and an end to climate resilience. Many communities in Nepal remain primarily loyal to local leaders despite state/international climate change mitigation projects (Krampe). This course intersects with others in this mosaic because threats to human security systems limit the capacity to adapt. The Nepali civil war was an important event in Nepal’s history because it emerged out of lingering development inequities and continues to resonate in its environmental and political legacies.

Sources:

Upreti, Bishnu “Nepal’s Armed Conflict: Security Implications for Development and Resource Governance” Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research 1-19

Krampe, Florian “Climate Change Mitigation, Peacebuilding, and Resilience” Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

Matthew, Richard and Upreti, Bishnu “Environmental Change and Human Security in Nepal” MIT Press 137-154

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Development and Environmental Conservation in Nepal

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

1963: Nepal Bans Child Marriage The minimum age of marriage under Nepali law is twenty, one of the highest legal ages of marriage in the world. Though strong on paper, this legislation is not adequately enforced and remains a major issue in the country, with thirty-seven percent of girls in marrying before age eighteen and ten percent married by age fifteen (HRW).

1973: National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (NPWCA) This legislation recognizes the importance of and provides for the protection of wildlife and natural areas in Nepal. The use of natural resources by local communities is also regulated to further sustainable development. The Act gives the government the ability to establish six different kinds of protected ecologically-valuable areas and outlined mechanisms to maintain biodiversity in those areas. Furthermore, thirty-eight endangered species are given special and complete protection (FRA).

1993: Forest Act Recognizing the value of forests’ environmental services and commodity production, this legislation gives the Nepalese government the power to declare any part of a national forest as protected and directs the Department of Forests to prepare an operational plan for every protected forest (FRA). Many forests have been handed over to communities for local management (WWF).

1996-2006: Nepalese Civil War A ten-year conflict between the national government and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) that caused almost 13,000 deaths, a quarter of a million internally displaced persons, and emigration of 1.8 million people. The rebel group criticized the Nepali government for lack of action on combatting social and economic inequalities. They began what they called “The People’s War” in reaction to high levels of poverty and discontent in a country with a rapidly growing and youthful population (Matthew & Upreti).

25 April 2015: Gorkha Earthquake This earthquake and its aftershocks caused catastrophic loss of life, property, and possessions in more than thirty-one Nepali districts. Environmental damage occurred as well, such as damage to agricultural fields, landslides, and water contamination (Government of Nepal).

March 2016: Girl Summit to End Child, Early, and Forced Marriage Following Nepal’s commitment at the 2014 London Girl Summit to end child marriage by 2030, a five-point pledge was made to work towards eradicating the wide spread issue (Unicef Nepal).

June to September 2017: South Asian Monsoon Flooding At least 41 million people in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal were impacted by severe flooding and landslides from a particularly merciless annual monsoon season. More than 1,000 people lost their lives, and thousands of homes were destroyed (Gettleman).

Child Marriage in Nepal

Nepal has the third highest rate of child marriage in Asia, after Bangladesh and India, a Unicef report indicates. Despite having one of the strictest laws on the continent, high levels of gender inequality and poverty in Nepal perpetuates the child marriage cycle. The law states that punishment for child marriage is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to 10,000 rupees, but this is rarely enforced or brought to court. Child marriage constitutes a threat to human security, and environmental degradation and natural disasters can exacerbate the poverty and social inequality that breeds the lack of options for many young girls. The Gorkha earthquake in 2015 devastated many communities. Women and girls, who are many times considered a “burden” on families and inferior to males, become increasingly vulnerable during and after natural disasters. These events lead to a disruption of economic activities such as agriculture and tourism, causing many families to consider marrying off daughters in order to provide them with a chance of shelter and food. Child brides are less likely to receive an education, more likely to become pregnant at a young age and therefore more likely to experience health complications and higher infant mortality rates, and more likely to be domestically abused. These are all aspects of human security, specifically community security, personal security, and health security. Although Nepal’s Girl Summit in 2016 recognized many of the interconnecting factors encouraging child marriage and the need to enforce laws preventing forced and early marriages, there is a long way to go to end impunity for forced marriages and provide more opportunities for females (HRW).

Works Cited

The Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) Program. Forest Resources of Nepal Country Report. Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations. Rome, 1999.

Gettleman, Jeffry. “More Than 1,000 Died in South Asia Floods This Summer.” The New York Times. New York, 29 August 2017.

Government of Nepal. Nepal Earthquake 2015: Rapid Environmental Assessment. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Nepal, 2015.

Human Rights Watch. Our Time to Sing and Play: Child Marriage in Nepal. HRW. 2016.

Matthew, Richard & Upreti. “Environmental Change and Human Security in Nepal.”

Unicef Nepal. “Nepal Hosts Its First Girl Summit to End Child, Early and Forced Marriage.” Unicef. Nepal, 2016.

World Wildlife Fund. “History of Nepal Conservation.” WWF, 2014.

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