Climate impacts are here now and Nepal realises it must
act. Aid and technical assistance are still badly needed and
more would be very well used, but Nepal is a great example
of a country boldly taking important steps other poor nations
can learn from.
Nepal has a track record that should enable it to attract
additional aid resources and private investment if its progress
were more fully known. Its hydropower development, clean
transport infrastructure, urban and rural solar programmes,
and its community forest programmes could all grow at a
faster clip with the help of additional investments. Nepal
would benefit more from its work to date by broadcasting
its effectiveness. Donors of all kinds would be encouraged
to contribute and invest more given the success thus far.
Lessons from Nepal could potentially be adapted
elsewhere. For example, some African nations, which made
enormous commitments to land restoration at the Paris
climate conference in December 2015 , might draw lessons
from Nepal on how to reforest lands in cooperation with rural
communities. Africa’s other enormous Paris commitment –
to develop 300 gigawatts of renewable energy – could also be
informed by the remarkable work Nepal has done to develop
hydropower, solar and biogas energy.
As the globe hurtles toward a future very much affected by
climate change, Nepal offers a powerful example to other poor
countries. In the wake of last year’s Paris climate agreement,
Nepal also presents a great opportunity for donor countries
and impact investors seeking to encourage and invest in low
carbon development. agBIKASH PANDEY is Innovations Lead for Clean Energy and
Water at Winrock International, and is one of the pioneers
of small-scale hydropower development and electric
transportation in Nepal.(^) MICHAEL NORTHROP (^) is Program Director for Sustainable
Development at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The views
expressed here are solely those of the authors and not of
their employers.
top right Nepal has a
growing fleet of electric
vehicles; a network of
battery charging stations
in Kathmandu electrify
hundreds of tuk-tuks
above The construction
of the Upper Marsyangdi
Hydropower Project in
the Annapurna region
environment
IMAGE © BIKASH PANDEY