Nearly 200 countries, Nepal included, are scheduled to meet in Scotland in November to discuss how to respond to climate change. One of the items on the agenda will be how much money wealthier countries will commit to transferring to so-called developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to ‘green’ their own economies.
Notably, rich countries haven’t come anywhere close to meeting their $100-billion-dollar pledge for 2020, an amount that they promised to provide yearly until 2025. An estimate from Oxfam tallies the dollars delivered in 2017-18 at, at most, $22 billion, as you’ll hear in today’s episode with Raju Pandit Chhetri of Prakriti Resources Centre.
The clock is ticking. On February 7th a glacier collapsed in the Indian Himalaya sending a devastating torrent of ice, water and mud downstream, where it flattened settlements, ploughed through roads and bridges, nearly destroyed two dams, and killed at least 26 people. Nearly 200 more are still missing. The exact cause of the event is being probed but one theory points to a high-altitude lake that burst its banks. This is known as a glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF. Last September a report warned that 47 such GLOFs were at risk of occurring in the Himalaya, including 21 in Nepal.
Such climate disasters are costly. Each time a GLOF, flood or landslide happens, it is governments that must rescue and resettle those displaced, and rebuild infrastructure, spending precious resources that should be invested in health, education or other key development sectors. Which makes it more important than ever that wealthy countries deliver the resources that they promise.
Despite the existential challenge posed by climate change, Raju Pandit Chhetri is optimistic that rich and poor countries can cooperate to respond more effectively.
If you enjoy this episode, please like, follow or subscribe to Nepal Now. We’d also appreciate a review on Apple Podcasts. You can email me at marty@martylogan.net and chat with the show on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Resources
Prakriti Resources Centre (PRC)
Nepal Now social links
Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.
Music: amaretto needs ice ... by urmymuse (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/57996 Ft: Apoxode
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Thank you to the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters of Nepal and Himal Media for use of their studios.