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Nestled within Nepal’s trans-Himalayan corridor, Mustang has long been a land of both abundance and scarcity. Snow-capped peaks cast long shadows over barren, windswept valleys. Ancient Tibetan Buddhist monasteries perched precariously on cliffs, their prayer flags fluttering in winds that have shaped both land and lore. Generations of farmers etched terraced fields into rocky hillsides, coaxing from the unforgiving soil apples so crisp they became symbols of Mustang’s ingenuity and perseverance. Life here did not defy nature—it moved with it. The cycles of snowmelt and monsoon dictated planting, harvest, prayer, and pilgrimage. But that delicate balance, honed over centuries, is now unraveling.

Mustang today no longer tells a story of quiet endurance, but one of escalating emergency. Winters, once defined by a serene blanket of snow that insulated life, now arrive barren and bitter. The snowpack—Mustang’s natural water bank—is gone. Springs, once fed by slow, predictable melt, now yield nothing. Fields lie cracked and fallow. Crops wither before maturity. Livestock, once the backbone of the local economy and culture, are vanishing from dust-hardened pastures. And tourism, once buoyed by Mustang’s stark winter beauty and cultural mystique, is fading as snowless landscapes and landslide-prone trails turn visitors away.

Here, climate change is not abstract. It is not a threat on the horizon or a projection debated by distant experts. It is a predator, stalking villages, devouring traditions, and dismantling livelihoods with ferocity. It has reshaped the land, emptied barns, severed trails, and muted festivals once anchored in the rhythms of a snow-fed world.

Mustang’s collapse is not an isolated tragedy—it is a mirror reflecting Nepal’s imminent future. This once-remote highland, long considered resilient due to its self-reliant communities and adaptation to extremes, is now ground zero for climate-induced disruption. If Mustang, a region whose people have survived for centuries at the mercy of thin air and sparse rain, is faltering so rapidly, what lies ahead for Nepal’s more densely populated regions?

Consider the lowland floodplains of the Tarai, already vulnerable to monsoon volatility. Or the mid-hill farms, where rain-fed agriculture sustains millions and any shift in precipitation wreaks havoc. Or the teeming cities—Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar—where overstressed infrastructure and unchecked urbanization compound every climate shock. If climate extremes can hollow out Mustang, the implications for these regions are dire.

What’s unfolding in Mustang is a warning shot. The snows that once defined its seasons are vanishing across the Himalayan arc, endangering the glaciers that feed rivers essential to 1.5bn people downstream. As temperatures rise nearly twice as fast in the Himalayas as the global average, Mustang’s parched orchards, empty yak barns, and shuttered homestays offer a preview of a broader unraveling.

And yet, this is not just about lost apples, absent snow, or displaced herders. It’s about what vanishes with them—ancestral knowledge, spiritual connection to land, and a model of harmony between people and nature that the rest of the world has largely forgotten.

When snow becomes memory

For centuries, the arrival of the first snowfall in Mustang marked more than a seasonal change—it was a reset for the land and its people. Snow blanketed apple orchards and barley fields, fed glacial springs, and sustained fragile mountain ecosystems. It signaled a time of rest and replenishment, while gradually releasing meltwater to sustain life through the arid months. Today, snowfall has retreated into memory. The landscape remains cold, yet eerily bare.

“The cold still cracks our skin, but the earth stays barren,” laments Lopsang Gurung, a farmer in Marpha, standing beside a deep, jagged well drilled in search of vanishing groundwater. This absence of snow has ruptured Mustang’s hydrological balance. Springs that once flowed year-round now run dry by early spring. Groundwater levels plummet as villagers dig deeper in desperation. Monsoon rains, once steady and life-giving, now arrive in violent torrents that erode topsoil and flood fields. Scientists report a 30 percent decline in snow cover since 2010—a change that has triggered cascading effects: mistimed flowering, disrupted migratory patterns, and failing crops.

Cultural life suffers too. Losar, the Tibetan New Year, once danced with snow-laced prayers and processions, now unfolds on dusty ground. “Our festivals feel hollow without snow,” says Pemma Dolma, a teacher in Lo Manthang. Communities are experimenting with solutions: artificial glacier projects and groundwater regulations offer glimmers of hope. But so far, these efforts remain too scattered, too under-resourced. Mustang’s snowless winters are not just a regional concern—they’re a red flag for Nepal and the global climate community.

Farming on the brink

Agriculture—the heartbeat of Mustang’s rural economy—is faltering. Apple orchards, once the region’s pride, now struggle to survive under an onslaught of climate extremes. Warmer winters disrupt the chilling hours apples need to bloom. Invasive pests and fungal infections thrive in erratic weather. Meanwhile, violent hailstorms repeatedly shatter entire seasons of hard work. Narayan Thakali, a third-generation farmer, recalls when his trees yielded eight tons of apples annually. “Now, we’re lucky to get three,” he says. To salvage his crop, he relies on synthetic pesticides, fully aware of their long-term damage to soil and water.

Declining snowmelt has forced farmers to depend on deep wells, some drilled 20 meters down. But groundwater, like snow, is vanishing. In some areas, water tables drop two meters each year. And yet, adaptation simmers below the surface. Farmers are trialing dwarf apple varieties needing fewer chill hours. NGOs are promoting integrated pest management to reduce chemical use. Solar-powered micro-irrigation systems are boosting yields in pilot villages. These efforts show promise, but without cohesive, national-level policies and investment, they remain isolated lifelines.

Vanishing livestock, vanishing traditions

Yaks, chyangra goats, and sheep once roamed Mustang’s high pastures in abundance. Their meat, milk, and wool formed the bedrock of rural life, while their presence anchored seasonal rituals and social bonds. Now, those pastures are drying up.

A staggering 60 percent of Mustang’s alpine rangelands have degraded since 2015. Warmer temperatures and erratic snowfall have altered grassland composition, replacing nourishing alpine flora with inedible scrub. Foot rot and other diseases, once checked by cold winters, now spread easily in moist, warming soils. Herders, without reliable veterinary services, either overuse antibiotics or abandon livestock altogether. Traditional migrations to summer pastures—once communal rites of passage—have all but disappeared. In Dhe, empty yak barns sit like silent tombs to a way of life vanishing before our eyes. Still, resilience flickers. Insurance schemes based on satellite weather data are being piloted. But the scale of the crisis demands far more coordinated intervention.

Tourism at a tipping point

Winter once drew throngs of domestic and international tourists to Mustang’s stark, snow-covered beauty. Between December and February, snow lovers, trekkers, and spiritual seekers filled local lodges, generating nearly a third of the region’s GDP. But as snow vanishes and trails succumb to landslides, visitors stay away. Between 2020 and 2023, winter tourism declined by 65 percent. Villages like Thasang, once bustling with homestays and guides, now face economic ruin.Communities are attempting to pivot. But progress is uneven. Poor digital connectivity, unreliable infrastructure, and a lack of funding for cultural preservation remain stubborn barriers. Declaring Mustang a Climate Emergency Zone could unlock vital international funding for green infrastructure and culturally sensitive tourism alternatives. Without it, the region’s tourism sector may collapse entirely.

Floods, landslides, and glacial peril

The July 2023 flood in Kagbeni was not an isolated event—it was the new normal. Fueled by an intense monsoon downpour, the Kali Gandaki River tore through homes and fields, leaving behind wreckage and displacement. Landslides and flash floods routinely cut off entire villages. High in the Himalayas, glacial retreat has accelerated, giving rise to unstable glacial lakes. These ticking time bombs threaten to burst and send walls of water hurtling into valleys below. Scientists have identified 11 such high-risk lakes in Upper Mustang alone. Although early-warning sirens and bioengineering efforts, like planting sea buckthorn to stabilize slopes, are underway, only 15 percent of vulnerable households have flood insurance. Without robust national support, communities are forced to gamble with their survival.

Seeds of adaptation

Yet amid the wreckage, Mustang offers glimpses of what climate adaptation can look like when tradition meets innovation:

Agriculture: Solar-powered drip irrigation, climate-resilient crops, and SMS-based weather alerts offer smarter, water-efficient farming.

Livestock: Hydroponic fodder systems, mobile veterinary apps, and drought-triggered insurance build pastoral resilience.

Tourism: Eco-certified homestays, resilient trekking trails, and immersive digital storytelling can renew Mustang as a sustainable tourism hub.

Disaster defense: Vegetative slope barriers, glacial lake sensors, and satellite-based landslide alerts can save lives.

A call to action

Mustang stands not only as a region in distress but as a living model of the future awaiting much of Nepal. Its unraveling is a choice: surrender to collapse, or turn crisis into transformation. A national climate resilience pilot in Mustang could unify scattered innovations and funnel investment where it’s most needed.

Global support—from NGOs, governments, and climate finance institutions—should treat Mustang not as a disaster zone but as a climate innovation lab. Communities here carry ancestral knowledge: how to read clouds, revive springs, and live lightly. Their wisdom must be woven into policy and action.

As a Thakali proverb goes, “A dry riverbed still remembers the monsoon.” Mustang remembers its seasons. If Nepal listens, acts, and invests wisely, Mustang might not only survive—it might lead.

The author is Phd scholar in climate and green finance : research focus on green finance and climate change

Nepal is one of the countries facing severe environmental challenges in recent years. These challenges stem from climate change, marked, among others by, erratic weather, including unpredictable monsoons, exacerbating food insecurity and destroying livelihoods. For example, natural disasters, including the devastating earthquake of 2015, highlighted the fragility of the Nepali economy.

These challenges outline the need to adopt green economy growth with full importance attached to sustainable development, environmental protection and social equity. It describes the transition of Nepal toward a green economy through examination of sectors like renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and eco-tourism. National policies can play a vital role in fostering international partnerships toward the transition. Furthermore, the green economy in Nepal represents a development trajectory that balances economic growth with care for the environment. It is an alternative path for building a resilient and more prosperous future.

A green economy is an economic organization in pursuit of reducing environmental risks and ecological insufficiencies while concomitantly contributing to sustainable economic growth. The focus is on resource efficiency, low-carbon technologies and inclusiveness to ensure that economic development does not happen at the cost of the environment. The concept of green economy is curving into renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and green infrastructure, and leading toward future prosperity by conserving natural resources for the future.

Around the world, the shift toward green economies is gaining momentum, driving urgent efforts to tackle climate change and environmental challenges. Nepal, recognizing its responsibilities as a signatory to the Paris Agreement, has taken bold steps to align its national priorities with global commitments. The country has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen its climate resilience and achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. Reflecting its dedication to sustainable development, Nepal Rastra Bank introduced the Green Finance Taxonomy in October 2024, offering clear guidelines to channel investments into eco-friendly and sustainable initiatives. Furthermore, Nepal’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) highlight its ambition to confront climate challenges while supporting international objectives. These measures exemplify Nepal’s unwavering commitment to advancing a green economy that addresses its unique environmental and socio-economic realities..

Nepal is rapidly moving toward a green economy, thanks to initiatives from the government, business sector involvement and grassroots organizations. The government has taken the lead in this transition through the introduction of key policies that ensure sustainable development. A very good example is the 15th Five-Year Plan of the National Planning Commission, which focuses on green growth with hydropower projects in renewable energy and intends to produce 15,000 MW by 2030. In addition, sustainable agriculture programs enhance and promote organic cultivation along with climate-resilient practices that eventually enhance food security and environmental sustainability. Eco-tourism is also added through projects that seek to maintain the resources and offer a livelihood to the surrounding economies.

The private sector in Nepal is also increasingly adopting green practices.  Private companies also invest in renewable energy, including hydropower. In sustainable products and eco-friendly services, organic food production and green building construction, businesses show a growing commitment to environmental stewardship.

At the grassroots level, local communities and NGOs are driving the green economy. Community forestry, for instance, ensures that the locals manage and conserve the forests themselves to contribute toward biodiversity protection and carbon sequestration. NGOs implement sustainable farming that improves livelihoods while doing less harm to the environment. These combined efforts put Nepal right on track for a sustainable and resilient future.

Nepal is advancing to achieve a green economy, but several significant challenges are yet to be resolved. The financial situation remains a constraint as not much investment can be afforded to large-scale projects in renewable energy sources and other green initiatives. Insufficient infrastructure in most parts of the country disrupts the pace of adopting sustainable technologies, especially in rural and remote areas. Besides, some of the other impediments in the path of green development include non-uniform implementation of environmental regulations and policy gaps.

These challenges shifting toward a green economy bring a set of new opportunities for Nepal as follows. More basically, it invests in newly developed green industries concerning renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and ecotourism that could unlock more value of employment generation side by side with sustainable environment impacts. Also, some changes have a direct positive impact on public health as a result of lower pollution standards and shifts toward a more environment-friendly way of life. Moreover, this commitment to a green economy creates the opportunity for international investment in Nepal, especially those institutions, which have focus and attention on climate finance and sustainable development. Thus, by learning about these prospects and interpreting the issues at the macro-level, Nepal provides an area for carrying out the ‘right track of a sustainable and conscious future’ that indeed aligns with the sustainable development goals and enriches the worth of economic and environmental healthiness in the country.

The country’s commitment to sustainable development has testified through different successful green economy initiatives in Nepal. The classical example is "Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project," which was initiated in 2011 and has been commercially operated since 2021, is the largest hydropower project in Nepal, generating 456 MW of electricity. This move of the government increased manifold the renewable energy generation capacity of Nepal, helped in reducing its dependence on imported fossil fuels and opened up avenues toward energy security.

The ‘Annapurna Conservation Area Project’ was established in 1992 and is a beautiful example of grassroots conservation. Self-managed by local communities with the support of NGOs, ACAP has succeeded in integrating conservation with sustainable tourism for the betterment of the environment and local economies. It is fast becoming a case-study for balancing environmental preservation against economic development in this most iconic of regions. These success stories represent the very best of the green economy of Nepal and reveal how the government, private sector and civil society can work in concert toward common goals with sustainable and effective impact.

Looking ahead, the future of the green economy in Nepal is very bright but it requires concerted efforts from all sectors of the economy to realize its full potential. Finding ways out of these existing challenges requires the enhancement of financial mechanisms, such as green bonds and climate funds, to support large-scale investments in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure. Infrastructure development, especially in rural areas of the country, has become key to reaching green technologies in every corner. 

Nepal must also focus on building capacity through education and training programs that prepare the workforce for emerging green industries. Innovation and entrepreneurship in the fields of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and eco-tourism hold immense opportunities for job creation and diversification of Nepal's economy. Time to act means that the policymakers have to commit the green economy to national priorities, businesses should be adopting sustainable business practices and the general public has to support and be involved in such processes. Together, the strong drivers of shaping Nepal's future are environmentally sustainable, economically prosperous and resilient. The green economy is the pathway to a brighter, more sustainable Nepal.

Nepal’s transition to a green economy is not just a strategic choice but an essential pathway for sustainable development. The government's initiatives in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and eco-tourism are well-illustrated examples of great progress, with an increasing commitment from the private sector to green practices, partial completions need to be addressed. Certain shortcomings in terms of finances, infrastructure and policies need to be fixed for the full realization of such a vision. At the same time, the opportunities spread out by the green economy, job creation and improved public health to international investments hold great promise for the nation.

As Nepal has reached such a decisive juncture, it is difficult to overstate the need for the country to embark on the green economy path. The choices made today will determine Nepal's environmental and economic future for centuries. Will Nepal seize this moment in time to set an example in sustainable development or will it allow short-term obstacles to get in the way of long-term prosperity? It lies in the collective action of policymakers, businesses and citizens to advance the green economy, ensuring a resilient and prospering future for all.