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“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.” - Seneca

Suicide is a public health concern that affects individuals, families and communities across the world. Suicide means causing one’s own death intentionally. A person thinks about committing suicide because they do not see an alternative and think giving up their life is going to bring relief for them and their loved ones. Feeling of hopelessness, isolation and sadness triggers it. They may not ask for help but they need it urgently. Suicide prevention begins with noticing the warning signs and talking about it.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1m people commit suicide every year and for each suicide, there are many more individuals who attempt self-harm. These alarming statistics underscore the urgency of addressing suicide as a significant public health issue.

There are some common factors that increase the risk of committing suicides and can range from a variety of trauma or recent losses to mental illness or terminal illness, alcoholism, drug abuse, chronic pains and previous suicide attempts along with the individual’s family history.

The first step in negating the risk of suicide is to recognize the warning signs the individual may be showing even though they may be masked in the tireless strivings of every day. The indicators of suicidal tendencies are listed below:

Ranked 7th by suicide rate globally in 2015 according to a WHO report, Nepal witnesses 6,840 suicides (estimated) annually or 29.4 percent suicides per 100,000 people. Suicide is currently the leading cause of death for Nepali women, aged 15- 49, according to a study conducted by Nepal Health Sector Support Program. 

One of the major obstacles in addressing suicide is the persistent stigma surrounding mental health. People often hesitate to discuss their struggles due to fear of judgment or societal misconceptions. Breaking the stigma involves fostering a culture that encourages open dialogue, empathy and understanding.

If you are suffering from suicidal intentions, there are few ways to cope with it, which are:

• First and most important, talk about it to someone. Share your feelings to that person every day.

• Make a note of contact numbers of friends, family and your therapist for emergencies

• Exercise regularly and go out in the sun every day for 30 minutes, as it will make you feel fresh and positive.

• Make some time to do things that make you happy like indulging in any of your hobbies or talking, listening to music, playing with your pet, etc.

• Try to make a routine for yourself and stick to it. You can include positive goals like reading, owning and playing with a pet, learning a new hobby, volunteering, moving to another place and so on. Make your personal goals.

• Avoid being alone and cutting off from family, friends or loved ones.

• Don’t go for alcohol or drug abuse as it’s going to worsen the situation and decrease your problem solving abilities.

• Avoid things that make you sad like reading old letters, seeing old photographs or listening to sad music or going to a loved one’s grave.

So these are a few ways through which you can help yourself or someone else. Suicide awareness is a collective responsibility that requires a shift in societal attitudes, policies and support systems. By promoting open conversations, breaking down stigmas and implementing effective preventive measures, we can work toward creating a world where individuals facing mental health challenges feel understood, supported and empowered to seek help. If you or someone you know is struggling, don’t hesitate to seek help—your story matters and there is hope. 

Remember suicide is not the solution to any problem. Call, talk and share!

The Indrawati Hydropower Station, Nepal’s first private sector hydropower project that commenced operations in 1993, has conducted a study to assess its impact on carbon emissions reduction. The study revealed an annual reduction of 41,000 tons of CO2, 62 tons of SO2, and 46 tons of NOx, along with the substitution of 1,616,141 tons of charcoal. Despite these significant achievements, the project has not been able to secure compensation from the climate fund. Given the evolving context, it is evident from the statistics that private hydropower projects, such as the Indrawati Hydropower Station, have made substantial contributions to reducing carbon emissions. Projects of this nature should be eligible for facilities from the climate fund.

In recent times, climate change has impacted Nepal's government-private hydropower projects and power plants. Two critical aspects need consideration in this context: evaluating the reduction in carbon emissions by projects promoted by the private sector and assessing the loss and damage caused by climate change. A comprehensive research effort is essential to collect relevant data. The Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and hydropower promoters should take needful initiatives in this regard. This is because income generation from hydropower should not only be their focus; attention must also be given to how a sustainable economy can contribute to the national economy, aligning with the United Nations’ call for adopting Sustainable Development Goals within the next decade.

Since 1992, the private sector has invested or is preparing to invest Rs 1,800bn in the hydropower sector. Despite challenges like the lack of transmission lines, hydropower promoters have invested a substantial amount of money in projects with a combined capacity of 42,000 megawatts. Apart from equity investments by the private sector, banks have contributed approximately 60 percent of this fund. This also includes investments by the state-owned power utility and the general public through public offerings. This confirms that energy production, a cornerstone of the green economy, has significantly contributed to reducing carbon emissions. The direct and indirect investment of citizens has increased, making a noteworthy national contribution to the critical issue of hydropower.

Examining global statistics on carbon emissions from excessive fossil fuel use and industry, the world emitted about 37.124bn tons of carbon in 2021, as per Our World in Data. Nepal’s carbon emissions during the same year were only about 0.014bn tons, accounting for 0.038 percent of the total global carbon emissions. Despite this negligible negative contribution, Nepal bears the brunt of global climate change effects. The primary reason for the increasing carbon emissions in Nepal is the growing use of imported fossil energy. To achieve a sustainable economy and reduce emissions, it is crucial to transition to green and clean energy.

While COP28 participants remain divided on the phasing out of fossil fuels, Nepal, with the potential to produce affordable green hydrogen, can leverage its position. The fossil fuel reserves may deplete, but by storing green hydrogen, Nepal can attract global interest and investment in green technology development. Nepal annually imports petrol, diesel, and LP gas worth Rs 500-600bn. Replacing these imports with hydrogen fuel can contribute to self-sufficiency in iron and urea fertilizer production. Additionally, converting hydrogen into ammonia for export could boost Nepal's income and sovereign credit rating.

Nepal's neighboring countries, such as India and China, are significant importers of fossil fuels. India imports fossil fuel worth $160bn annually, and China relies heavily on gray energy. Nepal, despite its minimal contribution to emissions, faces environmental challenges due to industrial pollution in these countries. Nepal should exert pressure on developed nations to attract domestic and foreign investment for green technology and energy. The upcoming Nepal Investment Summit in April presents an opportunity to position Nepal as an attractive destination for green and clean energy investments. Conducive policies and laws should be established to facilitate businesses in this regard.

IPPAN’s role

While there was no prior preparation for participation in the COP28, we participated in the global climate conference. During COP28, we held discussions with key individuals and organizations, including those from Japan, China, India, the USA, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union. Topics included information about climate fund operations, technology preparedness, and experiences in reducing carbon and using hydrogen equipment. A particular emphasis was placed on understanding the carbon fund’s payment process and how hydropower plants and energy projects can directly benefit from it.

Discussions also covered the unprecedented climate change-related damages incurred by various hydropower projects and power stations in Nepal’s eastern regions due to floods and landslides last year. Insights were gathered on claiming compensation for loss and damage, managing procedures, and fund operations.

It is crucial to ensure clarity on how Nepal’s private sector can directly benefit from climate funds received from developed countries through the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. IPPAN, in collaboration with national and international agencies, should actively engage in discussions about the climate fund, payment for carbon emissions reduction, and the implementation of government action plans. IPPAN should also advocate for the representation of its officials in the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation National Implementation Plan chaired by the Prime Minister. Establishing a dedicated climate task force and coordinating with relevant entities will be instrumental in realizing these objectives.

In today’s world, content creation involves more than just having a meaningful thing to say or a relevant issue to speak on. The formal, editing and designing aspect of the content is also important to creators. With more avenues for formal control, social media websites can expect to grow in user-base, and creative engagement with those websites might also take place for longer durations. 

Popular apps like Snapchat and Tiktok (recently banned in Nepal) are examples where editing and designing videos is a user-centric process. Such a process allows users to feel more ‘in charge’ of their content, and thus motivates them to create more. A service which withheld such creative control would not prove as satisfying to users, even if it allowed wide dissemination of their content. 

The uptake of such apps and services in the Nepali public can be attributed not only to the opportunity to raise voice but also to show one’s skills in communication and expression. Views, reactions and comments reward and recognize the ability to present in media in tandem with the words and ideas presented. In short, not just what you say but how you say it is more important than before. 

It is in part due to the disabling of ‘expression’ (how one says something) and not just curtailment of content (or ‘speech’—what one says) that there has been an outcry over the loss of freedoms since the popular TikTok app got banned by the Nepal government. Freedom of expression is concerned with more than just publishing of the content. It is concerned with how proactively one arrived at that content. Users want the government to see that doing an investigation and/or processing available data in depth are instances of the meaningful work behind an act of expression published online.

Synthetic media

A technology which has been prevalent since the advent of computers, but which has grown significantly more sophisticated today, is ‘synthetic media.’ It is about to make content creation even more exciting. Synthetic media is any media (in visual, audio and/or text format) that has been made using computers. Of late, Artificial Intelligence has been used to create synthetic media. For example, in text-based synthetic media services (ChatGPT is an example), a textually articulated idea can be transformed into a news article or essay that  the service produces by itself.

In the near future, creation of sophisticated synthetic media will be inexpensive and efficient. This bodes well for certain sections of Nepali society. Small-businesses can create advertisements for their products using synthetic media, thereby sidestepping a costly production process. In a different case, teachers can use synthetic media to present their ideas more clearly. For one, if preliminary ideas are acquired with relative ease due to the use of synthetic media in presenting, then the more technical and cutting-edge education can also be made part of the curriculum.

Extremely pertinently for Nepal’s case, synthetic media can help with public messaging on critical issues such as health and discrimination. Development organizations can create videos that are able to vividly represent the problems that they want to address. Effective communication of such societal problems would enable communities themselves to deliberate and enact solutions. 

In all, a positive picture

With the use of synthetic media, Nepal’s media landscape is likely to be both representative of a diversity of voices and rich with meaningful expression. But, the potential to create meaningful content needs to be harnessed more strongly in our case. At the very least, there is a need to look carefully to see whether a rural-urban gap is developing in the production of content. 

To gain a more organized outcome from a technological resource, the particular roles that it can play for particular groups needs to be explored clearly first. Thereafter, policies must be made with a clear goal of supporting positive outcomes for each of the groups using the technology.

Nepal, predominantly characterized by its hilly terrain, with hills covering 80.7 percent of the land, boasts numerous valleys and lakes, resembling natural view towers.

During my recent visit to Los Angeles, situated at the foothills of California, specifically Norwalk and Riverside, I marveled at the landscapes. Riverside, nestled at the base of hills, offers well-constructed trails that allow people to ascend and enjoy panoramic views of various cities. From atop one of these hills, I beheld the picturesque landscapes of Riverside, Moreno Valley, San Diego, Ontario, Los Angeles, and beyond. These cities, surrounded by hills on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, create a captivating spectacle.

Similarly, in Nepal, regions such as Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Surkhet, and Dang are embraced by hills, presenting a tremendous opportunity for the tourism industry. Nepal has the potential to develop trails providing access to these hills. By investing in road construction and cable cars, millions of visitors could be enticed to explore these elevated terrains. The breathtaking views of cities and the Himalayas from these natural view towers can be a significant attraction, much like the view towers of southern California. Constructing hiking trails on these hills can be achieved at a minimal cost, exemplified by the natural view towers in Pokhara, offering stunning vistas of the lake city.

However, the challenge lies in the lack of awareness and vision among Nepali rulers and decision-makers regarding how and where to allocate scarce resources. Random decision-making appears to be the norm, with little role for expert input. Political leaders often operate with self-interest, leading to decisions that benefit a select few. The absence of a coherent national agenda for development is evident, and questioning the actions of political parties seems futile.

Nepal can draw inspiration from iconic landmarks like the Hollywood Gate, which serves as a view tower for Los Angeles. Similarly, a hill in San Diego, housing an army camp, functions as a view tower offering stunning perspectives of the city and the Pacific Ocean.

Nepal is in a learning phase, acknowledging imperfections and seeking improvement. While mistakes are inevitable, the ability to learn from them is paramount. The prevailing egoism among rulers takes precedence over self-sacrifice, a fundamental quality for fostering a healthy and prosperous economy. Unfortunately, self-interest permeates Nepalese society, giving rise to nepotism, favoritism, and corruption. Policy decisions often legitimize these practices, hindering positive progress.

In contrast to constructing view towers, Nepal could invest in an eight-foot-wide road along the hills, facilitating trekking to hilltops. Redirecting resources from constructing towers to building footpaths around the hills of Kathmandu Valley could create a network of accessible viewpoints. Numerous spots could serve as small view towers, allowing people to appreciate the scenic beauty of the Kathmandu Valley hills. This strategic approach could offer a more sustainable and immersive experience for both locals and tourists.