A blueprint for climate action

There is almost no day without some alarmistic and potentially catastrophic news about the impact of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The latest was the discovery of a new tipping point for ice sheets in Antarctica, meaning that there is very substantial evidence that future sea level rise can be much higher than what scientists are anticipating so far.

As we know, Nepal is also one of the epicenters of climate vulnerabilities.

The risks of huge and devastating disasters and other calamities related to climate warming are becoming a real possibility with unimaginable consequences.

Just a few days of incessant rains around the country have already caused the loss of 13 lives and we are only at the beginning of the monsoon.

The state, at its all levels, federal, provincial and local, must lead but we know that alone, these public entities entrusted by the people with governing and vital decision-making powers, are unable to do whatever it takes to tackle climate change head on.

I strongly believe that it is paramount to create new and innovative pathways of citizens’ participation to discuss bold measures to avoid the unthinkable. Youths should be leading this effort and we need to create spaces for debating and discussion.

Recently, on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5), a big gathering was held to discuss recycling and climate action.

Organized by a consortium of private and public entities, including the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Waste Management and Climate Change conference brought together more than 700 people.

Mansingh Aidee, a public health professional, president of Gopka Youth Club and a member of the 2023 cohort of the US Embassy Youth Council, had the opportunity to attend.

I met him as part of involvement with The Good Leadership, a new initiative that tries to enable students and young professionals to excel in some key policy making.

Mansingh is part of The Good Leadership’s Community of Practitioners on Climate Action, a platform that has been turned by him and his team mates into the “Planet Pulse Campaign” whose focus is on promoting and creating momentum on One Health, SDGs and Climate Science.

I asked him to elaborate on the conference and according to Mansingh, the event was a rich experience, full of insights.

He generously shared for this column some of the key quotes from the participants.

Some of them are stark warnings while some others are calls for action. All shared a common understanding that we are really dealing with complex challenges.

For example, Minister for Forest and Environment, Nawal Kishor Sah Sudi, shared: "I encourage mayors of all metropolises and municipalities to come together to find a common solution for waste management. It’s time we all ‘walked the talk'."

National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Dahal focused instead on the essentiality of multi-stakeholders’ partnerships.

“It is inadequate for a district, a province or a country alone to prevent climate change, so the whole community must make a joint commitment. Nepal must adopt environment-friendly development processes. This is the responsibility of the government as well as all concerned stakeholders”.

Member of Parliament Uday Rana came up with a stark statement instead: “By 2050, our GDP will lose 2.2 percent annually if we are not careful about climate change”.

Chiribabu Maharjan, Mayor, Lalitpur Metropolitan City, highlighted issues related to bureaucratic red tapes and lack of collaboration.

“We wanted to start our own alternate landfill in a no-man’s land to manage Lalitpur’s waste instead of sending waste to Banchere Dada and had allocated funds to do so. But the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal stopped us from doing so. Also, the mayors of Kathmandu Valley have not reached a consensus on an integrated waste management solution. Now the ball is in the Prime Minister’s court as the mayors have briefed him about the problem”, he said.

These quotes do offer a view of the challenges facing Nepal’s elected officials, real conundrums, really hard situations to deal with but then how to turn words into deeds?

Moreover, hearing the challenges from the politicians is not enough. What do young professionals like Mansingh think?

What is his own view about what should be done, according to him, to change the status quo?

“Fixing local governments and the way they operate is paramount,” he shared with me, adding: “As a young public health professional and a climate change advocate, I am hopeful about the role of local governments in combating climate change and preserving biodiversity. Local governments are positioned and have full authority to implement tailored solutions that directly address the environmental needs of their communities independently. By leveraging local knowledge and resources, they can create impactful, sustainable initiatives at their levels”.

However, he himself recognizes how hard it is to get things done in the public sector.

“The challenge lies in implementing existing policies effectively,” he explains.

Then Mansingh elaborated a multifaceted approach. These are generic principles but they are at the foundations of effective multi partnership solutions

Strong leadership: “Local leaders must prioritize climate action and biodiversity preservation, integrating them into their core agenda. This involves setting strategic and achievable targets, allocating adequate resources, and ensuring transparency and accountability,” Mansingh highlighted.

Youth at the forefront: “Engaging the community and youth is crucial. Public participation in policy-making processes ensures that initiatives are relevant and supported. Education campaigns can raise awareness on the benefits of climate action and biodiversity conservation, fostering a culture of environmental stewardship,” he further explained to me.

Collaboration and People, Public, and Private Partnerships: “Finally”, he added, “we need collaboration between government, private sectors, non-profits and academic institutions that can drive innovation and resource-sharing. Such partnerships can lead to the development of effective strategies and the pooling of resources needed for large-scale projects”.

Mansingh really believes that youths can play a huge role in holding governments of different levels accountable. Here is his blueprint for action that builds on the above principles.

1)      Education and awareness: Capacity enhancement sessions to youths about climate policies and their importance so that they can lead awareness campaigns and inclusion in educational curricula and amplify the advocacy to empower young people to become informed advocates.

2)      Grassroots movements: Youth-led organizations and movements can mobilize communities and create pressure for political action. Social media and digital platforms are powerful tools for organizing and amplifying voices.

3)      Partnerships with NGOs/CSOs and other partners: Collaborating with established environmental and public health NGOs can provide youths with resources, mentorship and a platform to influence policy.

“By fostering an engaged, informed and active youth population, we hope to have a resilient movement that holds all levels of government accountable and drives meaningful climate action and biodiversity preservation” was Mansingh’s last key message in our conversation.

Indeed, finding innovative and meaningful (rather than tokenistic) opportunities to engage youths on a consistent basis should be an imperative for policy makers.

Actually, engagement should just be the beginning of a new spectrum of policy making that is centered on youths.

The final end of this framework must elevate young citizens of the country in a position to take real decisions. In short, this means that youths should have some power.

And the focus should be on all youths, also those from vulnerable backgrounds and this is a huge challenge itself that we need to solve.

And by the way, we do not need to wait for the next World Environment Day to bring stakeholders together. As important as the Waste Management and Climate Change conference was, more value for money, effective ways can be found to bring people together.