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Global climate change has become the most visible environmental concern of the 21st century, transforming the environmental and social landscape of the Himalayas. The impact of environmental change in the Himalayas is being conspicuously noticed in the livelihoods of the people inhabiting the region, exacerbating their economic and environmental vulnerability.

The chief alteration in the environmental component comprises temperature, precipitation, humidity and air, triggering extreme weather events at phenomenal landscapes, influencing both micro and macroclimates. Changes in such parameters are a natural phenomenon and have been an inevitable truth since the origin of the Earth. 

However, the natural rate of climate change is sluggish, and species would need adequate time to adapt to the change. Charles Darwin stated that climate change is “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of global atmosphere and which, in addition to natural climate change vulnerability observed over comparable time periods,”

During the past few decades, the world has been experiencing a significant surge in temperatures, worsened by human caused climate change. 

The fourth assessment report of IPCC cleared and sixth assessment report emphasized that global warming is mostly due to manmade emissions of greenhouse gasses (mostly CO2). There is a growing consensus among many scientists that the anthropogenic cause of the increase of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in the atmosphere is the main cause of the climate change indices. Global warming is being experienced across the world and mainly happened in Europe and the UK during the summer of 2022, when all previous temperature records were shattered. All of the UK’s 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2002. The UK Met Office registered a provisional reading of 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport, breaking the record set just an hour earlier.

In the UK and Europe, winters are projected to become warmer and wetter on average, although cold or dry winters will still occur sometimes. The irony was the weather projection (of being extremely hot) for the year 2050 by the UK Met Office in 2020 turned out to be true just a couple of years after it was predicted. The main cause behind such warming is greenhouse gasses, which have been emitted so much in the atmosphere that even an absolute halt to their emissions will not be able to stop global warming for the next two decades. Many countries considered that a level of global warming close to 2°C would not be safe when there was little knowledge about the implications of a level of 1.5°C of warming for climate-related risks and in terms of the scale of mitigation ambition and its feasibility.

(IPCC 2020) Parties to the Paris Agreement therefore invited the IPCC to assess the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and the related emissions pathways that would achieve this enhanced global ambition. 

While a global issue, climate change is a major environmental and social challenge for countries like Nepal and other South Asian nations. According to the World Bank, although Nepal is responsible for only about 0.027 percent (annually 0.5 metric tonnes per capita) of the total annual carbon emissions of the world, it is experiencing increasing trends and the associated effects of climate change. The country has already observed an increase in dry periods, intense rainfall, flash floods, landslides, forest fires, glacial retreats and GLOF threats, and these factors collectively contribute to the vulnerable situation of rural and excluded people in general. It is combined with urban communities becoming more vulnerable to flooding as a result of localized heavy rains causing sudden flash floods into settlement areas that were developed without regard for the storm water runoff channel, which is now obstructed by houses and other built infrastructure.

Transformation of the glowing and radiating Himalayas of Nepal into dark rocks and retreating glaciers, conceding less water even to the perennial rivers, are some examples of how climate change is becoming a pressing issue and impacting Nepal. 

Although happening across the world with disproportionate impacts across nations and communities, climate change has shown its adversities more in rural and geographically-rugged areas, making the lives of people living there more vulnerable by affecting the state of the natural resources. 

About 79 percent of the total population resides in rural areas of Nepal and meets their energy demand from biomass combustion, particularly firewood, while about 11 percent of the total population living in urban areas is exposed to different levels of concentration of gasses, including GHGs. The annual demand for energy in Nepal is growing at a faster rate and is expected to reach 14,000+ ktoes (kilo tons of oil equivalent) by the end of 2020, as per the World Bank. This figure is trivial if compared to the global emissions; however, the people are paying the price.

Nepal, like many developing countries in South Asia, is more vulnerable to climate change and its consequences because it lacks the capacity to deal with the hazards associated with climate change. According to FAO, over 15m Nepalis rely on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and forestry for a living, accounting for roughly one-third of the country’s GDP. Agriculture also provides a livelihood to nearly 73 percent of the labor force. In addition, Nepal is a major tourist destination, and a significant fraction of foreign income depends on the country’s natural resources.

A heavy reliance on tourism and agriculture makes Nepal’s economy very sensitive to climate variability. Rural populations, notably those highly dependent on land-based resources for their livelihoods, are likely to be most adversely affected by the changes in ecosystems caused by climate change, according to ICIMOD. However, climate change creates opportunities and risks for  human development, opening the windows to cope with a new environment and harnessing the resources that are compatible with such changes. In order to address possible climate change impacts, adaptation practices should place emphasis on sustainable development. Adaptation to climate change has received increased attention in the scientific and policy debate and is seen as complementary to mitigation.

Also, there have been growing incidences of human-wildlife conflicts reported to be happening across the country, particularly in rural areas that are adjacent to the forest areas and are often the settlements of vulnerable and marginalized people. Due to the drying up of the winter rains and prolonged drought spells in the spring, the forest area runs out of water in its core area, pushing its wild animals to settlements in search of water, where they encounter people and their properties, such as cattle and cultivated crops, which often turn into human-wildlife conflicts.

In order to address the local perceptions about climate change, the ongoing impacts focusing on agriculture, and the adaptation measures and strategies adopted, comprehensive but site specific studies should be carried out in a country like Nepal, which has a diverse geography and varied landscape and has thereby formed climatic zones that change drastically from region to region. A generalized study for the entire country or an entire river basin does not work. There must be identification of small but critical climatic hotspots that have their own microclimatic systems, and assessment should be done accordingly to develop adaptation means based on their specific climate change and thereby induced issues. For climate-based studies, the historical hydro-meteorological data and their behavior become very important to understand how weather and its patterns have been affecting the livelihood practices of the community, along with the growing threats of potential disasters. Also, the study attempts to assess the people's awareness of the changing climate and the adaptation measures being undertaken to sustain their livelihoods amidst changing environmental conditions. 

To suggest and recommend any adaptation plans and coping strategies to such changes, it is important to understand the basics of climate change and its impacts on all aspects of activities that development practitioners often come across. Only understanding the issues related to climate change and its potential adversities across many aspects can enable development practitioners to plan and execute development projects holistically. Having such an idea beforehand will make dealing with community issues easier and can support the development actors in transforming the climate-vulnerable community into a climate-resilient community.  

The author is an environment and climate expert

Academia-industry cooperation is the symbiotic relationship between academic institutions (academia) and the industrial sector (industry) through collaborative efforts and partnerships. The shared knowledge and expertise accessed through such cooperation can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge acquired in academic settings and the practical applications of industries. Together, academic institutions and industries can co-create solutions to overcome pressing challenges by fostering partnerships and embracing best practices.

Academia-industry collaboration holds immense potential for driving innovation, economic growth and sustainable development. Industries continue to resort to private consulting firms that charge hefty amounts for advice or services in specialized areas. The collaboration between academia and industry would facilitate a mutual relationship, wherein industries seek consultation from experts in academia to leverage their knowledge and skills. Consequently, academic institutions and industries can co-create solutions to address the country’s pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges by overcoming challenges, fostering partnerships, and embracing best practices. Simultaneously, it eliminates the necessity for students to seek employment abroad because such collaborations hold the potential to generate employment opportunities domestically.

Different models and approaches to foster collaboration between academia and industry have been adopted across the globe. Distinguished companies like General Electric, Rolls-Royce, Siemens and IBM have collaborated with universities for years. Toyota’s research institute collaborates with Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Lab to advance research in artificial intelligence and automotive safety. Inside the University of Cincinnati Innovation Hub, Procter & Gamble has launched a Digital Accelerator. Beyond simulation, the facility is applied to solve business challenges. Many students have gained full-time employment at P&G following their time working at the Digital Accelerator. Companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google have also ventured into this domain and started collaborating with academic institutions around the world.

Industries drive the economy and industrial development drives economic prosperity. With the industrial sector contributing a mere 14.29 percent to GDP, Nepal’s economy is facing major headwinds. The projected growth rate is only 4.1 percent in 2023, down from 5.8 percent last year, the situation is critical. A high unemployment rate (19 percent) and a staggering student outflow (21.6 percent) paint a grim picture. Capital outflow worth Rs 47.35bn owing to Nepali students going abroad to pursue foreign education has already been recorded in the first five months of the current fiscal (2023-24). This exodus of students seeking education abroad is largely driven by the fear of limited job opportunities back home. Nepal needs a collaborative effort to address these interconnected issues to create a larger labor market. Only through such collaborative efforts can Nepal hope to navigate its current economic challenges.

Despite the potential benefits, academia-industry collaboration in Nepal faces challenges that hinder effective partnership-building and knowledge exchange. Kathmandu University has pioneered this initiative with the motto of taking knowledge and skills “from the campus to the community” by establishing the “Academia Industry Cooperation” at Kathmandu University (AICKU) under the esteemed office of the Vice-chancellor to bridge the gap between university and industry. AICKU identifies potential industry partners and establishes strategies for collaborations through joint research projects, conferences, and meetings. It also facilitates the mechanism for technology transfer, licensing and commercialization of research output.  Recently, AICKU successfully conducted “Academia Industry Meet 2023” where stakeholders from academia, industry and government sectors came under the same roof and discussed current challenges followed by possible solutions. Additionally, Kathmandu University has started a KU Employment Promotion Program to provide job opportunities to 80 top graduates per year and equip them with skills to compete in the global market. AICKU has also signed agreements with different industries to provide internships and job opportunities to students of the university. Recently, it facilitated the different research centers and labs of KU for the following projects.

• “Pilot Scale Green Ammonia Production in Nepal for Contribution to Domestic Economy and Better Utilization of Hydropower Electricity” with the Nepal Electricity Authority.

• “Feasibility Study of Green Urea Plant in Nepal” with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

• “Condition Monitoring of Hydropower Plants in Nepal” with Nepal Electricity Authority.

Looking ahead, AICKU plans to establish mechanisms for technology transfer, licensing, and commercialization of research outputs. Collaboration with the Business Incubation Center for the promotion of entrepreneurial ideas of students, faculties and researchers is well underway. With its long-term goal to foster a seamless transition from academia to the workforce, AICKU is emerging as a beacon of collaboration, laying the foundation for mutually beneficial relationships between academia and industry to shape a prosperous future for Nepal.

Despite these efforts of KU, a joint effort through other universities as well as stakeholders is needed to achieve the aim of enhanced synergy. There are many hurdles in the path such as limited research funding for the university, regulatory and administrative issues due to complex bureaucratic procedures and outdated regulations, differences in priorities, timelines, and expectations between involved stakeholders, limited technical expertise, infrastructures and research facilities, and institutional barriers. A new initiation is essential to combat the difficulties and fulfill the objectives of academia-industry collaborations. At first, policy reforms are essential from the government level to promote academia-industry collaboration, innovation, and technology commercialization. Through collaborative efforts, Nepal can not only harness its full potential to build a prosperous and resilient future for its people, but also solve the problems of youth retention and unemployment.

Views are personal

“Every good citizen adds to the strength of a nation.” - Gordon B Hinckley

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

Numerous citizen science initiatives have already proven to have the ability to promote sustainable development. Thousands of volunteers participate in the UK’s annual Big Butterfly Count to track butterfly numbers. This information has proven crucial in formulating conservation measures and evaluating the state of the environment. Similar to this, volunteers are recruited by the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) in the United States to track marine bird populations and beach litter. Understanding and reducing the effects of marine pollution and climate change on coastal ecosystems has been made possible, thanks in large part to the information collected thus.

Often working in tandem with professional scientists, citizen science involves the general population in scientific research and data collection. As it involves communities in the management and observation of environmental resources, raises awareness and participates in policy formation, it can be extremely important for sustainable development. The goal of Citizen Scientific is to break through the conventional silos of ‘public’ and ‘science’. Therefore, consideration is given to both the ‘public understanding of science’ and the ‘scientific understanding of the public’. 

Technology and science have a significant role in our daily lives. They aid in organizing our interpersonal and professional interactions. They present fresh opportunities as well as fresh risks.

The concept and roots of the term ‘citizen science’ are not the same. In the mid-1990s, Rick Bonney from the United States and Alan Irwin from the United Kingdom independently described it for the first time. “Developing concepts of scientific citizenship which foregrounds the necessity of opening up science and science policy processes to the public” is how British sociologist Alan Irwin describes citizen science. Irwin aimed to recapture two aspects of the citizen-science relationship: 1) Science should be receptive to public wants and concerns, and 2) Citizens themselves should be able to generate credible scientific information. Citizen science has proliferated in the last decade, becoming a critical form of public engagement in science and an increasingly important research tool for the study of large-scale patterns in nature. 

Although citizen science is already interdisciplinary, it has untapped potential to build capacity for transformative research on coupled human and natural systems. They draw a conclusion as new tools have begun to collect paired ecological and social data from the same individual; this allows for detailed examination of feedback at the level of individuals and potentially provides much-needed data for agent-based modeling.

Anne Toomey concludes in an 2011 article titled ‘How citizen science will save the planet’: “If we look deeper into the meanings of science and citizenship, we realize that encouraging non-experts to participate in the building of knowledge about how our world works may have profound implications for the way we, as a global community, will relate to our natural environment”. But this writer has linked citizen science to overall development in this article, and has tried to explore the involvement of citizen science in sustainable development. Perhaps the slogan ‘Save the Planet’ is also a reflection of sustainable development.

Citizen science contributes to sustainable development in several ways, including environmental monitoring, resource management, public awareness and education, disaster response and preparedness, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation and policy influence. Data on local environmental conditions, including biodiversity, air and water quality, and the effects of climate change, can be gathered by citizen scientists. This information supports conservation efforts by tracking changes over time. Natural resource management, including the management of forests, waterways and agricultural land, can involve communities. They can guarantee sustainable use and stop overexploitation by keeping an eye on these resources.

Projects involving citizen science increase public knowledge of sustainability and environmental challenges. In order to promote an informed and involved public, participants learn about scientific methodologies and the significance of data in decision-making. By contributing real-time data during natural catastrophes like floods, earthquakes, or wildfires, citizen scientists can support disaster response efforts. Effective response and recovery operations require the knowledge of this information. Monitoring species and habitats is a useful tool for tracking biodiversity and identifying regions that require conservation. Maintaining ecosystems and the services they offer requires doing this. By monitoring changes in local ecosystems, tracking weather trends and taking part in carbon-reduction campaigns, citizen scientists can make significant contributions to the field of climate change research.

The greatest achievement of citizen science is policy influence. This is because local, national and international policy can be influenced by the data gathered by citizen scientists. Governments and organizations may prioritize sustainability projects and give evidence for policy changes with the use of dependable, large-scale data sets. By enabling people to actively participate in scientific research and environmental stewardship, citizen science has the potential to make a significant contribution to sustainable development. In the future, citizen research will need to be included into formal scientific frameworks and policy-making procedures. Institutions and governments need to appreciate citizen-generated data and use it in their decision-making procedures.

‘Citizen science’ refers to a broad range of activities where people produce scientific knowledge outside of traditional scientific institutions. From mapping natural phenomena to analyzing scientific data, sharing health information, and making new technologies, citizen science occurs across all the disciplines of science and involves a number of different methods of inquiry, both orthodox and alternative. So we can make a conclusion that citizen science is the practice of conducting scientific research outside of established academic organizations, charting phenomena, analyzing data, disseminating health information, and developing interdisciplinary technology.

In conclusion, an effective and inclusive strategy for tackling the many problems associated with sustainable development is citizen science. In the days to come, the government of Nepal, the government of all the seven provinces and 753 local governments will have to implement citizen science in many dimensions of development. If this can be done, the country’s long-term development will be possible. We can say this by analyzing the world environment. By combining the global efforts of people, we can collect the information required to make wise judgments, promote environmental responsibility and eventually build a more sustainable future. Adopting citizen science may prove to be one of our most successful tactics as we tackle the world’s environmental problems.

The author is the founder president of Forum of Development Journalists’ (FoDeJ), Nepal

Recent elections in neighboring India and results thereof continue to be scrutinized from several perspectives—both within India and elsewhere in the democratic world. The staggering number of eligible voters, 970m, alone was good enough to attract global attention in this five-yearly electoral exercise which began in 1951—almost four years after it ceased to be a British colony.

Interest in elections in the South Asia region was obviously higher than other regions, mainly because of  geographical proximity. Those sharing borders with India, including China and Pakistan, closely monitored the process with main focus on its outcome. For other neighbors, the process too was equally important. Cultural affinity also played its role as was palpable in Nepal. That the political party with commitment to Hindu nationalism continued to dominate other forces across India was bound to generate additional curiosity in a Hindu-majority Nepal. The keenness was natural.

Cultural affinity has a linguistic dimension as well. And that was in full view through media outlets, particularly during the oath-taking ceremony held for newly-elected parliament (Lok Sabha) members. As was visible, two of the lawmakers took oaths in Nepali language: Indra Hang Subba from Sikkim and Raju Bista from Darjeeling (West Bengal). Subba (35) belongs to Sikkim Krantikari Morcha and was first elected in 2019. Bista (38), a member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is re-elected this year. Although they had different political affiliations, both Subba and Bista took pride in taking oath in Nepali.

Incidentally, what can be the decisive feature identifying a person of Nepali ethnicity in a throng of 543 men and women in a spacious chamber? It is neither food nor attire. It is the language—the Nepali language—which helps to single out who is who. A ‘Topee’(cap) may occasionally offer a clue, but is not a reliable substitute for the language.# 

Realistic recognition

Nepali is one of the 22 languages recognized by the Constitution of India. But the recognition was not easily acquired; It came by only after a concerted campaign and struggle the Nepali-speaking Gorkhas conducted for decades. Nepali language was included in the eighth schedule of the constitution in 1992. 

According to India’s census of 2011, 2.9m people in India have identified Nepali as their mother tongue. Apart from Sikkim and West Bengal, Nepali speakers are to be met in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, among other places. For example, Raju Bista, who represents Darjeeling, has his origins in Manipur. On the Western flank, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are the two main states with sizable Nepali-speaking populations. Delhi is also listed as a place where a significant number of Nepali speakers are said to be residing.       

In Sikkim, Nepali has traditionally been a lingua franca–i.e. it is understood and spoken by all other communities of the state, and beyond. Prominent Indian diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla is one of those high-ranking individuals having their lineage in Sikkim, and therefore speak Nepali flawlessly. When Sikkim’s university bestowed an honor on him, he chose to address the audience in Nepali. Shringla once visited Nepal as India’s foreign secretary, and was seen to be enjoying conversation in Nepali. One of his predecessors, who happened to be India’s first female foreign secretary, Chokila (Tshering) Iyer, was also conversant in Nepali; Darjeeling was her birthplace. 

For the people of Darjeeling-Sikkim region, July 13 is a special day when they pay tribute to the late Nepali poet Bhanubhakta Acharya. In 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee attended the function held at Chowrasta, marking Acharya’s 202nd birth anniversary. “We would like to strengthen this unique relationship amongst us,” Mukherjee said, referring to India’s ties with Nepal. 

In nearby Bhutan, Nepali remains one of the three main languages despite a mass eviction, in the 1990s, of Nepali-speaking Bhutanis. As a reporter, I have recollections of some occasions when visiting Bhutan ministers preferred to issue statements in Nepali. To further east, trouble-torn Myanmar (Burma) is another country where a significant segment of its population speaks Nepali.     

Knee-jerk reaction

Back to the oath-taking ceremony in the Indian parliament last month. Marking the occasion, this writer offered a comment on X (Twitter), in Nepali, essentially saying the obvious: That thousands of people had contributed to the campaign that led to the recognition of Nepali language in early 1990s. My observation generated some instant reactions and responses.While most of the X users cheered the news, some appeared rather inquisitive. The question was if India has constitutionally recognized Nepali, why can’t Nepal reciprocate in kind? In other words, a sort of imperative call to include Hindi in Nepal’s constitution. Ostensibly, this  is an innocuous query posed with a concomitant suggestion. My brief reply to the concerned readers contained the following points: 1) Nepal’s system runs in accordance with Nepal’s constitution; India’s governance is conducted on the basis of their statute. 2) India’s territory is large, and so is India’s population.

How is it possible to have equality between the two in every respect? 

3) Unlike Nepali, which is Nepal’s lingua franca, Hindi is yet to gain that status inasmuch as it is not accepted in India’s southern states where English continues to be the official language. 

Here I want to add a point which I did not insert in my quick response to X users: What all of us inside Nepal and intelligentsia across the southern border need to acknowledge and understand is the fact that Nepali language was included in the Indian constitution to expressly address the grievances of their own important constituency—of Gorkhas. No one in post-independent India can afford to underestimate their bravery, and the professional soldering the Gorkhas have rendered for the safety and security of India. Those who think Nepali language has been recognized by the Indian constitution merely to appease Nepalis of Nepal are living in a great illusion.    

Knee-jerk reactions, which surfaced through social media platforms like the X, are bound to be based on superficial understanding of the issue at hand. It is a pity that the emerging crowd of digital users tend to pay scant attention to the history and social background of the very country they belong to. Barring exceptions, grownup boys and girls of this ‘postmodern world’ seem to find ample time for socializing and recreation, but can spare little for serious study or research. Westernized lifestyles have made them self-centered, often at the expense of collective well-being.

Views are personal