KATHMANDU — Bigger hydropower plants, wider roads and more transmission lines: These are the promises major political parties in Nepal are presenting to win votes in the country’s general elections, scheduled for March 5, a quick scan of the cover illustrations used in their manifestos suggest. The images show that despite rising climate risks across the country, major political parties continue to prioritize economic growth and mega infrastructure expansion, with climate and environmental issues receiving limited space even in their imagination, experts say. “The manifestos seem to reflect a dominant view that Nepal needs to focus on roads, bridges, industries, hospitals and educational institutions,” said researcher Ambarish Pokhrel of the Chubu Institute for Advanced Studies, Japan. “They also view environmental and climate issues as not urgent,” even as impacts are already affecting communities at the grassroots level “and they only slow down development,” he added. The manisfestos of the major parties. Globally, Nepal is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It ranked sixth on the list of countries most impacted by climate change in 2024, according to the Germanwatch Climate Risk Index. Rising global temperatures have changed monsoon characteristics and prolonged winter droughts. In the Himalayan areas, glacial melting and glacial lake outburst risks are rising; in the hill regions, landslides are becoming more frequent and in the Tarai-Madhesh, floods and inundation are intensifying. These changes are already affecting agricultural productivity, energy production, tourism and daily life. Mega infrastructure projects also have borne the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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