Global Warning
Nepali Times ईspecial 14 - 20 November 2025 #1285
Olá!
Once in a while, amidst all this uncertainty about whether elections will happen as scheduled in March, we detect a silver lining even though there are no dark clouds around. We see a ray of moonshine.
We Nepalis like to mope, and sometimes forget to count our blessings. For example, after being so dependent on imports, look at all the strategic commodities Nepal is now self-sufficient in:
1. I have it on good authority (The Rising Nepal) that Nepal is now self-sufficient in chicken and eggs. And it doesn’t matter which came first because it was actually the rooster which impregnated the chicken. Where did the rooster come from? Immaculate conception.
2. With the discovery of a vast reserve of natural gas underneath Dailekh, the country will no longer have to import LPG.
3. Nepal is now not just self-reliant in instant noodles, but is the world’s main supplier of chow-chow.
4. Uranium. With the discovery of radioactive ore in Mustang, we now have all the uranium we need for our nuclear deterrent. The next step is to be self-reliant on centrifuges and warheads.
5. Nepal now manufactures all the iron rods we need for the construction sector. This means the country has finally entered the Iron Age.
6. With the number of motorcycles and scooters in Kathmandu Valley now almost overtaking the human population, we can proudly say that we are on the verge of becoming self-sufficient in carbon monoxide.
7. Nepal should bid to host COP31 on the theme: ‘International Summit on the Impact of International Summits on Climate Change.’
To mark COP, Nepali Times this week has coverage of climate change that spans the globe. Durga Rana Magar reports from Belém itself about how indigenous people and their traditional stewardship of the land has been sidelined. (Going Native at COP30, online edition).
Ayusha Chalise travels to Rolwaling Valley to examine how hydropower plants, infrastructure and settlements are at risk from Tso Rolpa glacial lake that is expanding dangerously due to global warming. (Hydropower On Thin Ice, page 5).
Even while Nepal joins other countries threatened by climate breakdown to demand tripling of grant-based climate financing, it must also do its own bit at home to diversify its energy mix away from over-reliance on hydropower, reports Sonia Awale on page 4 (Global Warning Bell in Belém).
This week’s Guest Editorial by Kanak Mani Dixit highlights two aspects of the climate debate that have so far been sidelined: air pollution’s impact on health and accelerated glacial melting, and permafrost melt that has added to the risk of Himalayan disasters. (Climate Tragedy and Apathy, page 2)
Kesang Tseten’s latest documentary, The Lama’s Son is being screened at DOC NYC festival in New York this weekend. Besides documenting how adherents of the Bon Po faith in Nepal are trying to keep traditions alive, the land is also being ravaged by climate breakdown. Sonia Awale’s review: The Periphery Cannot Hold, page 6-7). Watch trailer here.
And the centrefold also carries Sudiksha Tuladhar’s look at how Bon Po centres have emerged in Kathmandu as far afield as New York, following in the footsteps of migrants from Mustang and Dolpo. (The Bon Po Way of Life).
Elsewhere in Nepali Times, there are guides to two events in Kathmandu this month: PHOTOKTM 2025 (The Politics Behind Photography) and the European Union Film Festival (Cinema’s Shared Language).
Last, but not least, for those of you who want to know if elections will be held in March, Shristi Karki summarises how political parties are merging, new ones are emerging, and others are fading into oblivion. (Party Time, page 1)
All this and more Nepali Times content on the online edition. You can also browse the archives for the Flipbook editions of past issues here.
Next week,
Kunda Dixit