Nepal cannot address the climate crisis through ambitious declarations and international commitments alone. It needs a fundamental shift in its development approach, underpinned by scientific research, stronger institutions, public investment and genuine political commitment. Universities, think tanks and research institutions must play a central role in driving this transformation.
Meaningful participation of young people and local communities is equally important in shaping sustainable development and climate policies. However, there is often a significant gap between inviting young people to participate in consultations and genuinely incorporating their perspectives into policies, plans and projects. Their views are frequently sought during the planning process but overlooked when decisions are made and programmes implemented. This reflects a lack of seriousness about inclusive policymaking.
We need legal and institutional mechanisms that require policymakers to explain why certain recommendations or public concerns have not been incorporated into their decisions. Such accountability mechanisms, practised in several European countries and supported by multilateral institutions, would make public participation more meaningful. Youth engagement should go beyond token representation and become an integral part of the decision-making process.
This commitment must come from the highest levels of policymaking. As young people in Korea have rightly emphasised, climate change and sustainable development are defining challenges of the 21st century. We must ensure that the decisions we make today do not impose unnecessary environmental, economic and social burdens on future generations.
Infrastructure development must be assessed not merely in terms of initial construction costs but also its long-term performance, maintenance requirements and environmental and social impacts.
To make meaningful progress, the government must take the lead in mobilising resources and creating an enabling environment for climate research. Public investment is particularly important. When the government makes the initial investment and demonstrates confidence in climate research, universities and think tanks are more likely to attract additional funding from development partners, multilateral institutions and other sources. The government must recognise that investing in research is essential to informed policymaking and sustainable development.
At present, one of our major weaknesses is the lack of reliable data, scientific research and evidence-based projections to guide climate policies and development planning. This must change. Policies and programmes should be based on credible scientific evidence rather than assumptions or short-term considerations.
The upcoming international climate conference (COP) offers Nepal an important opportunity to demonstrate leadership on the global climate agenda. However, international leadership must be matched by meaningful action at home. Nepal has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045, an ambitious target that places it ahead of major neighbouring economies such as India and China in terms of its stated timeline.
This commitment is commendable, but declarations alone will not deliver results. We must translate our promises into concrete policies, programmes and measurable outcomes. Our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) contain ambitious targets, but these commitments must be realistic and achievable. It is better to include targets that we have the resources, institutional capacity and political will to fulfil than to make ambitious promises that remain confined to policy documents.
Unfortunately, climate change has yet to receive the priority it deserves across all three tiers of government—federal, provincial and local. This is evident in the lack of reliable research and data to guide development decisions. For instance, when discussing the future of agriculture with representatives from Jumla, we still lack comprehensive scientific studies on how changing climatic conditions will affect apple production in the region.
Rainfall patterns are changing, temperatures are rising and agricultural conditions are shifting. Yet we do not have adequate projections to determine whether the land currently suitable for cultivation will remain productive over the next 50 years. Such uncertainties underline the urgent need for scientific research, climate modelling and reliable data to support long-term planning.
This is why universities, think tanks and specialised research institutions must be strengthened. They need adequate financial resources, technical expertise and institutional capacity to generate credible evidence and contribute directly to public policymaking. Investment in research should not be viewed as an additional expense. It is a necessary investment in sustainable development that can help prevent future economic and social losses.
We must also fundamentally rethink our approach to development and disaster risk reduction. Rather than focusing primarily on rebuilding better after disasters, we need to adopt a proactive approach that anticipates climate risks and prevents avoidable damage before development projects are undertaken.
For example, infrastructure projects such as dams have often been designed without adequately assessing the broader and cascading impacts of climate change, including their potential consequences for upstream and downstream communities and ecosystems. Failure to consider these interconnected risks can create serious environmental, economic and social vulnerabilities over time.
Environmental and climate impact assessments should no longer be treated as additional expenses that unnecessarily increase project costs. They must be recognised as essential components of project planning, design and implementation. Governments and developers must be prepared to allocate the financial and institutional resources necessary to ensure that infrastructure is environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient.
The challenge is no longer simply to acknowledge climate change as a serious threat. It is to build the research capacity, institutional commitment, financial mechanisms and political leadership required to respond effectively.
This is also an opportune time to review existing policies across different sectors and levels of government, particularly in water resources, energy, urban development and road infrastructure. Drawing on my earlier experience working in the Department of Roads, I recall that climate resilience and sustainability received relatively little attention in infrastructure planning. Consequently, many structures have not proved as durable as expected and require frequent maintenance and costly repairs.
Had these projects incorporated climate-resilient designs, environmental considerations and life-cycle assessments from the outset, many of these problems could have been avoided. Infrastructure development must be assessed not merely in terms of initial construction costs but also its long-term performance, maintenance requirements and environmental and social impacts. A project that appears inexpensive at the beginning may eventually become far more costly if climate risks and long-term sustainability are ignored.
Ultimately, we need to change the way we approach development. Climate resilience must become a cross-cutting priority in government policies, institutional practices and private-sector investment. Every ministry, government agency and private-sector institution must translate climate commitments into concrete policies and practical action within its respective area of responsibility.
The challenge is no longer simply to acknowledge climate change as a serious threat. It is to build the research capacity, institutional commitment, financial mechanisms and political leadership required to respond effectively. Without these foundations, even the most ambitious climate commitments will remain largely on paper. Nepal must move beyond rhetoric and make climate resilience an integral part of its development strategy.
(Edited excerpts from a speech delivered by Bindunath Lohani, former Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank, at an interaction programme titled ‘From Climate Victims to Climate Leadership’, organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies and Socioeconomic Research (ISSR) and Khabarhub in Durbarmarg, Kathmandu, on Monday.
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