Lessons from the Climate Crisis—Afterthoughts from Nepal

The latest disaster in Nepal and Tibet has given the world a much-needed wake up call. Initially attributed to an earthquake, the current consensus on the reason for the tragic landslide and flash flooding is the collapse of a melting glacier in the Himalayas. This is clearly a direct consequence of global warming. For years, the UN has been warning us about the climate crisis and the threat of melting glaciers and permafrost due to rapid urbanization, industrialization, and fossil fuel use. The Himalayas have already lost almost a third of their ice in just over 30 years due to global rise in temperatures. Experts have noted that the recent landslide in Nepal was exacerbated due to heatwaves and spiking ground temperatures.

This is not a regional or national issue. The Global South has historically been paying the price for pollution caused by the Global North. Nepal is just one of the examples of countries that contribute little to global pollution but are forced to pay the price for it. Apart from the immense humanitarian and economic harm caused by armed conflicts, greenhouse gas emissions should also be seen as an equally grave harm to the environment. Nepal has thus demanded that major emitters compensate it for the damage caused by climate change.

This argument forces us to question: Can climate-related disasters be prevented? The answer requires a more nuanced understanding of what segregates natural disasters from man-made disasters. The main indicator of man-made disaster cannot be identified through causality alone. There are also factors such as scale and frequency at play. It is a fact the threat posed by global warming is very much real. Nothing short of immediate and focused action from world leaders can undo the damage already caused. But climate action needs to sustained over decades before we start seeing positive change. Human-induced climate change is caused due to over-exploitation of natural resources and excessive pollution that disrupts natural cycles, thereby affecting rainfall, atmospheric environment, and the like. The goal should be to lessen these adverse effects caused by humans—such as by tracking carbon footprint and adopting green energy. Natural disasters will continue to persist as shifting tectonic plates and rising water levels are natural, inevitable events. Rivers will naturally change course over time, and wildfires may spark due to natural events such as lightning strikes. Controlling pollution and global warming will help in stabilising this natural cycle so that they do not become frequent and unpredictable. For example, we already know through scientific predictions that a glacial origin flood is expected in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region once every five to ten years. This is a natural occurrence. However, the region has already faced three floods last year within a span of a few months. This is a major indicator of the way climate change worsens the scale of natural disasters.

India is geographically quite vulnerable to floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and so on. We have already seen the effects of the climate crisis through recent heatwaves and floods. For us, climate action should not end at controlling pollution. Disaster management systems are critical to saving as many lives as possible. When disasters become unpredictable and overwhelming, warning and evacuation systems needs to be updated accordingly. In the aftermath of the flood in Nepal, significant gaps in the state mechanisms were uncovered. Warnings issued were either failed to deliver the urgency of the situation or could not reach some people. It was at this critical juncture where community-level communications became a lifeline. Quick evacuation can only be possible with trusted information and clear instructions. Reliance on digital alerts slowed timely action. Apart from updating sensors and communication channels in accordance to the severity of these disasters, we also need to strengthen public awareness and community-level connections. Top-down alerts often run the risk of being ignored or reaching recipients too late. Readily available information at the community level from trusted local sources are much more effective when it comes to executing quick evacuation plans, especially in dangerous terrain with scattered population.

Information regarding local safe grounds, evacuation routes, reliable contact persons and volunteers, is readily available to local authorities. Providing them the resources, training and responsibility to make plans can make disaster management systems more efficient and robust. When the communities are not just passive recipients of awareness campaigns, but involved in the making of evacuation plans and precautions, there is a lesser risk of panic and confusion when disaster strikes.

Disasters are a call to action for community resilience and strength first and foremost—we need all hands on deck for disaster management with the same rigour and concern we have when it comes to overturning climate change.