Building back better. The green recovery. Sustainable transformation. It seems I’ve been reading those phrases time and again during the past pandemic year. And sometimes I wonder if they’re just attempts to find a bright spot amid the devastation of Covid-19. Or are they a sincere recognition that something fundamental must change if we humans want to continue living life on this planet as we’ve known it till now?
I must admit that I’m scared for the future that my daughter and her friends will face, mainly because of almost daily images of climate catastrophes: melting glaciers, deadly cold snaps in places like Texas and bleak, brown Himalayan peaks that I can see from my home on a clear day.
But in positive moments I am heartened by reports of gigantic solar and wind farms replacing fossil fuel sources and the accelerating uptake of electric vehicles. That’s why I was happy to see a recent study about the positive and negative consequences of Covid-19 on Nepal’s quest to reach the global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Today’s guest, Sijal Pokhrel, is one of nearly four dozen experts who did that work. Recalling our chat, I think her clarity and optimism encourage me maybe as much as the study results themselves.
If you enjoy today’s episode, don’t forget to like, follow or favourite Nepal Now. We’re on most of the major podcast players, including Spotify — which just became available here in Nepal. Stay updated with the show on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook; you can write to me at marty@martylogan.net.
Resources
Study: Covid-19 challenges and opportunities in Nepal
Nepal Now social links
Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.
Music: amaretto needs ice ... by urmymuse (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/57996 Ft: Apoxode
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Music by audionautix.com.
Thank you to PEI in Bakhundole for the use of their studios.
Nepal Now is produced and hosted by Marty Logan.
