The catastrophic flash flood in Nepal left behind unimaginable destruction. Words can barely express the devastation --- entire villages were wiped out, many families torn apart, and lives lost in a matter of hours. Hundreds were displaced and many are still missing, while relief teams race to reach remote villages. Those who survived now carry the immense burden of trauma. Thank heavens, the flood struck in the morning, when people were able to flee! Had it occurred in the dead of night, when entire communities were asleep, the death toll could have run into lakhs.
The tragedy is believed to have been triggered by an avalanche of ice and rock high in the Himalayas. Although such events are not unknown in the mountainous region, scientists warn that a warming climate can increase the instability of glaciers and mountain slopes. Rising temperatures can weaken glaciers and thaw the permafrost that helps hold rocks and soil together. In other words, the mountains are fast losing their grip and when they let go, the damage is massive! Experts call some of these events glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs), where a lake formed by melting ice suddenly bursts its banks. It is highly alarming that Himalayan glaciers melted about 65% faster during the 2010s than in the preceding decade.
Well, when a large mass of ice and rock collapses into a river, it usually obstructs the flow of water, creating a temporary dam. If that fragile barrier suddenly breaks, the accumulated water can surge downstream with tremendous force, sweeping away homes, roads, bridges and everything else in its path. That’s exactly what seems to have happened in Nepal -- nature built a dam, then tore it down in one violent sweep. Now what makes the situation even more worrying is China’s aggressive push for dam construction and various large infrastructure projects in Tibet. This “Dragon’s misadventure” could easily become a recipe for disaster in the near future, affecting Nepal, India, and Bangladesh without warning.
So, if we look deeper, we must acknowledge humanity’s own contribution to the environmental crisis. Our impulsive appetite for endless consumer goods solely contributes to global warming. The reckless extraction and consumption of natural resources to satisfy our insatiable needs and greed are placing nature under tremendous strain. When will we admit that almost every manufactured product comes at an environmental cost, whether through the extraction of raw materials, industrial production, transportation, or disposal. One purchase of a cellophane may feel small, but when billions of us do it, the impact is tremendous.
Please pause for a while to ponder over how our desires keep climbing in modern times. The one with a bicycle, dreams of a Maruti. The Maruti owner greedily eyes a Hyundai i10. The Hyundai i10 owner soon desires a Scorpio or Safari. And those already driving SUVs? Their eyes are set on BMWs and Mercedes. Who really thinks it is wrong? Hardly anyone. This is how all of us chase happiness --- by just upgrading our material possessions. But at the cost of what? Yes, our so‑called success and luxury come at the cost of polluted air, vanishing forests, melting glaciers and an environment already under tremendous strain. The more we chase comfort and development, the more we push nature into agony. Bluntly speaking, we call it progress; the planet calls it theft!
An honest question must be asked. Are our world leaders truly listening to the roar of alarm from the Himalayan region? Will they now take a firm resolution to slam the brakes on this dreadful culture of excessive consumption? Will they restrict the setting up of new industries and the expanding unwanted urbanisation? Or will they simply allow the cycle to continue unchecked in the name of development? But one is sceptical given the track record. To many, COP29, COP30, and the upcoming COP31 are little more than hogwash. Even the preparation for these grand conferences leaves behind a heavy carbon footprint, harming the very environment they claim to protect.
The greatest tragedy in all this is the "climate injustice". Nepal’s carbon emissions are minuscule, less than 0.1% of the global total, compared with China’s 30%, the USA’s 12%, and India’s 7%. Add Russia, Japan, and Brazil to the list of major emitters, and the contrast becomes even starker. Yet Nepal has received the harshest “blows of environmental fallout”. The irony is deeply painful. Those who pollute the most barely feel the heat. Those who pollute the least are left to suffer the worst. Is this not the "cruel imbalance", where the innocent pay the price for the reckless capitalist countries? How one wishes COP31 would truly have the courage this time to bring the largest emitters to heel. Humanity must make peace with ecology, not with reckless consumerism.
(A writer and researcher based in India, Salil Gewali is best known for his research-based work, Great Minds on India, which has earned worldwide appreciation. His book has been translated into fifteen languages – with a preface by a world-acclaimed NASA Chief Scientist, Dr. Kamlesh Lulla of Houston, USA. Gewali is also a member of the International Human Rights Commission, Zürich, Switzerland.)
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