Aditya's Imaginary World …
काठमाडौं गएर उजेलीले डाक्टरी पढ्छे र हाम्रो स्कुल र गाउँबाटै उजेली पहिलो डाक्टर बन्छे भन्नेमा चाहिं स्कुल र गाउँका सबै लगभग पक्का थिए। तर विश्वकै टप विश्वविद्यालयमा, त्यो पनि पूर्ण छात्रवृत्ति सहित पढ्न अमेरिका नै जाली भनेर त गाउँमा खासै कसैले पनि कल्पना गरेका थिएनन्।
‘दुःखमा परेकालाई आफूले सक्ने सहयोग गर्नु चाहिँ वास्तविक धर्म हो भनेर खुब आदर्शका गफ छाँट्छस्। अघि नै मलाई चढाएका अङ्गुर पनि बटुलेर खाइस्। अहिले दुःखमा परेको यो बुढो मान्छेलाई कतिको सहयोग गर्दो रै’छस् हेरम् न त !” भनेर शिवले नै पो परीक्षा लिएका थिए कि ? त्यस्तै हो रहेछ भने पनि परीक्षामा पास भएकोमा दङ्ग परें ।
जानीजानी त तिम्रो मन किन दुःखाउँथे र साथी
थाहै हुन्न कुन दिन अनि कुन शब्द अन्तिम हुन्छ
I had no plans to sleep or even to lie down. “I will go to the Eiffel tower, and then just wander through the streets of Paris the whole night”, I had thought. I was reaching to the CDG airport at around 22:00. And it would take one more hour by the train to reach Paris. I had to look for a locker to store my luggage, eat dinner and find out the way to the Eiffel tower, where I was going for the first time, alone and reaching at midnight! The only aim for this time was to reach to the Eiffel tower.
Yes, most of the things went as planned more or less. Using the underground metro for travelling is no longer a mystery now. I had spent probably more than a day (meaning 24 hours) to figure out where and how to take the right train and where to get down if I needed to change another one when I had gone to Stockholm alone for the first time. The process was similar in Barcelona. And I had expected the similar procedures for Paris too. And it worked out. Maybe, it is the same throughout Europe.
It was already past midnight when I reached there. The tower which I used to see only in photos, was right in front of me! It looked magnificent with lights glowing all over.
But after some time (maybe at 1:00), the lights went off.
Anyway, mission accomplished! I reached to the Eiffel tower. 🙂
Then I started strolling around as there was nothing to look at to the tower after the lights went off. What I found after changed my plan of wandering around the streets for the whole night. There was a grassland nearby where a lot of other people were drinking, chatting and some lying down. I decided to lie down for a while.
The sky was clear, stars visible, gentle breeze and soft grass on the ground. And I was in front of the Eiffel tower! Well, that was another ineffable feeling.
Two other visitors were lying nearby. We just started talking, and kept talking and kept talking and kept talking… until morning! Yes, we did not sleep at all. They had come from Bordeaux with a plan similar to mine :). Only that they arrived in the afternoon and also climbed to the top of the tower. I will do that during my next visit probably.
Yes, the tower is impressive, but maybe the grandeur of the tower is too glorified that we expect too much that we do not find it as we expect it to be. Like those friends as they were saying, and me too!
An edited version of this article is published in the Kathmandu Post – https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2023/12/13/buy-carbon-don-t-sell-it
Nepal needs to change the mindset of a climate change victim and make rational investments to make higher profits and use that to build a more climate-resilient future.
The Paris Agreement, adopted by the party members to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015 during the 21st annual Conference of the Parties, (COP21) in Paris, was taken as a historical landmark towards solving the ongoing climate crisis. Signing the agreement, 196 party members have agreed to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and to pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels” by the end of the century. For that to happen – to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – an IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) special report, Global Warming of 1.5°C, has recommended that “net-zero” emissions should be achieved by 2050.
Since not using fossil fuels at all to stop carbon (the major GreenHouse Gas – GHG) emissions completely is not possible, net-zero is adopted as a more practical way of limiting its concentration in the atmosphere, and hence the global temperature rise. The idea is that, even if carbon, including other GHGs, is emitted, the emitting agency (state/company/organization) could buy an equivalent amount of carbon from the carbon sellers and claim that the effective amount of their emissions is zero. This is what achieving net-zero emissions means. Adoption of the Paris Agreement was one of the key milestones in the adoption of this concept. While the agreement itself does not explicitly use the term “net-zero,” it sets the goal of achieving a balance between anthropogenic emissions of GHGs and removals by sinks, the places where carbon is captured and stored. This effectively implies a commitment to achieving net-zero emissions globally. Since then, the concept of net-zero emissions has become a central focus in international climate negotiations, national climate action plans, and corporate sustainability goals.
Using net-zero as a means, countries and large multinational companies that emit large amounts of GHGs pay money to countries/agencies that sequester (capture and store) carbon from the atmosphere, i.e. they buy carbon, and claim themselves net-zero emitters, or climate neutral. This mechanism of buying and selling carbon is called the carbon market. Nepal aims to sell carbon in such carbon markets, primarily the carbon sequestered by forests. This article argues why Nepal should aim to be a buyer of carbon rather than its seller in the carbon market.
Change the victim mindset first
In each of the annual climate change conferences (COPs), Nepal portrays itself as a big victim of climate change. ‘Despite a negligible role in climate change, we are bearing the most (negative) impacts, and this is a gross injustice. We need more financial and technological help from the developed countries to adapt to the impacts, and they should pay for the losses and damages that we have suffered.’ This is one of the key messages, and the one that is the most prioritized, that every delegate carries when attending those conferences. This is exactly what has been going on for more than a decade (only the demands for loss and damage started a few years ago). The delegation led by the Prime Minister stressed the same thing, among other issues, while participating in the COP28 in Dubai a few days ago.
This seems logical as the so-called developed countries (which are usually termed as Global North in such discussions) are mainly responsible for climate change and emission reduction from countries like Nepal is not going to make any significant difference in limiting the temperature rise now. In addition to that, we have limited capacity and resources to fight the negative impacts caused by others. Yes, that’s the truth; we have become victims. But, lamenting about that each time and making that a begging bowl forever but not doing anything it can do internally to reduce its vulnerability to climate change is the actual problem. Change has already occurred, and even if the emissions stop right now, or sometime soon, which is not likely at all based on current emission scenarios, we will have to face the impacts anyway. So, Nepal should come out of this mindset of showing itself as a bad victim everywhere and each time, and make more profitable investments such as establishing big industries and production systems that ‘may’ emit large amounts of GHGs. Achieving net-zero means that we can still emit large amounts of GHGs as long as we offset the same amount elsewhere.
Make rational investments
Currently, Nepal aims to sell carbon in the carbon markets that are primarily made available by the forest naturally. This does not need much work other than quantifying the amount of carbon that can be sold. Doing nothing and selling carbon for a small price may feel comfortable at the moment but based on what we have seen and experienced so far – the never-ending increment of GHG emissions and the so-called developed world not keeping their promises of sufficient help for us to adapt to the changes – we will either have to suffer more or become more and more dependent on loans, donations and grants to adapt to the future climate change. In each climate conference, we are negotiating as if it is only the lack of money that is making us more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. If lack of money is what is preventing us from developing and for building climate resilience to fight with the negative impacts, as is being said, we should plan and start investing in businesses and production systems that are more profitable than simply selling low-value carbon just because it does not require any additional work. Since we have not even thought about that – whether selling carbon or buying it to achieve net-zero by investing in business and production systems emitting GHGs would be beneficial – investment analysis is the first step. If we can make more profits by establishing industries and production systems that emit GHGs than by merely selling carbon, we should choose the first option and buy carbon from others to achieve net-zero, and use the profit for building more climate resilience.
Hence, portraying oneself as a victim and stretching arms for alms should not continue forever. Invest in more profitable business/production systems, emit GHGs, and use the carbon that is being planned to be sold in the carbon markets to offset the GHG emissions to achieve net-zero. If that is not sufficient to reach net-zero, buy carbon from the carbon market using a fraction of the profit. Since that is what the so-called developed countries and two third of the world’s biggest companies are doing – making large profits even after buying carbon credits to reach their net-zero commitments – there is no way we cannot do the same. All we need to do is develop an investment mindset and create a conducive investment environment.
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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Neither smile nor tear persisted
Neither dark time nor glare persisted
What persisted were the transitory times and feelings
Neither bliss nor despair persisted
रोऊँ, कराऊँ वास्तै छैन, पर्खन्न एक छिन पनि
भोलि कस्तो बनी आउँछ, छैन केही यकिन पनि
जे जे भयो बितिगयो, अब कहिल्यै फर्कनेछैन
जिन्दगीको यात्राबाट आजको यो दिन पनि !
#समय
‘अफिस टाइम’ सक्किने बित्तिकै निस्किदिएँ आज। ३ बजे नै।
दिउँसोको ३ बजेपछि मेरो लागि अफिसबाट छुट्टी मिल्छ। तर प्राय: साँझतिर सम्म उतै बसिदिन्छु, धेरै नै भैसक्यो। छिट्टै घर आएर गर्नु नै के छ र ! न “ओहो, आइपुगेछ” भनेर खुसी हुने कोही छन्, न “अझै किन आइपुगेन?” भनेर बाटो हेर्ने नै कोही छन्। घाम अस्ताएपछि हिँड्न पनि रमाइलो हुन्छ; गर्मी त हुँदैन। मजाले १ घण्टा जति हिँड्यो, कसरत पनि त हुन्छ। हुन त ३ बजे नै, अफिसको बस हिँड्ने बेला नै निस्के पनि बस आफ्नो सुरले आफ्नो बाटो जान्छ, म आफ्नै सुरले हिँड्छु। दिनभरि जसो प्राय: कम्प्युटर अगाडी, कुर्सीमा बसेपछि केही बेर त हिँड्नु पनि पर्छ भनेर। अनि कहिले चाहिँ ढाड दुखेर बसको सिटमा बस्न मन नलागेर, बरु हात हल्लाउँदै हिँड्न मन लागेर।
मन पनि के के लाग्छ ! अस्ति एक दिन झमझम पानीमा भिज्दै हिँड्दिन मन लाग्यो। तर रेनकोट लाएर। पानीमा रुझ्दै हिँडेको ‘फिलिङ्ग’ त आउँछ नि ! अलि ठूलो दर्किदिए हुन्थ्यो भन्ने कामना गर्दै निस्केको, सिमसिम परिरहेको पानी पनि लगभग रोकियो र दर्के पानीमा रुझ्दै हिँड्ने इच्छा पूरा भएन त्यो दिन।
यो शहरमा हिँड्दाको दुःख एउटै लाग्छ – हिलो बाटोमा हिँड्दा पनि मास्क लगाउनु पर्छ। हिँड्ने बाटो हिलो, सास फेर्ने हावा धुलो! तैपनि मान्छे यहीँ बस्न मरिहत्ते गर्छन्। सम्झेर उदेक लाग्छ कहिलेकाहीँ, आफैँलाई समेत। तर के गर्ने, बाध्यता, परिस्थिति …. .
हुन त परिस्थितिलाई दोष दिनु सबैभन्दा सजिलो हो। बाध्यता अलि फरक कुरा होला। मलाई यहीँ बस्नुपर्ने बाध्यता त थिएन, अहिलेसम्म कम्तीमा ! स्वच्छ हावापानी, मनोरम प्रकृति भएको कुनै दुर्गम गाउँमा गएर एउटा स्कुलमा पढाइदिने हो भने बाँच्न त सायद बाँचिन्छ नै जसरी कयौँ मान्छेहरु बाँचिरहेकै छन्। खै यो सोच्न थाल्यो भने कहिल्यै सकिन्न सोचेर।
तीन बजे निस्केपछि बाटोमा प्राय: एउटा प्राथमिक स्कुलका बिद्यार्थीहरु भेटिन्छन्। सुकिलामुकिला, खाइलाग्दा होइनन् (त्यस्ता त सायद बस चढेर जाने/आउने स्कुलमा पढ्लान् प्राय: आजकाल), आफ्नै स्कुले जीवनका याद दिलाउने धुस्रेफुस्रे, ‘आकासे रङ्गको सर्ट र निलो पाइन्ट’ लाएर चप्पल पड्काउँदै हिँड्नेहरू।
आज पनि भेटिए।
“दाइ, ऊ त्याँ कत्रो सर्प छ।” झाडीतिर देखाउँदै एउटाले भन्यो। अर्को त्यहीँ नजिक गएर झाडी पन्छाउँदै थियो। सायद ऊ सर्प खोज्दै थियो!
अलि वर आइपुगेपछि, अगाडी हिँडिरहेकामध्ये एउटालाई अलि पछाडिकोले “ओइ, पर्खी न मा ……!” भन्दै ‘फोहोरी’ शब्द बोल्यो। पूरै शब्द बोलेन, आदि मात्र बोलेपछि चुप लाग्यो। आधा बोलिसकेपछि उसलाई नराम्रो बोलेको महसुस भयो सायद। बीचमा, लगभग म सँगै हिँडिरहेकी एउटी छात्राले पछाडि फर्केर त्यसलाई के भन्दै थिइन्। ऊ एकछिन् चुप लाग्यो, अनि त्यसपछि “मैले तँलाई भनेको हो र!” भनेर उसैले उल्टै ठूला कुरा गर्यो। म आफ्नै सुरले हिँडे। अलि अगाडी रहेका ३-४ जना एउटा घरको पर्खालमा फलेको ड्रागनफ्रुट तिर हेरेर के के कुरा गर्दै थिए। यसो हेर्दा कसरी चोर्न सकिन्छ भनेर सल्लाह गर्दै गरेजस्ता देखिन्थे!
तिनीहरूबाट छुट्टिएपछि आफ्नै स्कुले जीवनका सुरुवाती दिनहरू सम्झँदै अघि बढेँ। सबैभन्दा धेरै यादहरू चाहिँ ‘लिटेभन्ज्याङ्ग’मा ३ कक्षा पढिसकेपछि डेढ घण्टा टाढाको ‘बोर्डिङ’मा १ कक्षामा पढ्न थालेपछिका दिनहरू —
आठ बजे भात खाएर झोलाभरि किताब कापी बोकेर डेढ देखि दुई घण्टा हिँडेर स्कुल पुगेका दिनहरू …
त्यत्रो ठूलो बाढी आउने गँगटे खोला, पूरै पाइन्ट भिजाएर एक्लै तरेर (घरमा खै के कुरामा झोक चलेर हो) चिसो पाइन्टमा स्कुल पुगेका स्मृतिहरू …
अझै थाहा छैन के कुरामा मतभेद भएको थियो कुन्नि :: एक दिन सँगै स्कुल जाने सबै साथीहरूले वनमा लुकेर मलाइ एक्लै पारेर तर्साएका यादहरू …
कटुवापाखो वनको बाटो एक्लै हिँडेर स्कुल पुगेका दिनहरू …
“कोही पनि तर्न नसकिने ठूलो बाढी आ’को छ, आज हाम्रै घरतिर बसौँ” भनेर साथीहरूले भन्दा पनि नमानेर ‘बुवा/ममी कतिबेर लिन आउलान्’ भन्दै खोलाछेउमा गएर, पर्खेर बिताएका समय …
आदि आदि … … …
मान्छेहरू भन्छन्, “त्यो बाल्यकाल, त्यो स्कुले जीवन फेरी पाउन पाए !” तर खै मलाई चाहिँ त्यत्रो ठूलो इच्छा छैन। त्यो बेलाका अनुभवहरू त त्यही बेला बटुलिहालियो। वर्तमान र आउने दिनहरूका अनुभवहरू पो नयाँ/नौला होलान् त !
सायद इच्छाएकै भरमा विगत फेरी पाइने होइन भन्ने थाहा भएर पनि होला 🙂
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