David Molden is the Director General of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Molden is a development specialist with more than three decades of experience in designing, planning, executing, and monitoring programmes on water management, livelihoods, environment, and ecosystem services. ICIMOD and the ŠKODA Division of Morang Auto Works Enterprises Private Limited (MAW) have recently entered into a partnership to improve air quality in Nepal. This one-year partnership is expected to raise awareness on the source of black carbon and its negative health and environmental impacts. As a part of the tie-up, 300 smoke-free cookstoves will be purchased and distributed to households in some selected villages in Makwanpur district. In an interview with Gaurav Aryal of New Business Age, Molden said that the partnership is an initiative to involve the private sector for making positive contributions to the mountain environment and society. Excerpts:
How have the livelihoods of people in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region been changing?
There have been significant changes. People in the mountains live in a beautiful, but difficult environment, in very fragile ecosystems, and often very isolated from markets. That was the case 20 years ago. Now this is still true, but on top of it mountain people are facing more social and environmental changes and climate change. For example, there is significant migration of mountain people from mountain areas to cities and overseas. In a sense, mountain livelihoods have always been difficult, but now even more so. On the positive side, people living in the mountain region are quite resilient and have found ways to adapt to the changing situation.
How has climate change affected the lives of people in this region?
Climate change has added many challenges. For example, rainfall patterns have changed. So, we are witnessing more intense rainfall, more floods and more drought periods. We hear a lot about spring sources going dry. As people are very dependent on agriculture, these weather changes add difficulty to their lives. On top of that, there is the issue of migration. A lot of men are moving out of mountain areas, and you can see more abandoned farmland in the mountains. It is increasingly the women who are taking care of households and farmlands. Among several factors, climate change is adding one more complication to the people’s lives.
ICIMOD has always believed in the role of the private sector in promoting green economy. How green is the economic growth in the region and how green are companies becoming?
Well, if we look at mountain areas, they are in a sense already green compared to urban environments. People there live very close to nature, and they are not causing huge amounts of pollution compared to cities where we use so much energy. Mountain people are green, but in the Himalayas most people are also very poor. The challenge is to grow economically, but keep the “green” environment. In a city like Kathmandu, people drive more cars, pollute more and affect and change the environment. To directly answer your question, I cannot say that economic growth is greener, or companies are becoming greener. I won’t classify Kathmandu as a green place. However, there is now more of a willingness and new ideas on how to foster green economic growth, and more companies are moving in this direction. I wish that people and companies would do more, and do it quickly. There are alternative ways for growth by which you can grow economically and still be environment friendly.
In green growth, I think, the will is there but there has not been any huge success on story. We need to find an alternative model to really make a difference. I believe solar power and other alternative energy sources are important. If hydropower can be developed in an environmentally and socially sound way, it can provide a path for green growth. Cleaner energy sources and the way we build our buildings also make difference in green growth. There have been some steps in this direction but we really have to change the way we do things here.
ICIMOD has recently partnered with MAW for a cause of cleaner air. Why did you choose this specific time for the tie-up?
At ICIMOD, we have a new strategic framework and we have identified atmosphere as one of our regional programmes. We have also indicated that we want to increase our engagement with the private sector. As an entry point, we considered the impacts of climate change on glaciers and snow, and found that pollution also makes a difference to melting rates. So, we have started a new programme on the atmosphere considering pollution and black carbon and working to find ways to mitigate the negative impacts of pollution. We believe that the private sector is an important partner to help generate positive impacts, even in rural communities. It is the private sector who is dealing with the supply of goods and buying of products that rural people are dependent on. So the private sector is important for making changes. That is where we think we can engage with the private sector to really make positive changes, support better lives and promote a green economy.
How will the distribution of smoke free stoves in partnership with Skoda be helpful to improve the health condition and overall environment of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region?
Air pollution has several sources, for example, diesel engines, brick kilns, forest fires, and the burning of wood, all of which emit black soot. At ICIMOD we are considering all of these sources and their impact, and have received funding through agencies like the Swedish International Development Agency for research and activities that will help us understand the sources of black carbon, environmental and health impacts, and ways to reduce emissions.
Cookstoves are a source of a lot of indoor smoke that poses health risks in addition to emitting black carbon. The smoke-free stoves provided by MAW complement ICIMOD’s programme and provide an opportunity to pilot ideas that can improve people’s health and reduce pollution, and help figure out how we can successfully bring these positive impacts to many more people. We are also involved in a project in Kathmandu funded by a German university in Potsdam, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies who is conducting the project on black carbon named Sustainable Atmosphere for Kathmandu Valley (SUSKAT). We are hoping that the private sector will join in and take some responsibility in promoting green technologies and emitting less pollution.
Most of the environmental consequences faced by Nepal are because of the pollution caused by industrialised countries. How big an impact will this initiative make on reducing the black carbon in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region?
Through our atmosphere initiative, we want to develop scientific understanding about where the emissions are coming from and find out ways to reduce those emissions. We want to test ways to reduce emissions and find out where things make a difference. We want to work with Skoda in a pilot test and then we want to engage with policy makers, practitioners and the public. Ultimately the initiative is aimed at action to make a difference. That is our role at ICIMOD - doing the science and raising awareness using practical steps and working with partners to bring out some changes. The Skoda partnership is a piece of the bigger puzzle we at ICIMOD are working on. What I expect from this partnership is that it helps spread the word among the private sector community to take action.
Vehicles are said to be one of the largest contributor for carbon emission. Don’t you think it is paradoxical for a vehicle company to partner for cleaner air?
It does sound paradoxical but on the other hand we recognise that automobile companies can do more to reduce their pollution. If those companies can do more for the society and the environment, that is a good thing. While it may be paradoxical, it can also be positive.
What are the future programmes of ICIMOD in partnership with the private companies targeting the environment and livelihood of people in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region?
We want to work with the private sector and engage with them to make a difference. For example, we want to engage to open up value chain opportunities to get mountain products to market in a way that benefits poor mountain people and mountain environments. The other is working with the private sector for public awareness education and corporate social responsibility (CSR). We have the ICIMOD Foundation to engage more with the CSR activities. Ultimately, we would like to see a lot of action from the private sector that will help improve the livelihoods of mountain people.
