In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
WEAVERS of Tibetan carpets in Nepal have been named the primary polluter of the Kathmandu valley. In a May notification, the government demanded that it set in place the mandatory pollution control measures or pay a fine of NRs 50,000 (IRs 30,300) or face closure or both. Started as a …
GIRISH CHANDRA REGMI THE ORIGINAL inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley were the Newars, whose culture was distinct from other Asian cultures. The Newars developed unique building methods, resulting in high, narrow houses quite unlike the architecture of other societies. The Newars were master builders, especially skilled in handling space and …
KATHMANDU has more temples per square foot than any other place in the world, wrote Pico Iyer in his travelogue Video Night in Kathmandu. But that reality may soon fade as Nepal strives to deal with the growing pressures of urban life in its capital. Nowadays, only monuments which have …
THE Bagmati, one of nine rivers in the Kathmandu valley but its main source of drinking water and hydel power, is so heavily polluted, local residents have given it the unflattering sobriquet, "Toilet Bowl of the Valley". Though holy to the Hindus, who cremate their dead on its banks, the …
WITH more and more local bodies showing a red bottomline, some of the core urban services may soon be up for grabs, if entrepreneurs are willing to take them on. The sectors under debate include water supply, garbage collection, sewage management and solid waste disposal, sanitation treatment plants and even …
Is climate change a sustainable development or an environmental challenge? The statement by the Minister for Environment and Forests that the European Union’s aviation tax will be a “deal breaker” is welcome because it reflects one of the policy goals of developing countries, and should elicit widespread support. As far …
For growing economies the stress has to be on patterns of natural resource use and not on the status of natural resources; that is, dealing with the causes rather than the symptoms of the problem of climate change. The time has come for rapidly growing Asia to distinguish between the …
With relations between countries now being shaped by geo-economics rather than geo-politics, an emerging issue is to what extent the United States, China and India, all populous countries and top tier economies, see their national interest in giving a new meaning to words like “responsibility”, “development” and “growth” by shifting …
Since all Parties are now going make “nationally determined contributions” towards mitigating climate change they will do so under Article 4.1 of the Convention, and the issue to be decided, by the ADP, will be what will be provided, and even more important, how these will be treated under Article …
Small changes in urban human behavior and increased energy efficiency will have a positive impact on our natural resources. Mukul Sanwal[1] The recently released report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established by the United Nations, “Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability,” details the impact of climate …
Compromises have to be made by all Mukul Sanwal The current impasse in the climate negotiations provides an unprecedented opportunity for the BRICS countries to re-frame a global challenge that has divided countries for the last 20 years. In an increasingly interdependent world for growing economies an agreement is more …
Mukul Sanwal[1] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has now unequivocally stated that “the evidence suggests that outcomes seen as equitable can lead to more effective [international] cooperation”. India is an example of the unenviable position developing countries find themselves in. Though it is the world’s fourth largest emitter, its …
Technical examination and periodic assessmentswith respect to “fairness” and “ambition” are at the heart of the climate regime and involve important trade-offs; even in the Convention, negotiated twenty four years ago, in 1992, assessment and review (Article 10) was the very last item to be agreed. While the proposals are …
Indian cities were originally designed as compact entities to reduce travel trip length. But with rapid urbanization and motorization, our sprawling cities are becoming victims of killer pollution, congestion, and a crippling oil guzzling, car dependent infrastructure that endangers our quality of life. While sprawling cities, flyovers and signal- free …
The world is becoming increasingly urbanised with majority of the population residing and working in cities. While increasing urbanisation and economic growth can provide significant benefits, they also present a range of challenges with regard to the escalating resource use and today we witness one of our most important natural …
Mother earth is a unique planet unparalleled by its wide variety of flora and fauna. It is distinctive in the sense that it is the only planet where human life knowingly exists. It has gifted human beings with the richness of minerals and natural resources besides the biodiversity, forests and …
ISET's work focuses on understanding social and environmental change processes, including climate change and urbanization, and supporting adaptive responses to the fundamental challenges such processes pose for society and marginalized populations.
