<img width="1500" height="1081" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110912114/636b89db9c7e80680e06b20djpeg.jpg" alt=""/>As the COVID-19 pandemic grips the world, some have seen a silver lining in a reported <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-climate-connection-to-covid-19/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-climate-connection-to-covid-19/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE5EMMX8yiq28bsNtE7o8mXvSd2Lw">decrease in carbon emissions</a> and pollution levels. However, as China and other countries in Asia recover from the worst of the epidemic there are worries that air quality improvements will be short-lived as economies struggle to rebuild. Short-term economic growth will be at the expense of long-term environmental benefits, it is feared.As a first mover in post-COVID-19 recovery, China has the unique opportunity to revive its economy in a way that takes climate change into account, setting a precedent for other countries.The economic slowdown caused by measures to contain the pandemic has resulted in a direct, positive effect on the environment in China. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51691967" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51691967&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHh0B8nwwMhmmZHWjTybayXaD9wvw">Satellite images from NASA</a> have shown a dramatic drop in pollution in the past few months, with the Yangtze River Delta region around Shanghai seeing a <a href="https://energyandcleanair.org/why-does-the-smog-strike-beijing-even-when-the-city-is-closed-down/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://energyandcleanair.org/why-does-the-smog-strike-beijing-even-when-the-city-is-closed-down/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEe2CYvY-Nkwo1ikLhd-J77NFrFWA">particularly dramatic reduction</a> in pollution. By the first week of March, coal use in Chinese power stations hit a <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFrs2VkKWlv1qMsAbaUhmOX9m0dxw">four-year low</a>, domestic flights have <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/coronavirus-china-flights-cancelled-virus-symptoms-covid-19-a9350911.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/coronavirus-china-flights-cancelled-virus-symptoms-covid-19-a9350911.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHduFHxgzNtz6bIUvDd4XnToJjkrA">fallen</a> by up to 70%, output of key steel products was at <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFrs2VkKWlv1qMsAbaUhmOX9m0dxw">its lowest in five years</a>, and official statistics suggest that output across key industrial sectors <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/coronavirus-china-co2-climate-crisis-greenhouse-gas-carbon-emissions-coal-a9351436.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/coronavirus-china-co2-climate-crisis-greenhouse-gas-carbon-emissions-coal-a9351436.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFtjdvalA1OiEIb74Vk39hzGNTUBQ">decreased</a> by up to 40%. Overall, scientists have found that the measures to contain COVID-19 <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-temporarily-reduced-chinas-co2-emissions-by-a-quarter&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFrs2VkKWlv1qMsAbaUhmOX9m0dxw">cut at least a quarter </a>of China’s greenhouse gas emissions in just two weeks in mid-February.  <img width="1136" height="836" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110912114/636b89df9c7e80680e06b20ejpeg.jpg" alt="">There was hope that the virus would prove to be a wakeup call for Chinese policymakers. However, China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) <a href="https://www.smart-energy.com/renewable-energy/china-slashes-solar-offshore-wind-subsidies-by-half" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.smart-energy.com/renewable-energy/china-slashes-solar-offshore-wind-subsidies-by-half&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGkhd34ngZEdTEdLqyNLPutzKz55g">slashed solar and offshore wind subsidies</a> by half, regulators seem to be considering <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-18/china-may-help-struggling-carmakers-by-relaxing-emission-curbs?cmpid=BBD032020_CN&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_term=200320&amp;utm_campaign=china" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-18/china-may-help-struggling-carmakers-by-relaxing-emission-curbs?cmpid%3DBBD032020_CN%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dnewsletter%26utm_term%3D200320%26utm_campaign%3Dchina&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGXzlOP_gg2HrcjzXUzuoo3dF6ZYw">relaxing some emissions standards</a> to support the hard hit automobile sector, and the government is <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/BN_53Gd1P2FSpN565NkCzQ" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/BN_53Gd1P2FSpN565NkCzQ&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG7-4PfHtpcS7U6GCfsaq_YxYJ8AA">working on approving</a> 23 GW of new coal fired power capacity. China was already on this path even before the COVID-19 outbreak, with some <a href="https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/11642-Is-coal-power-winning-the-US-China-trade-war-" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/11642-Is-coal-power-winning-the-US-China-trade-war-&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEzNaLuFylldyeL9bYE3UcdqUZ-uw">suggesting</a> that coal power would give China the edge in its trade war with the US.  If China indeed rolls back its low-carbon transition, the consequences will have global impact. The nation is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielcohen/2019/11/07/us-withdraws-from-paris-accord-ceding-leadership-to-china/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielcohen/2019/11/07/us-withdraws-from-paris-accord-ceding-leadership-to-china/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433823000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEgemFmRBVCNvX5zpnlDB5Bak0tKg">considered to be the flag bearer</a> of international climate policy, since the US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Agreement. The international climate movement is already shaky and US elections later this year <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/climate/trump-paris-agreement-climate.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/climate/trump-paris-agreement-climate.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGQI9zQlmYyMIbD4PUoj2jwPwmLmg">will be pivotal</a> in understanding the future of American engagement in global agreements on emission cuts. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/climate/epa-coronavirus-pollution-rules.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/climate/epa-coronavirus-pollution-rules.html?action%3Dclick%26module%3DTop%2520Stories%26pgtype%3DHomepage&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGQT0pgb0eKTDZ9mpP1CY0STR9Frg">drastically relaxed rules</a> removing liabilities for polluters for an undetermined period during the COVID-19 outbreak. On Wednesday Britain announced that this year’s pivotal climate negotiation (COP26) in Glasgow <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/01/uk-likely-to-postpone-cop26-un-climate-talks-glasgow-coronavirus" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/01/uk-likely-to-postpone-cop26-un-climate-talks-glasgow-coronavirus&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF9nFc8uNQV1VkTnEE6OodhikQSQQ">will be postponed</a> until next year. This may actually give governments time to reflect and scaleup climate ambitions depending on the commitments of the next US president.  <img width="1654" height="1320" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110912114/636b89e29c7e80680e06b20fjpeg.jpg" alt="">Despite evidence suggesting that China is taking a step backward in its green policies, there is some optimism after remarks by President Xi on <a href="https://exbulletin.com/politics/45262?business-services" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://exbulletin.com/politics/45262?business-services&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGqbOIoeAiQrAXUTWoMrfSvpXXIFg">his visit</a> to Yucun, a village in Anji county of Zhejiang province on Monday. “The environment itself means the economy. If you protect the environment, you will receive environmental rewards,” Xi said. With top-level commitment still seeming to be intact, it is important for commentators to wait until China <a href="https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/11434-The-14th-Five-Year-Plan-what-ideas-are-on-the-table-" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/11434-The-14th-Five-Year-Plan-what-ideas-are-on-the-table-&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEsochgrT-r2rzNXDphQJtxRJoblQ">finalises</a> its next five-year plan later this year before coming to any conclusions on the future of its growth policy. It will be critical for China to draft economic and social policies with green finance and climate action at their core. China needs to lead by example. It is imperative for the much-anticipated <a href="https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/?option=com_etsmap&amp;task=export&amp;format=pdf&amp;layout=list&amp;systems%5B%5D=55" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/?option%3Dcom_etsmap%26task%3Dexport%26format%3Dpdf%26layout%3Dlist%26systems%255B%255D%3D55&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFMS97Mi1tWVlB5LWaNPrYmEzH9MQ">National Emission Trading Scheme (ETS)</a> to be rolled out on time in 2020, enhance its <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/china/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/china/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGaituUvrx64ILvbSEZ4P1oWNQaCg">Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)</a>, and green the <a href="https://green-bri.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://green-bri.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE0vk8XL2Ak_uV0tIflz5unK7t8Zw">Belt and Road Initiative</a>. As <a href="http://sdg.iisd.org/events/2020-un-biodiversity-conference/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://sdg.iisd.org/events/2020-un-biodiversity-conference/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH0rV6y8iZgoe3vmJOVfN54tVFZqg">host</a> of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kunming in October, China also has the opportunity to expand its recent national <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/coronavirus-outbreak-may-curb-wildlife-trafficking/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/coronavirus-outbreak-may-curb-wildlife-trafficking/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585924433824000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHv6P7MqZAWR2tcFe5XwuXKjCTqqg">ban on wildlife trade and consumption</a> into a worldwide ban. Although the COVID-19 epidemic itself might not be directly linked to climate change, this ban suggests that China acknowledges the integral connection of human, animal and ecosystem health. Humanitarian needs are presently the priority for the world. Nonetheless, the climate crisis also needs to be urgently addressed, as its consequences will have far greater impact on our ecology, economy and society into the future. How China pursues the revival of its economy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic will be closely watched. This is a unique leadership opportunity for China to foster innovative policymaking centered around climate action that will be an example for other countries to follow. Rastraraj Bhandari is currently pursuing a Masters in Economics and China Studies at the Yenching Academy of Peking University.

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Climate, COVID-19 and China

<figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b74799c7e80680e062398jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo : GOPEN RAI/NT ARCHIVE</figcaption></figure>The Sagarmatha National Sambaad held this week was a dress rehearsal for a bigger international event slated for April, Nepal’s own version of Davos. Fittingly, the theme for the national gathering was ‘Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity’. The title may be grandiose, but that is because at the rate of warming, mass extinction is an imminent threat. Thresholds agreed on in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/climate-climax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paris in 2015</a>, and forecasts in last year’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-terrifying-assessment-of-himalayan-melting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Himalayan Assessment</a> brought out by <a href="https://www.icimod.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ICIMOD</a> may have to be revised because the rate of polar ice melt predicted for 2050 is already beginning to happen.The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen from 300 parts per million (ppm) at the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1820 to 415ppm today. Cascade effects like the loss of albedo as Arctic ice melts, the undermining of the West Antarctic Ice Shelf by warm ocean currents, methane from melting permafrost in Siberia means global warming is not linear.Greenhouse gas emissions from the mass burning of fossil fuels in the past 200 years have warmed the atmosphere by 1.3oC. Another 1.5oC increase will happen in the next 30 years. And due to a phenomenon called ‘elevation dependent warming’, the Himalayan mountains are expected to warm 0.3oC faster than the rest of the world.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/on-thin-ice-in-the-khumbu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Himalayan ice will be nearly gone during this century</a>. The impact on biodiversity, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/women-in-climate-hot-spots-face-challenges-adapting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weather</a>, stability of slopes, society, economics and ultimately politics, will be catastrophic. There is just not enough time to adapt.Which is why it is important for Nepal to take the lead in drawing global attention to the unique crisis faced by the Himalaya, for this does not just affect us but 1.2 billion people living downstream from Asia’s water towers.While global CO2 cutbacks are put on fast-forward, Nepal and other countries in the region need to quickly come up with ways to reduce risk, and to manage the severe disruptions in natural systems that are sure to gain pace in the coming decades.Even without <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/climate-damage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the climate crisis</a>, Nepal faces <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-must-prepare-for-climate-migration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enormous environmental challenges</a>. Our rivers are ravaged by sand mining, mountains are mauled by excavators, infrastructure is undercutting gains in forestry. Air pollution in urban areas exceed accepted international standards all year round, waste management is a mess, plastic litters the countryside.The climate emergency is happening in parallel with an unprecedented transformation in all spheres of life. Nepal used to be known as a predominantly rural, agriculture-based society. Not anymore.Agriculture now contributes only 27% of the economy. More than 60% of Nepal’s population lives in urban corridors.But 70% of Nepalis still rely on biomass for cooking and heating, which gives us the advantage of being poor – there is still time to leapfrog directly to a green economy, bypassing fossil energy. <img width="500" height="326" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b747d9c7e80680e062399jpeg.jpg" alt="">The proliferation of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19354#.XkKKbdIza70">household biogas plants</a> that has reduced the pressure on forests, but only 3% of the population use it. There is vast untapped potential to extend this, as well as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/this-is-bullshit/">utility-scale biogas plants</a>. Making electricity accessible and affordable will enable more families to switch to electricity for cooking and space heating, reducing our per capita carbon footprint by bringing down LPG imports, as well as improving indoor air quality.It is no use anymore blaming historical emissions by industrialised countries and rising fossil fuel use in neighbouring India and China for melting our mountains. if we do not move towards clean energy ourselves. Cutting air pollution will not just improve our health, but also reduce soot deposition that accelerates glacial melting.There is a tendency in Nepal to blame everything on the climate crisis. Food deficit in the Karnali, outmigration, or floods in the Tarai, pre-date the climate crisis. If we address those structural issues, we as a nation automatically become climate resilient.Nepalis emit only 0.2 tons per capita per year of fossil carbon (Qatar does 40) whatever we do will not make a big dent. Nepal needs to switch to a green economy and renewable energy not to save the planet, but to save our economy from the mounting burden of petroleum imports.We need a government with single-minded focus on creating jobs with renewable energy projects and tourism development In the final analysis, everything rests on improving governance, and setting far-sighted goals and vision to be prepared for this global emergency. <h2>10 years ago this week</h2> An editorial 10 years ago this week delved into people in rural Nepal still dying of easily preventable diseases because of the lack of doctors, hospitals and affordable drugs. Sadly, that editorial could have been written today as the world deals with the coronavirus.Excerpt from <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue/489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepali Times #489</a> of 12-18 Feburary 2010:This is still a land where people die of simple, preventable causes. A lung or stomach infection, easily treated by modern medicine, can be fatal in rural Nepal. We know what to do to improve public health. Apart from more work on awareness, the country needs more hospitals and affordable drugs. Half the doctors in Nepal practice inside the country's Ring Road, so more needs to be done to retain them in district hospitals by giving them incentives to do so. <img width="374" height="600" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b747f9c7e80680e06239ajpeg.jpg" alt="">Diseases like TB, malaria, encephalitis, typhoid, diarrhoea and pneumonia can be treated with drugs. But they are not just medical problems. The root causes of sickness in Nepal are societal discrimination, economic disparity and political neglect. These cannot be treated with medicine.

Declaring an emergency

Nepal has shut down dozens of social media platforms in a move that is widely seen as an effort to tax the revenue they generate in the country, and to control content critical of government. The sites were blocked as of midnight on Thursday, 4 September and affects all Meta products including WhatsApp and Messenger, Threads, and others. Although YouTube, Google and X are also on the government’s list, they were still working as of Friday midday.&nbsp; The government says it took the action after repeated warnings to the platforms to open offices in Nepal, a Cabinet decision last month setting a deadline, as well as a 17 August Supreme Court ruling also requiring them to register and pay requisite taxes. However, the Bill cited in the ban, ‘The Operation, Use, and Regulation of Social Media in Nepal’ has not yet been passed by Parliament. Some social media platforms which were already paying taxes in Nepal even though they are not officially registered, have also been blocked. The move is the latest in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/big-beautiful-bills" target="_blank">a slew of draft legislations</a> designed to undermine Nepal’s open society. A Bill amending the Print and Publications Act would allow district bureaucrats to shut down media. Another draft Bill would allow political appointees to head a new Media Council with the power to revoke the licenses of journalists.&nbsp; A counter-intelligence Bill would let just about anyone in government to arbitrarily tap phones, read emails and trail citizens. On Wednesday the government announced new immigration requirements that would allow it to track the movement of all foreigners in the country. Yet another draft Bill has been set to Parliament to dissolve the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10675" target="_blank">Social Welfare Council (SWC)</a> and move registration and monitoring of non-governmental organisations, nonprofits and charities to the Ministry of Social Welfare. Seen in this light, the blockage of social media platforms this week is seen as the latest government attempt to constrict freedom of press. Nepal is one of the few remaining open societies in Asia, and now appears to be drifting towards authoritarianism. The government’s sudden shutdown of social media has been greeted with howls of protest on platforms that still remain open, like Viber and TikTok, as well as in Nepal’s mainstream press. Even senior members of the ruling UML-NC coalition have sharply criticised the move, asking if the government is trying to “turn Nepal into North Korea”.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025090508098_a2ab330e403e8418a7006cd5e915607382628dd6984524332bf7b99c74743656.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2025090508098_a2ab330e403e8418a7006cd5e915607382628dd6984524332bf7b99c74743656" data-rendition-name="original" width="4280" height="5187" loading="lazy" alt="social media ban in Nepal"> </figure>  The Regional Director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Beh Lih Yi said in a statement: ‘Nepal’s sweeping ban on social media sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom. Blocking online news platforms vital to journalists will undermine reporting and the public’s right to information. The government must immediately rescind this order and restore access to social media platforms, which are essential tools for exercising press freedom.’ Besides undermining press freedom, blocking social media platforms will also hurt commerce and the economy since so many small and medium business trade through Instagram, Facebook and other platforms. Nepal’s vibrant social media has also been a boost or citizens to assert identity, build solidarity against injustice and play an adversarial role when the mainstream media does not do it. Social media platforms have also become the tenuous link for Nepali families scattered across the world to keep in touch with each other — its importance growing with the increasing size of the diaspora. The government wants social media platforms to register, pay taxes and remove posts on their sites that ‘undermine the national interest and Nepal’s territorial integrity, disturb social and religious harmony’.&nbsp; In response, rights activists have said while there is need for the government to regulate extreme content and hate speech, officials appear to be more intent on clamping down on free speech and trying to force platforms to share the revenue. On Friday, the government had allowed WhatsApp back online, but there were reports that it had instructed the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) to instruct mobile and internet service providers to block by Friday night all platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, Threads, Snapchat, Pinterest, Signal, Clubhouse, Rumble.&nbsp; Platforms that have registered and are allowed include TikTok, Viber, Nimbuzz, Popo Live, WeTalk, Global Diary and the Nepali portal Hamro Patro. TikTok was banned last year for ‘disturbing social harmony’ and it was lifted after the platform registered its office in Nepal. But even while it was banned, many users simply switched to VPN. Telegram was also banned for ‘financial crimes’ and it has since also been allowed back. NTA officials confirmed that some Asia-Pacific regional offices of platforms, including Meta had been in touch overnight inquiring about the registration process.&nbsp; Nepal is not alone in regulating social media. China bans most Western platforms, Russia and Turkey regulate their and require platforms to locate their data servers in the country. Gulf countries allow social media but keep a tight control on dissent.&nbsp; Experts have said even the government will not dare close down YouTube since so many Nepali individuals and companies make money with posts on that platform, and closing it would also impact on Google and Gmail. Facebook had also just launched a monetisation scheme for videos and reels, and Nepalis uploading content would lose revenue.&nbsp; Blocking the platforms has already hit content creators, influencers and cut small businesses from reaching customers. A survey of social media use in Nepal by Sharecast Initiative showed that 94% of those with smart phones used YouTube, followed by Facebook (92%) while TikTok was in the 50-60% range. X and Instagram were in the single digits. A YouTube ban will also hurt the mainstream media since up to 20% of the revenue of Nepal’s main tv channels came through YouTube. Some 11.1 million Nepalis watch YouTube content every day, the survey showed. ‘For global giants like Meta or Google, Nepal is a small market, and they may not even flinch — but for millions of Nepalis, these platforms are central to daily life, livelihoods, and connections across the world,’ wrote AI consultant Naresh Newar in a LinkedIn post. Some experts said the government’s sweeping ban on social media networks was untenable and the government would be forced to rollback sooner or later. Said editor Shiva Gaunle: “The platforms had given citizens a voice and broken the monopoly of the government, legislators, the courts and journalists over public opinion. This is an effort to reassert that monopoly, but Nepal can never be turned into a North Korea.”

Protest grows against Nepal’s social media ban

At least 15 were killed in a nationwide rally called by Nepal’s youth via social media on Monday to protest corruption and impunity in government. Hundreds of others have been injured in Kathmandu and other cities across Nepal. Fifty of them in Kathmandu are said to be in critical condition, and emergency wards of hospitals ran out of essential supplies to treat them.&nbsp; Two journalists, Dipendra Dhungana and Shyam Shrestha of Kantipur were among those injured as they covered the protesters trying to storm Parliament building. Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of protesters gathered at the Mandala intersection in Kathmandu for what was supposed to be a peaceful gathering to voice outrage against corruption. Rallyists were responding to a call via social media.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250908120948_2652b268dac74e9524a2ca11f320391a33d02233e212e21c1a8ed17210c19a96.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250908120948_2652b268dac74e9524a2ca11f320391a33d02233e212e21c1a8ed17210c19a96" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Gen Z protest"> </figure>  However, the rally soon went out of control of the organisers as public anger against the government boiled over because of unpunished corruption in high places, an unresponsive government, and the blockade of social media platforms on Saturday that shut down 26 sites, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and other messaging apps. That appears to have been the last straw, and public outrage over the social media ban spilled over into the streets. On Monday, protests turned violent after demonstrators stormed Parliament, set fire to one of its gates, and vandalised property.&nbsp; The police responded with tear gas and water cannons before Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer ordered them to open fire. The government has since imposed curfew in parts of Kathmandu until 10PM. “I didn’t expect the crowd to be this massive. I just came to observe,” said Sanchit Maharjan, a bystander caught in the middle of the violence. “I’m not even Gen Z, but I was hit by tear gas earlier. Still, it feels powerful to see young people standing up.” <div class="embed-block"><div style="max-width: 56vh;"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 177.7778%;"><iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fshorts%2FTfzT9WjPOxM&key=87ca3314a9fa775b5c3a7726100694b0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"></iframe></div></div></div> Graphic images have since flooded the still functioning social media sites like TikTok: students in uniforms soaked in blood, protesters being carried to the nearby Civil Service Hospital, which itself was engulfed in teargas.&nbsp; Young people, some of them students in college uniform, had started gathering at Mandala as early as 9AM, flashing placards with slogans denouncing government corruption. Popular rapper OMG Spark was performing live music at one point. The GenZ protest is only the latest in a series of demonstrations against Nepal’s career leaders who are seen to be incompetent and corrupt. The international #Nepobaby trend on TikTok gave the protests momentum, and Nepalis used it to expose the scions of powerful politicians and politically-connected influencers who were exhibiting their flashy lifestyles on social media while citizens struggled with joblessness, corruption and poor service delivery.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250908120956_0f8ba149e43922fb551ebd63036701e646704dca4277a7e47c7ee4810c3c36ff.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250908120956_0f8ba149e43922fb551ebd63036701e646704dca4277a7e47c7ee4810c3c36ff" data-rendition-name="original" width="2576" height="1932" loading="lazy" alt="Gen Z protest"> </figure>  Young Nepalis on social media were posing questions such as: ‘Where does our tax money actually go?’ or ‘Why does the budget vanish into thin air?’ Public anger reached a tipping point when the UML-NC coalition led by Prime Minister &nbsp;K P Oli announced a sweeping ban on major social media platforms citing tax revenue, cyber security, and lack of content moderation.&nbsp; Netizens, civil society and media however saw it as the latest authoritarian attempt by the government to clamp down on free speech, increase surveillance of citizens and clamp down on Nepal’s open society.&nbsp; “Politics is everywhere,” said 22-year old student Susmita Khadka who was at the protest. “Gen Z has the most platforms, and we want a revolution. I believe as long as protests remain peaceful, they can be incredibly effective. But when it turns violent, it creates a Cobra Effect—where it actually makes it worse.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250908120948_cb24f18c947f13e5df9fb4f6ac28e77c7188f0eaa2390b57810b91cd8e66488a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250908120948_cb24f18c947f13e5df9fb4f6ac28e77c7188f0eaa2390b57810b91cd8e66488a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Gen Z protest"> </figure>  She added that the protests could have been more peaceful. “I wish there were more organised banners, collective sit-ins where people actually ask for our opinions and listen to our needs. Repetitive slogans and one-day marches won’t bring real change.” As the violence went out of control, the Nepal Army was deployed outside Parliament and a curfew was declared on the road leading to the airport. Organisers Hami Nepali requested demonstrators to go home, and said that those who stormed Parliament were not associated with them, hinting that the rally had been infiltrated by radical groups. Demonstrations have also erupted in major cities including Butwal, Chitwan, Pokhara, and Birtamode. The District Administration Office (DAO) in Kaski has imposed a similar curfew in Pokhara where the police have opened fire, injuring some protesters. Says Ronesh Pradhan of Hami Nepal who led the protest: “The voices of young people matter. We can’t keep being ruled by the same old men. Our generation is the future and if there are older leaders in government, they need to be competent and accountable. We are ready to lead this country forward.” <div class="embed-block"><div style="max-width: 56vh;"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 177.7778%;"><iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fshorts%2FTfzT9WjPOxM&key=87ca3314a9fa775b5c3a7726100694b0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"></iframe></div></div></div> &nbsp;

Nepal’s Gen-Z protest turns deadly

Unlike many countries, there is not much incentive in Nepal for the private sector to fund charities and non-profits. Donations and grants are not tax-deductible.
Yet there are corporate entities that have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in their portfolio of activities through foundations that they have set up. Some do it loudly to gain public relations mileage, while others are quiet about their <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/norway-supports-himalayan-climate-research?mdrv=www.nepalitimes.com&amp;=1">generous support</a>.
The CSR outlay of factories and manufacturing companies is regulated by Industrial Enterprise Act (IEA), while the Nepal Rastra Bank oversees grants banks and financial institutions contribute and requires them to set aside 1% of their net profit for CSR activities.
The guideline requires banks and financial institutions to donate to activities covering education, health, environment and financial literacy, among others. Recently, the Supreme Court directed the government to formulate a Bill in the parliament to standardise and regulate the private sector’s CSR activities.
“We receive guidelines from Nepal Rastra Bank and follow them,” says Pranisha Shrestha who heads the CSR Department at NMB Bank. “We have got a notice about updates on those guidelines, and we will adapt accordingly.”
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/greening-nepal-s-tourism">Environmental sustainability </a>is one of the important components of CSR for Nepali companies, and there have been many initiatives aimed at urban renewal. One of the most visible is of the telecommunication company Ncell, which is among Nepal’s largest taxpayers.
Five years ago, Ncell adopted a 6km stretch of the Ring Road from Ekantakuna to Koteswor-Kalanki, planting 12,000 saplings. They have now grown into<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/seeing-the-forest-and-trees-in-nepal"> a thick forest</a> along the embankment of the road.
Not only is the lush greenery in an overbuilt part of Lalitpur soothing to the eye, it also helps in reducing temperature within <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/in-the-heat-of-the-moment-5xcycyot">the urban heat bubble</a>, and also contributes to reducing air pollution and traffic noise.
“We started a pilot project along 600m of the Ekantakuna section of the Ring Road during the pandemic,” recalls Bishakha Lakshmi Khadka, Director of Corporate Communications and Sustainability at Ncell. “It went really well, and after that we extended the<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-cities-with-trees"> tree planting</a> and upkeep to Kalanki.”
Sustainability also means making younger Nepalis aware of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/natures-fragile-gift-to-nepal">the value of nature </a>and environmental sustainability, which is why Ncell has also undertaken a Green School initiative in and around Kathmandu Valley. Besides its One-Tree-One-Youth and 1 Million Trees campaigns, the initiative also aims at behavior change about littering with its waste hackathon in schools.
“The young students can be catalysts with a multiplier effect beyond their schools to society at large, and it has inter-generational impact into the future,” explains Khadka.
Indeed, while <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous">Nepal has doubled its forest cover </a>in the past 30 years to 46% of the country’s area, urban centres like Kathmandu do not have much open spaces and greenery left. And that is where companies like Ncell, Jawalakhel Group of Industries, and others have focused on CSRs.
NMB Bank also runs financial literacy programs for youth where they can learn more about social media safeguards, digital payment systems, with a focus on safety and security. Such training not only helps build skills for the future but also protects young Nepalis from online crime.
“<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/protecting-children-from-anti-social-media">Threats to young minds through social media</a> use are growing as platforms feed algorithm-driven content,” says Shrestha. “We felt media and digital literacy are important in all seven provinces not just to protect young people, but also give them the confidence to use digital financial systems.”
The bank has a special focus on women in leadership programs, and provides scholarships provided in schools across Nepal on environment and sustainability in higher education. Health is another sector where private companies have worked with donating medical equipment, sponsoring health camps and conducting blood donation drives.
CSR or PR?
Other companies heavily involved in CSR include NIMB Bank which contributes to heritage conservation and education, Buddha Air helps farmers in Morang to increase productivity, VOITH with its motto ‘Little things We Do’ provides scholarships to students and has gifted &nbsp;vehicles to hospitals and nature conservation groups, Dwarika’s Hotel promotes organic farming and zero waste initiatives, heritage conservation and helps revive traditional handicrafts.
Although some CSR activities have been criticised for masquerading as PR and for greenwashing, many Nepali companies are actually contributing to improve the situation for individuals in need and underserved communities.
It also brings a sense of accountability to the corporate sector so they look beyond shareholder profit with greater involvement in the public good. In Nepal, where government delivery mechanisms are not up to speed in the social sector and environmental sustainability, CSR is a vehicle for public-private partnerships.
Collaboration with the government is an important aspect of these initiatives since that allows localised campaigns to be scaled up by showing what is possible. For example, the three Metropolitan Cities of the Valley and other private companies are trying to emulate what Ncell has achieved on the Ring Road.
“The Ring Road plantation project has been massively successful,” says Khadka “We were recognised by the Lalitpur Metropolitan City and the Forestry Department for adding greenery to what would have been just an asphalt strip.”

Corporates responsible to society

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2fZXyjsE28" target="_blank">Yog Narendra Malla</a> became king at age 18, and ruled Patan from 1684-1705 — his reign marked by a cultural and architectural renaissance of the city state. He put up a statue of himself in the palace square with a little bronze bird sitting on the guardian serpent above his head. It is said he told his subjects that he would look after their welfare till the day the bird flew off. During<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lessons-not-learned-from-2015-o2etq6zu"> the 2015 earthquake</a>, the pedestal collapsed and the statue was damaged. The bird was lost, only to be located in a pile of debris and reinstated when the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/piece-by-piece-patan-darbar-square-reconstruction,3782" target="_blank">statue was consecrated</a> two years later. <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x2fZXyjsE28?si=jYfIb4p6zCLXYQ1T" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> History remembers Yog Narendra Malla as a wise king, but like most<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/preserving-king-birendra-s-family-home"> royalty of the day</a>, he had a weakness for women. He is supposed to have consorted with 30 queens and numerous concubines. At least 33 of them self-immolated themselves on the king's funeral pyre when he died, adhering to the prevailing <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/review/Jhola,947">practice of sati</a>. When Yog Narendra Malla’s favourite queen found out that he was carrying on with yet another woman, she got the local community of the Kwelachhi neighbourhood to stage a shadow sex play to quite literally expose his unfaithfulness. Actors enacted the explicit exploits of the king and his mistress, a bright butter lamp projecting the moving shadows of their lovemaking on a thin white drape to entertain those gathered in the square below. The queen made sure that the show was designed to face the home of the king’s paramour to shame them both. She also paid for a group to chant a bhajan with lyrics that ridiculed the king’s extramarital affair. The Jhyalcha Guthi community trust that the queen set up three-and-half century ago is still active to this day, and performs the annual shadow play in the same building in Kwelachhi the day before <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-legend-behind-the-myth-of-indra-jatra">Indra Jatra </a>every year. This year’s show is on Friday evening, 5 September. The opening lines of the chants that accompany the play are the same words approved by the queen all those years ago: “Raja Yog Narendra ya aparadh…” (King Yog Narendra’s crime…) The community leader of the Kwelachhi neighbourhood, 62-year-old Baburaja Awale, explains the importance of the event: “This Jhyalcha is our<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/saving-the-intangible,3303"> intangible heritage</a> and oral history. We do not have a written format, it has been passed down from generation to generation. Every word of the bhajan is the story of King Yog Narendra Malla.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250904070952_249e85b32cbd99bb8515151557e0ec1a65d44a34ef1aacabaaeb469622d12664.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20250904070952_249e85b32cbd99bb8515151557e0ec1a65d44a34ef1aacabaaeb469622d12664" data-rendition-name="original" width="1750" height="1167" loading="lazy" alt="Sex and the city of Patan"> <figcaption>The statue of Yog Narendra Malla being reinstated after it toppled in the 2015 earthquake. Photo: GOPEN RAI/ NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVE</figcaption> </figure>  Jhyalcha Pyankha, as the ceremony is called, starts with a puja for the Bhimsen — the god of wealth and prosperity, a popular <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-homecoming-of-nepal-s-gods">deity in Patan</a> who has a temple dedicated just to him in the palace square. This is immediately followed by a bhajan of Bhairab performed with <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-house,670">traditional Newa musical instruments</a>. Community members serve snacks consisting of samay baji beaten rice, water buffalo chunks, soybean, green veggies, lentils, ginger, garlic and aila liquor. “In the first act of the shadow play, the man initiates the lovemaking, and in the third it is the woman,” says Laxmi Lal Awale, also a member of the trust that organises the show. The shadow action is all uncensored, but interspersed with <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">scenes of everyday life</a>: the woman is spinning a thread, the king is going about his royal chores, and the two sit down to share sanacha fermented pickle that is popular this time of year. <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qZ3twuG1wNQ?si=yRfkoC3A-X9cIl8r" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> “Back then, there was no tv, films or YouTube, and yet we managed to stage the shadow play using our own resourcefulness,” says Baburaja Awale. “It is important to continue the tradition.” The challenge now is to ensure that the<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-reign-of-the-god-of-rain"> younger generation takes over</a>, learning the lyrics of the ancient bhajan. The dafa khala group that performs all over Patan during festivals and religious events is now training teenagers to play the musical instruments and act in the shadow play. The Jhyalcha was staged even after the 2015 earthquake when the falcha where the bhajan is performed collapsed and they made-do in a tin shed. The structure was later rebuilt with a grant from the group, Photo Circle. Lalitpur Metropolitan City sets aside a budget of Rs50,000 to organise the Jhyalcha Pyankha every year, but this is not enough and is supplemented by individual donations. The performers including musicians and actors are all volunteers, and take part in it because it is their community duty. The erotic shadow play was way ahead of its time, not just in its graphic content but the use of contemporary local technology as well as improvisation and pure imagination. Says Laxmi Lal: “Whatever its origin in the legend of King Yog Narendra Malla and his queen, Jhyalcha also served as a medium of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lets-talk-about-it">sex education</a>. In the past, women were discouraged from watching the shadow play, but today everyone is welcome, we all watch it together.” Jhyalcha Pyankha Kwelachhi, Chyasal, Patan 7PM onwards Friday, 5 September