Timeline explanation: I choose a mix of political events as well as extreme weather events trying to demonstrate that there is a link between policy and climate change. Although there is no direct proof that these events were caused by climate change, it is known that climate change will make these events much more severe. I have these to connect Nepal and the world.
1970- First Earth Day, People become more aware of the earth and what surrounds us. Ideas of pollution and conservation are now more widespread.
February 16, 2005- Kyoto goes into effect. Many major countries except for the United States sign this. 84 Countries signed this at the time
April 25, 2015- Gorka Earth Quake. 7.8 magnitude earth quake hits Nepal.
April 22, 2016- Paris Climate Agreement. 195 Countries all sign in pursuit of not allowing a global temperature increase of 2 degrees.
January 20, 2017- Donald Trump Inaugurated. This political change causes the United States to pull out of the Paris Agreement. This could have direct effects on issues of climate change, as the US is no longer holding themselves accountable to not exceed the 2-degree threshold.
Late August 2017- Extreme Monsoon and Flooding kills 1,000 in Southeast Asia. This impacts 41 Million people living there. This is not as highly televised as other events happening in the United States. This causes many landslides as well. The areas that flooded were in the poorest region of Nepal. As a highly agrarian community this caused many problems due to many farms flooding.
April 25, 2015- Gorkha Earthquake hits Nepal and is extremely destructive. It destroyed many villages and land that the villages owned. Following the earthquake Nepal headed into a monsoon season which came with extreme flooding and landslides. Some of the flooding can be linked to melting glaciers in Nepal’s high mountains due to climate change. This all began to effect the livelihood of the people living in Nepal. As many as 9,000 people were killed because of this earthquake. The people of Nepal, particularly the poor, are extremely dependent on natural resources. This earthquake, though it is not a direct effect of climate change, triggered many other effects that are related to climate change. The extreme flooding and monsoon season caused additional damage.
Relating this back to class, this is an example of why community resilience is necessary. It demonstrates how Nepal was able to come back from a catastrophic event such as this. While not everything has been repaired, daily life returned to Nepal and a focus on forming a new government was developed. Nepal also asked different countries for aid as well as the United Nations who developed the “Nepal Earthquake 2015 Flash Appeal” fund. This earthquake stresses the importance of developing communities that are prepared when these events happen. As more events like these begin to happen due to climate change, developing countries are more vulnerable to destruction than anyone else. More frequent occurrences of extreme weather caused by climate change will make development more difficult. This also places stress on the countries who have induced more climate change. This earthquake is an example of how different systems such as the economics, health systems and social effects all interact with one another and how in a short time they can all be changed within a community. This earthquake stresses the importance of having strong systems in place within a community.
Citations:
Rafferty, John P. “Nepal earthquake of 2015.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 24 Apr. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Nepal-earthquake-of-2015. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.
Gettleman, Jeffrey. “More Than 1,000 Died in South Asia Floods This Summer.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/world/asia/floods-south-asia-india-bangladesh-nepal-houston.html?mcubz=1. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.
“Monsoons.” Nepal Earthquake Case Studies, Dartmouth College, http://sites.dartmouth.edu/NepalQuake-CaseStudies/monsoons/. Accessed 10 Sept. 2017.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Jan Golinski. Timeline – UNFCCC — 20 Years of Effort and Achievement, 19 Mar. 2014, unfccc.int/timeline/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.