Indigenous climate activist Pema Wangmo Lama on flood recovery, loans and who gets to say no to hydropower
Summary
Pema Wangmo Lama says Nepal’s disaster recovery funds should go directly to affected communities rather than hydropower plants, and warns that concessional loans could deepen debt and repeat flawed development patterns. She calls for stronger Indigenous consent, better safeguards, and grants instead of loans for climate-vulnerable communities.
Key Points
- Pema Wangmo Lama argues that climate finance should reach affected communities directly and not be diverted mainly to infrastructure or hydropower projects.
- She says Nepal should prioritize grants over concessional loans for disaster recovery, warning that debt can worsen the burden on vulnerable communities.
- Lama says Indigenous peoples must have meaningful, ongoing consent over projects affecting their territories, not just symbolic approval.
- She criticizes Nepal’s infrastructure-centric disaster response and says recovery should rebuild livelihoods, community resilience, and social fabric.
