Nepal is undergoing variegated yet interconnected crises, where conjoined challenges stemming from perpetual political instability, stunted and uneven economic growth, weakened social capital and ever-escalating climate impacts in recent years are amplifying one another in ways that exceed the sum of their individual impacts. Yet, the political will and leadership needed to tackle these issues remain largely ineffective. Lately, this void has drawn many into politics, clamouring for the seemingly ever-elusive idea of ‘good governance’.

However, aspiring leaders and parties have yet to comprehend the depth of these crises or articulate clear roadmaps to address the stunted economic growth by accelerating public investment and diversifying beyond remittance. This cannot be addressed without building resilience against the escalating climate risks, as they are closely intertwined. The earlier the aspiring leaders acknowledge that we are fast descending into this abyss of intersecting polycrisis—worsened by decades of performative politics—the greater our capacity to mobilise the much-needed collective action would be.

Long-standing political instability

The political landscape has never been so depressing in the history of modern Nepal. For the past two decades, no single party has secured a clear majority in parliament. Political alliances of all possible permutation combination, often reappointing the same individuals under different coalitions, became the norm in the relentless pursuit of power. This ‘power-first’ political wrangling, unfortunately, pushed the ever-growing critical issues concerning the public. The everyday concerns—from the economy to social ties and the environment—the bread-and-butter issues that matter most to people, failed to receive the political backing they deserved. This in turn has worsened the issues and has now necessitated far greater, costlier and sustained efforts, which, at least considering the current political and economic scenario, seems to be a pipe dream.

Political instability has also fanned a pervasive mood of anxiety and despair among citizens. People’s confidence in the state machinery has eroded so much so that they will not confront it unless absolutely necessary. It’s not the rules or the rights but rather acquaintances within the machinery that people look to when they need to get things done. The younger generations in particular report widespread hopelessness amid these overlapping pressures.

Persistent modest growth

Economically, the growth rate remains stunted and uneven. In 12 of the last 25 years, the growth rate hovered around 3 percent, while it fell below 1 percent for three years due to both internal and external factors. These growth rates are inadequate to support the growing population and modern infrastructure. The promulgation of the constitution in 2015 ushered in a brief period of political stability. It contributed to an economic rebound when the growth rate jumped to 9 percent in 2017. But it declined to 7.6 percent the following year, due to the 2017 floods, and 6.7 percent in 2019. The drop is likely to have been caused by summer droughts in the eastern region that severely impacted agriculture. In 2026, the growth rate is projected to fall to 2.1 percent reflecting, among other extant factors, the impact of the Gen Z-led September protests and the subsequent political instability. In essence, political instability exacerbated other stressors, further deepening the economic slowdown.

Escalating environmental concerns

Environmentally, more worrying days are incipient, further mounting the complexity of the challenges faced. As we enter 2026, winter drought persists across the country. A dry winter further increases the risk of extensive wildfires and intensified, damaging monsoon rains in the summer, as observed in recent years, with devastating consequences on the horizon. Despite this, we haven’t sufficiently debated or developed comprehensive strategies to confront the challenges posed by gradually shifting rainfall patterns beyond mere rhetoric. Political instability lingers amid preparations for the forthcoming general elections; real, systemic issues remain overshadowed by electoral manoeuvrings.

The weather anomalies we witnessed lately were related to a global temperature rise of 1.2 degrees Celsius, which is now expected to exceed +1.4 degrees Celsius in 2026, further rising to +1.7 degrees Celsius in 2027. Global ocean heat content is breaking records due to recent reductions in sulfate aerosols. The impacts of these long-term accumulations of heat within the climate system on weather will undoubtedly be more devastating, dwarfing the events of the Melamchi floods (2021), the Mustang floods (2023), the Simaltal debris flow and the Roshi flood (2024), and the Rasuwa floods, Ilam landslides and Tarai drought (2025). It will also accelerate stressors and their corresponding impacts, including resource scarcity, displacement and social unrest, while the current (and ensuing) political instability would prevent any meaningful responses.

Ample documentation and reporting exist on how Nepal’s vulnerability to recurring natural disasters exacerbated by shifting weather patterns destroys infrastructure, claims lives and inflicts huge economic losses. However, climate is changing faster than politics can react; hence, despite government efforts, the threats keep mounting, driving youth migration to escape this endemic insecurity. Further, the plans and actions employed to address them have been extremely inadequate, slow and often misplaced. Poor governance over recent decades has only deepened the void, prioritising spectacle over substantive action. Consequently, the foundations of the economy continue to crumble beneath the weight of such unaddressed vulnerabilities.

As the political carousel continues, the emergence of the visionary political leadership required for the current moment remains unlikely. Forming a stable government post-election remains fraught even as multiple crises unfold simultaneously, amplifying their impacts—from food insecurity to displacement.

Forge meaningful development path

Following the September uprising, Nepal has entered a new era of political history where the old systems and state apparatus are no longer fit for purpose. Incremental fixes, as practised in the past, will no longer be sufficient when we successively hit +1.7 degrees Celsius and beyond. The political parties, including those that repeatedly failed to helm the country over the last three decades and those promising corruption-free leadership in the aftermath of the Gen-Z protests, must confront this stark reality with utmost seriousness before venturing into their constituencies for election campaigning.

Despite their vast cadre networks, the established parties are on the back foot; meanwhile, the emergent ones simply lack the grassroots network required to mobilise support. Even if the parties manage to galvanise voters, the old-fashioned public institutions and quiescent strategies are no match for the polycrisis that continues to intensify each other’s impacts in vicious, compounding cycles. Further, our longstanding sectoral approach to development doesn’t pay attention to the issues lying in the intersections of domains, which have become even more crucial due to shifting weather patterns for any meaningful intervention.

The upcoming elections offer a critical opportunity, but only if the parties prioritise action over rhetoric. Solely corruption and mismanagement aren’t on the ballot—misplaced priorities that demand urgent corrective actions from institutional overhauls to anti-corruption reforms, followed by youth-focused economic policies with measures to tackle the ever-escalating climate threats, need to be addressed simultaneously. Politically, we mustn’t squander this opportunity to genuinely revive institutions and restore public faith to address the deepening polycrisis head-on.