Climate change?
Back then, climate change was just another exam topic that I would write, memorize, and forget.
During +2, I almost chose to do engineering as the subject was familiar because my brother did, typical youngest child behavior. But my interest in biology, especially botany, led me to choose forestry.
When I joined the Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, I found many green organizations were working on various fields: environment, wildlife, bats, and more. It was inspiring, but also overwhelming. I didn't know where to begin and how to begin: Do I belong here?
Among them, SAFE-Nepal caught my attention. At first, if I am honest, I just wanted to feel included. Climate change didn't feel real to me. It wasn't something I could see or feel in my day-to-day life. But after some time, things began to shift.
Through forestry and my involvement in SAFE-Nepal, the places where I grew up (lakes, mountains, and forests), my hometown, Pokhara, started to feel different. Not gone, not broken, but also no longer permanent. Even then, I often felt unsure. What should I do? Who should I ask? Was I actually making a difference or just participating to feel included?
Is this meaningful or a distraction?
The realization was uncomfortable. Instead of staying in my comfort zone, I chose action.
Through my involvement in SAFE-Nepal, we started taking small steps: school awareness programs, cleaning campaigns, SAFA campaigns, forest fire trainings, rallies, and panel discussions.
Even after serving 3 years in a climate action, I felt something was missing. How do we measure the impact? Are the activities truly changing something, or are we repeating actions just because they look good?
To get answers to my curiosity, I started attending conferences, not just once but again and again. But I began questioning that, too. Is climate action really only about sitting in five-star hotels? In familiar discussions with familiar faces?
Probably not.
Slowly, I realized climate action is not necessarily glamorous. It is slow. Sometimes it is not visible.
It starts with grassroot. It is about consistency. It is about learning and showing up, even if energy is low. The more I learned, the more difficult it became to ignore.
Suddenly, the thing that was distant, not urgent, started feeling personal.
Today, I am continuing the journey with Nepal Climate Hub to get all the answers that I was questioning with a diverse, enthusiastic team that creates space for learning, questioning, and growing; the kind of space I once needed as a beginner. Here, I’ve learned that climate action is not only an individual effort; it is collective energy. It's about turning awareness into responsibility.
I am still learning. Still questioning. Still growing.
And now, when I look back at those classroom days memorizing definitions without truly understanding them, I realize how much my understanding has grown.