Latest news with #DavidSislen
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Experts report nationwide trend that could save tens of thousands of lives each year: 'One of the highest rates in the world'
Fifty years ago, Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, kicked off an effort to electrify its public transportation. Today, a dozen dusty and abandoned electric buses are what's left of that original effort according to The Guardian. But, the outlet reports, the electric dream may be experiencing a major resurgence in the South Asian country: "More than 70% of four-wheeled passenger vehicles — largely cars and minibuses — imported into Nepal last year were electric, one of the highest rates in the world." This surge in popularity appears at least partly to be cost-driven, as import taxes on EVs, no need for gas, and less need for maintenance all favor the cleaner-energy options. Meanwhile, the switch from gas-guzzling vehicles could offer an assist in the fight against pollution in Nepal, where the Air Quality Life Index at the University of Chicago wrote in 2024 that about 50,000 people are dying annually due to dirty air: "According to the Ministry of Health, 66 percent of deaths from chronic lung disease are caused by air pollution. Similarly, 34 percent of deaths from heart disease, 37 percent of deaths from stroke, and 22 percent of deaths from respiratory infections are caused by air pollution." The Guardian further reported that Kathmandu, located in a pollution-trapping valley, is often covered over in smog. "Our analysis shows that transport contributes to about one-fourth of the fine particle matter air pollution in the valley," David Sislen of the World Bank told the publication. "Motorists switching to EVs is an important part of getting towards cleaner skies and improved health." Beyond Nepal's borders, a massive worldwide switch to EVs could help combat rising global temperatures. EVs produce far less planet-warming pollution over their lifecycles, and one country demonstrating their utility on a mass scale has the potential to encourage more to follow suit. But challenges remain, as the EV transition hasn't yet wholly remade the public transportation system Kathmandu once sought to revolutionize. The initial costs of purchasing electric buses and a lack of charging infrastructure are among the obstacles, Bhushan Tuladhar of FHI 360's USAID Clean Air and public transport cooperative Sajha Yatayat told The Guardian. FHI 360 and USAID previously worked to get electric public transit back on track after the COVID pandemic and "created green jobs in the process" with a sustainable training program to support women from under-resourced communities in becoming licensed drivers of electric three-wheelers. The Guardian reported that there are "hundreds" of such three-wheelers in operation. And the co-op Sajha Yatayat brought 40 electric buses and 24 charging stations to Kathmandu, the local Annapurna Express reported in 2024. Nepal isn't alone in its EV surge. For instance, EV sales rose by 46% in the United States in 2023. The Oakland Unified School District in California became the first major school district in the country to convert to an all-electric school bus system, and large companies like Tootbus, which runs sightseeing buses in Europe, are going electric as well. The United Nations Environment Programme has also said "2025 could be the year of the electric vehicle in developing countries." Would you want EV-charging roads installed in your town? Sign me up Depends how much it costs No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Fibre2Fashion
25-04-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Sri Lanka faces slower growth ahead despite 2024 rebound: World Bank
Sri Lanka's economy recovered in 2024, surpassing growth expectations by recording 5 per cent growth, compared to the projected 4.4 per cent, according to the World Bank. This growth has been driven by strong performances in industry and services, particularly in construction and tourism-related services. In 2025, growth is expected to moderate to 3.5 per cent reflecting scarring effects of the crisis and structural impediments to growth, amid global headwinds and unprecedented trade policy uncertainty, as per the World Bank's bi-annual Sri Lanka Development Update, titled 'Staying on Track.' Sri Lanka's economy grew by 5 per cent in 2024, surpassing expectations, driven by construction and tourism. However, growth is expected to slow to 3.5 per cent in 2025 and 3.1 per cent in 2026 due to crisis-related scarring and global uncertainties. Despite recovery, poverty remains high at 24.5 per cent. The World Bank urges reforms to boost jobs, stability, and inclusive growth. The report highlighted that despite the growth and fiscal performance, significant challenges remain. While the economy is recovering, many Sri Lankans are still struggling. Household incomes, employment, and overall welfare are still well below pre-crisis levels, and the poverty rate remained alarmingly high at 24.5 per cent in 2024. The labour market continues to struggle, leading to increased emigration as people look for opportunities abroad. 'While Sri Lanka's economy is bouncing back stronger than expected, a significant portion of the population—about a third—remains in poverty or is at risk of falling back into poverty,' said David Sislen, World Bank division director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 'To ensure this recovery works for everyone, especially those who have been hit hardest, Sri Lanka can focus on policies that create jobs and support the poor.' The report underscored that medium-term growth and poverty reduction depend on maintaining macroeconomic stability and implementing key structural reforms amid an increasingly uncertain global environment. The World Bank has forecast moderate growth of around 3.1 per cent for Sri Lanka in 2026. Shifting to a higher growth trajectory through the successful implementation of reforms that enhance trade, investment, competition and female labour force participation, among others, is essential to ensure that all Sri Lankans benefit from the recovery. Looking ahead, the World Bank emphasised the continued need for policy reforms to maintain macro-fiscal and financial stability, boost competitiveness, increase productivity, and expand job opportunities, added the report. The Sri Lanka Development Update is a companion piece to the South Asia Development Update, a twice-a-year World Bank report that examines economic developments and prospects in the South Asia region and analyses policy challenges countries face. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Reuters
23-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Sri Lanka's economy to grow 3.5% in 2025 despite US tariff headwinds, World Bank says
COLOMBO, April 23 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is on track to post growth of 3.5% this year, the World Bank said in its latest report on Wednesday, unchanged from its October forecast, but faces challenges from hefty U.S. tariffs and high poverty rates. The island nation posted growth of 5% last year, rebounding from a far-reaching financial crisis sparked by a record dollar shortfall three years ago with support from a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. But the government is worried that tariffs of 44% imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which will affect about $3 billion of its exports, could hurt its economic recovery. It wants to engage with the U.S. to strengthen trade relations. The World Bank said Sri Lanka's medium-term growth prospects would hinge on continued macroeconomic stability, backing a flexible exchange rate, the need to reform loss-making state companies, and more investment in trade. Household income, employment and overall welfare were still well below pre-crisis levels, and the poverty rate remained "alarmingly high" at 24.5% in 2024, with more people looking for work opportunities abroad, according to the report. "While Sri Lanka's economy is bouncing back stronger than expected, a significant portion of the population — about a third — remains in poverty or is at risk of falling back into poverty," David Sislen, World Bank division director for the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka said in a statement. The World Bank projects that Sri Lanka's growth will slow further to 3.1% next year, also unchanged from October's projection. Sri Lankan central bank and finance ministry officials are in Washington this week to meet with the International Monetary Fund to progress discussions on the fourth review of the IMF programme.
The Guardian
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Leading the charge: how a drive for electric vehicles is cleaning up Nepal
In a rundown hangar in the heart of Kathmandu, the remains of a dozen electric trolley buses stand abandoned and corroding. Caked in dust and bird-droppings and lined with rubbish, they are a reminder of a bold experiment, launched 50 years ago, to electrify the city's public transport system. Down the side of one is written, 'Keep me alive'. Today, that plea is being heard. More than 70% of four-wheeled passenger vehicles – largely cars and minibuses – imported into Nepal last year were electric, one of the highest rates in the world. The figure reflects a remarkable growth in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), which saw the country import more than 13,000 between July 2023 and 2024, up from about 250 in 2020-21. Nepal's government has set ambitious targets for wider take-up of EVs, with the aim that 90% of all private-vehicle sales and 60% of all four-wheeled public passenger vehicle sales will be electric by 2030. The increasing popularity of EVs has raised hopes that they may help to reduce the chronic air pollution that has plagued Kathmandu for years. Nepal's capital is regularly ranked among the world's most polluted cities, with pollution from fine particulate matter often 10 to 20 times the World Health Organization's guidelines. Air pollution in Nepal is having a devastating effect on its population, accounting for nearly 19% of all deaths in 2021, according to analysis by the State of Global Air. If Nepal could reduce particulate pollution to the level recommended by the WHO, people living in Kathmandu could on average expect to live for 2.6 more years. The Kathmandu valley is cloaked for much of the year in thick smog from brick kilns, road and construction dust, burning rubbish and crops, and emissions from the 1.75m vehicles – 0f which around 80% are two-wheelers – that clog the city's streets. 'Our analysis shows that transport contributes to about one-fourth of the fine particle matter air pollution in the valley,' says David Sislen, the World Bank's country director for Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka. 'Motorists switching to EVs is an important part of getting towards cleaner skies and improved health.' The impact of the shift to EVs is even greater because almost all of Nepal's electricity is clean, as it is generated by hydropower, and readily available, after the persistent power cuts that afflicted the country for decades were brought to an end in 2018. The reasons for the popularity of EVs becomes clear at a showroom for the Chinese electric carmaker BYD, where Binaya Parajuli is about to pick up his new car. 'These days the best option is an EV. Petrol is expensive and the price fluctuates a lot. The price of electricity is stable and nowadays we have no shortage of it,' he says, before adding: 'And I'm also making a small contribution to the environment.' Parajuli says he is also attracted to the look of the car, reflecting a view that EVs are now a status symbol. 'These cars are luxurious, even if our roads are not,' he says, as he cuts a cake to celebrate his new purchase. Cost savings are the main reason for the rise in interest in electric cars, says the sales manager, Loozah Maharjan. 'Import taxes on EVs are lower than on petrol cars, running costs are a 10th of the price and banks offer generous finance deals for EVs,' he says. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion And yet, the environmental and health benefits of the transition to EVs will remain limited until the most polluting vehicles – diesel buses and trucks – also become electric, says Bhushan Tuladhar, an environmental activist. 'There are three reasons this has not taken off,' he says. 'One, the initial cost of purchasing electric buses; second, the lack of charging infrastructure; and third, the public transport system is chaotic.' There are signs that this is changing. Tuladhar, in his role as a board member of Sajha Yatayat, a co-operative bus company, helped to import 40 electric buses from China, which now operate across the city. They run alongside hundreds of electric three-wheelers, which began to be introduced in the city in the 1990s. Hundreds more electric minibuses now also ply routes out of Kathmandu, particularly on the narrow, twisting road through the mountains to the southern plains, which larger buses struggle to negotiate. At a charging station on the edge of the Kathmandu valley, Krishna Prasad Chaulagain is charging his new minibus. 'I'm very excited,' he says. 'I don't have to go to the petrol pump any more.' Chaulagain estimates the price of charging his vehicle will be a 15th of the cost of petrol to cover the same distance. The time it takes to charge his minibus does not seem to bother him. 'It means I get some rest,' he says. Even if Nepal does manage to electrify its public transport system, Maheshwar Dhakal, head of the government's climate-change management division, warns that more needs to be done. 'The growth in EVs in Nepal is remarkable,' he says. 'But if we become carbon neutral tomorrow, it doesn't make sense at a global scale. The international community must follow our lead.'
