The government of Nepal has for the past few years subsidized petroleum across the nation. In fact, the fossil fuel distribution system is monopolized by the government in Nepal. The recent rise in international prices for petroleum, however, has forced the government to cut back significantly on their subsidies. The effects of these changes have been far reaching, with occasionally violent outcomes.

The primary cause leading to the government's decision to cut back on subsidies was their inability to pay their petroleum suppliers. As a result, petroleum supplies to Nepal were severely diminished, and since I came to Nepal, the wait for gas at the pump has ranged from anywhere between 6 hrs to 2 days. As you can imagine, this creates significant commercial issues, as well as severely effecting the lives of Nepali citizens.

Finally, in June of this year, the Nepali government decided to raise petrol prices from approximately $4.42 to $5.82 per gallon. According to MS Nepal (a part of the Danish Association for International Cooperation) the average Nepali income is $210 per year, which makes the rising price in petroleum almost too much to bear for the average Nepali citizen.

While many groups have protested the price hike for many different reasons, one of the most active groups is the Eight Student Union. Since May, they have called for approximately 12 Bandhs (a Nepali word which equates to a strike), in which a transportation band is enforced by mobs, with little if any police resistance. The students are calling for a 45% discount on bus fares. Following their strikes in June, they were granted their demand, however continued petroleum supply problems have forced some bus operators to not honor the discount.

This week the students are at it again. Just last night, they burned a government vehicle in protest for their cause. The attached picture shows students in an argument with police, and it can be said absolutely, that their protests disrupt life in Nepal, and mark only the beginning of what's to come.

One has to wonder, if this a precursor for what's to come across the globe? Furthermore what option is there as long as we rely on fossil fuels? We must search for alternatives which do not rely on fossil fuels, that are renewable, because the supply of these fuel sources is finite, and at some point in the not too distant future, supplies will run out. What happens then, depends solely on the steps we choose to take, beginning right now.