Nepal seeks climate compensation from India, China, US after flood
What's the story
Nepal has sought climate compensation from major greenhouse gas emitters, including India, China and the US, following devastating flash floods that killed over 1,000 people. The country's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said despite contributing "virtually negligible" greenhouse gas emissions, it is bearing the consequences of global warming. "We are paying the ultimate price for a...crisis we did not create. The rapid melting of glaciers and these catastrophic mountain tsunamis are direct consequences of global climate change," he told Kantipur TV.
Diplomatic shift
Post-disaster assistance 'moral liability' now: Khanal
He identified China, India, and the United States as the top three emitters, adding that they have "historical responsibility" to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal.
Khanal said Nepal would now treat post-disaster assistance as a "moral liability" instead of charity.
He stressed that this is not just about Nepal but also about South Asian civilization's survival.
"If our Himalayan glaciers disappear, the water security of over two billion people...dependent on rivers like the Ganges and Trishuli will be permanently compromised."
Climate impact
'We are shifting our diplomatic framework'
"We are shifting our diplomatic framework from 'aid' to 'justice and compensation.' This is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of legal and moral liability. The major industrial emitters—such as China, which is the world's top emitter, the United States at number two, and India at number three—have a historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal," Khanal said.
Official request
Nepal formally requests financial assistance from international partners
Nepal's Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Forests and Agriculture Minister Geeta Chaudhary have sent a formal letter to international partners seeking urgent financial assistance.
The letter was addressed to the board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, established at COP27 in 2022.
It highlights extensive damage from the Bhotekoshi river basin flash flood on August 26, which exceeded Nepal's immediate response capacity.
Urgent appeal
Fund for responding to loss and damage established at COP27
The letter also stressed how extreme events in the cryosphere can quickly spread from high mountains to densely populated areas.
It requested a rapid and effective response from the board, given the disaster's exceptional urgency and magnitude.
The Fund was operationalized at COP28 in Dubai in 2023 to help developing countries vulnerable to climate change.
Carbon
China remains world's biggest emitter
India is the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, emitting over 4.4 billion metric tons of CO₂-equivalent annually, accounting for 7.3% to 8.3% of total worldwide emissions.
China remains the world's top emitter, accounting for around 29-33% of global CO₂ emissions.
The United States comes in second, with annual emissions of nearly 6.2 billion metric tons, accounting for 12.7 to 15% of global emissions.