Nepal proposes Himalayan climate resilience mechanism with India-China at UN
What's the story
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah has proposed a "Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism" under the joint leadership of India and China in the wake of the recent flash floods that killed almost 1,500 people. Shah made this proposal during his first address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly session on Thursday. He emphasized that a warming climate is destabilizing the fragile Himalayan ecology, which supports nearly two billion people across multiple countries.
Shah
These mountains provide water, ecosystems, agriculture and livelihoods
"The Hindu Kush Himalaya is home to nearly two billion people. These mountains provide water, ecosystems, agriculture and livelihoods to populations far beyond Nepal. The Himalayas are not peripheral to the planet. They are part of the planet's life-support system," Shah said.
"That is why, as an urgent first step, we propose that we establish a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism, led by Nepal, India and China."
Disaster impact
'Himalayan tsunami' global warning
The August flash floods, which have been referred to as the "Mountain Tsunami" or "Himalayan Tsunami," devastated Nepal's mountain communities.
The Bhotekoshi Trishuli disaster was not just a local tragedy but a global warning, Shah said at the UNGA.
"Nearly three years ago, standing in the shadow of....Mount Everest, the secretary-general of the United Nations warned humanity about the madness and impending climate disaster," he said, adding that "that cry from the rooftop of the world was not heard enough."
International cooperation
Shah calls for international cooperation
He said that while the warning was heard by communities and scientists, "political leaders have been negligent to translate those warnings in action at the speed and scale that the vulnerable people require."
Shah said the Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism should facilitate satellite data sharing and expertise.
"Let us monitor dangerous glacial lakes....And when disaster strikes, let us coordinate assistance across borders. Let the Himalayas become a laboratory of international cooperation, rather than a frontier of fragmented information," he said.
Aid announcement
US pledges $31 million in aid to Nepal
The United States, which, according to the Global Carbon Project, has spewed about 1,500 times more carbon into the air than Nepal has over 75 years, has pledged $31 million in aid for flood recovery, taking its total financial assistance to $36 million.
This amount is less than 1% of what Nepal needs.
Preliminary assessments indicate that the recent disaster has caused over $5 billion in losses for Nepal, nearly 15% of the GDP, Shisir Khanal, Nepal's foreign minister, said.