Nepal is seeking “climate-related compensation” from the United States, India and China, which it has identified as major greenhouse-gas emitters, following deadly flash floods that swept through communities along the Bhotekoshi River last week.
Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said the Himalayan nation was shifting its approach from seeking aid to demanding “justice and compensation” for climate-related losses.
“We are paying the ultimate price for a global crisis we did not create,” Wagle said, according to excerpts of an interview published by PTI. “The rapid melting of glaciers and these catastrophic mountain tsunamis are direct consequences of global climate change.”
Wagle said Kathmandu would raise the issue at international forums “with absolute firmness and clarity” and seek compensation from major emitters for climate-related losses suffered by vulnerable countries.
“This is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of legal and moral liability,” he said.
He identified China, the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitter, followed by the United States and India, as countries with a historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations such as Nepal.
The minister said Nepal’s Finance Ministry had formally sent a climate compensation claim to its international partners.
Why is Nepal seeking compensation?
Nepal says its Himalayan glaciers are rapidly retreating as global temperatures rise, increasing the risks of glacial floods and other disasters in the mountain region.
Despite being highly exposed to these risks, Nepal contributes only a small share of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Wagle said the consequences extend beyond Nepal, warning that the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers could threaten water security for more than two billion people across South Asia who depend on rivers including the Ganges and Trishuli.
“If our Himalayan glaciers disappear, the water security of over two billion people in South Asia, dependent on rivers such as the Ganges and the Trishuli, will be permanently compromised,” he said.
Nepal seeks emergency funding
Separately, Nepal has formally approached the board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage for urgent financial assistance following the August 26 flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River basin, according to The Kathmandu Post.
The fund was agreed at the UN climate summit COP27 in 2022 and operationalised at COP28 in 2023 to help developing countries respond to climate-related loss and damage.
A letter jointly signed by Wagle and Forests and Agriculture Minister Geeta Chaudhary sought an urgent response to the disaster, which caused loss of life, displacement and extensive damage to homes and critical infrastructure.
“The full scale of economic and non-economic loss and damage has yet to be determined; however, preliminary information indicates that the consequences are extensive and exceed Nepal’s immediate response capacity,” the letter said.
Nepal’s compensation demand and its appeal to the loss-and-damage fund are separate requests. While the government is seeking urgent financial assistance through the international climate-finance mechanism, Wagle has also called for compensation from major emitters for climate-related losses suffered by vulnerable countries.
Nepal plans to continue raising the issue at international forums as it seeks financial support to deal with the impacts of climate-related disasters.
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