Nepal pushes for climate compensation after deadly floods

Nepal has launched a diplomatic push to seek climate-related compensation from major greenhouse gas emitters following the devastating flash floods that struck the Bhotekoshi river basin on August 26. Officials argue that post-disaster assistance should be treated as a matter of "moral liability" rather than charity, according to statements reported by CNBC TV18 and India Today.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Nepal, despite contributing "virtually negligible" greenhouse gas emissions, is bearing disproportionate consequences of global warming, including rapid glacier melt and extreme mountain disasters. In an interview with Kantipur TV, excerpts of which were published by The Kathmandu Post, Khanal said, "We are paying the ultimate price for a global crisis we did not create. The rapid melting of glaciers and these catastrophic mountain tsunamis are direct consequences of global climate change."

Khanal said Nepal is shifting its diplomatic framework from "aid" to "justice and compensation." "This is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of legal and moral liability," he said. He added that Nepal would raise the issue "with absolute firmness and clarity" at international forums and seek compensation from major emitters for climate-related losses suffered by vulnerable countries.

Diplomatic moves and formal claims

The minister said the finance ministry has officially dispatched a formal climate compensation claim letter to Nepal's international partners. He identified China, the US and India as the world's three largest greenhouse gas emitters and said they have a "historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal."

Khanal framed the issue as a broader regional concern, saying, "This is a matter of civilisational survival. If our Himalayan glaciers disappear, the water security of over two billion people in South Asia dependent on rivers like the Ganges and the Trishuli will be permanently compromised. We are advocating not just for Nepal, but for the survival of South Asian civilisation."

In a separate development, Nepal has formally approached the board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, seeking urgent financial assistance in the wake of the catastrophic flood. A letter jointly signed by Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Forests and Agriculture Minister Geeta Chaudhary said the disaster caused widespread loss of life, displacement and destruction of homes and critical infrastructure, and that the scale of the disaster exceeds the country's immediate response capacity.

The letter said the disaster affected a fragile transboundary mountain river system and demonstrated how extreme events in the cryosphere could rapidly cascade from high mountains to densely populated downstream areas. It described Nepal as a least developed and highly climate-vulnerable mountainous country that contributes negligibly to global greenhouse gas emissions yet continues to bear disproportionate and escalating climate impacts. The letter requested the Board to take a special decision to respond rapidly, directly, and effectively in accordance with its governing instrument.

Maheshwar Dhakal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Forests and a member of the Loss and Damage Fund's board, said this was the first time Nepal had sought assistance from the mechanism. The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage was established at the UN climate conference, COP27, in Egypt in 2022 and operationalised at COP28 in Dubai in 2023.

Perspectives on climate responsibility

India, one of the emitters identified by Nepal, has repeatedly emphasised climate equity and highlighted its relatively low per-capita emissions, arguing that climate obligations should take into account differences in countries' historical emissions, development needs and capacities. New Delhi maintains that Western nations, which industrialised first, occupy the majority of the global carbon budget. India has supported efforts to address loss and damage suffered by vulnerable developing countries, while maintaining that developed countries should provide the necessary financial resources to help such nations deal with climate impacts.

Nepal has increasingly made Himalayan climate risks a central part of its international diplomacy. Rapid warming in the Himalayas, glacier and snow melt, glacial lake risks, landslides and increasingly intense rainfall have heightened Nepal's exposure to climate-related disasters.