NDTV: Nepal has launched a diplomatic push for climate compensation after deadly flash floods in the Bhotekoshi river basin. Shisir Khanal said Nepal is shifting its framework from aid to justice and compensation.
The finance ministry has officially dispatched a formal climate compensation claim letter to international partners. Khanal said China, the United States and India are the world's three largest greenhouse gas emitters, while Nepal contributes virtually negligible greenhouse gas emissions.
On Tuesday, Nepal formally approached the board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage seeking urgent financial assistance after the August 26 flood. The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage was established at COP27 in 2022 and operationalised at COP28.
Bhotekoshi river basin flood damage
The flash flood caused widespread loss of life, displacement and destruction of homes and critical infrastructure. A letter jointly signed by Swarnim Wagle and Geeta Chaudhary sought an urgent response to the catastrophe.
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.” He added, “This is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of legal and moral liability.”
South Asia climate liability
Khanal also said, “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.”
India says climate obligations should account for historical emissions, development needs and capacities, which complicates Nepal's call for compensation from major emitters. Nepal's next step is to press the same case in international forums, where the size of its request and any response from China, the United States and India will determine how far the claim moves beyond a principle and into a payout.
