Nepal Seeks Compensation from India, China and US for Flood Losses; PM Balen Shah May Approach UN

Nepal has stepped up its demand for climate compensation after devastating floods killed at least 1,127 people and left around 3,900 others missing, according to figures cited by Nepalese authorities. Kathmandu has identified China, the United States and India as the world’s largest current greenhouse-gas emitters and argues that major emitting countries should help vulnerable nations recover from climate-related disasters. The floods struck the Bhotekoshi river basin on August 26 and caused extensive destruction across parts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading in Bagmati province. Nepal has already approached the UN-backed Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage for urgent financial support. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Kathmandu now wants to move beyond traditional aid and pursue what it describes as climate justice and compensation.

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Balen Shah May Take Nepal’s Climate Justice Demand to UN

The disaster caused widespread damage across Nepal’s mountainous region, destroying homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure while forcing thousands of people from their homes. Nepal has described the scale of the disaster as a “Himalayan Tsunami” because of the sudden and extensive destruction. Officials and experts believe a massive rock-and-ice avalanche near the Nepal-China border may have triggered the catastrophic flooding, although scientists still need detailed studies to establish the exact chain of events and determine how much climate change contributed to the disaster. The high-altitude region remains particularly vulnerable to unstable glaciers, changing weather patterns and other hazards linked to the rapidly changing Himalayan environment. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle has estimated that Nepal could require between $4 billion and $5 billion to rebuild damaged infrastructure, an amount equivalent to nearly 10% of the country’s economy.

Nepal now plans to take its demand to a wider international audience. Prime Minister Balendra “Balen” Shah could travel to New York to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly and personally raise the issue of the floods, according to reports. Foreign Minister Khanal had earlier been expected to represent Nepal at the UNGA, which begins on September 8, with the general debate scheduled for later in September. Kathmandu wants the international community to view the disaster not simply as a humanitarian crisis requiring donations but as an example of the unequal impact of climate change. Khanal has argued that countries such as Nepal contribute very little to global emissions but face severe consequences from rising temperatures, melting glaciers, unstable mountain slopes and extreme weather events.

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Nepal Targets Major Emitters in Its Climate Responsibility Push

Nepal’s compensation argument focuses on the responsibility of major emitters, but the issue involves more than absolute emissions alone. The European Commission’s EDGAR estimates for 2024 place China, the United States and India among the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitters in absolute terms. However, emissions differ significantly when measured on a per-person basis. India’s per-capita emissions remain far below those of China and the United States. New Delhi has also consistently argued that climate responsibility should consider historical emissions, per-capita emissions, development needs and the greater contribution of countries that industrialised earlier. Nepal, meanwhile, says the international climate system should provide greater support to vulnerable developing countries that face severe losses despite making only a small contribution to global warming.

Kathmandu has formally submitted its request to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, which countries agreed to establish at the COP27 climate summit in 2022 and operationalised at COP28. Finance Minister Wagle and Forests and Agriculture Minister Geeta Chaudhary co-signed the request, which called for urgent assistance to address deaths, displacement, infrastructure losses and disruption to livelihoods and essential services. Nepal also wants support for resettlement, reconstruction and specialised disaster-response capabilities. Its diplomatic missions are briefing foreign governments and donors about the country’s requirements. Although Nepal initially relied on its own agencies for search-and-rescue operations, it later accepted specialised assistance and equipment from India, China and other countries. As Kathmandu prepares for the UNGA, it is making a broader argument: vulnerable Himalayan nations should not have to repeatedly shoulder the financial burden of disasters while contributing relatively little to global emissions.

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