After Deadly Flash Floods, Nepal Seeks $20 Million From Major Emitters

Nepal is asking for $20 million in climate compensation after flash floods and landslides killed more than 1,300 people and left over 5,500 missing. The appeal calls on the world’s major polluters to share responsibility for a disaster that Nepal says it contributed little to causing.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal confirmed that Nepal’s Finance and Environment ministries jointly submitted a request to the United Nations Loss and Damage Fund. The mechanism was established in 2022 under the Paris climate agreement. Khanal said leading economies must help Nepal recover and rebuild after the disaster.

“We contribute very little to the climate change process. Countries that benefit from larger economies, emit more and have higher historical cumulative emissions than us need to share the responsibility. This issue affects all humanity,” Khanal said.

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We contribute very little to the climate change process. Countries that benefit from larger economies, emit more and have higher historical cumulative emissions than us need to share the responsibility. This issue affects all humanity.

The floods began after part of a glacier collapsed, triggering deadly landslides and flash floods that moved through Tibet in China before reaching Nepal. Nepal produces less than 0.1% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, while neighboring India and China rank among the largest emitters. The Himalayas, stretching across India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, are warming almost 50% faster than the global average. The UN warned in 2023 that Nepal’s mountain glaciers had lost nearly one-third of their ice in just over 30 years.

Khanal acknowledged that the requested sum is clearly small compared with the actual damage. Some estimates put the flood losses above $5 billion. Although he initially appeared to single out India and China, he later softened the language: “This is not the time to blame any country, but the time for all of us to act together.”

The UN says the Loss and Damage Fund faces a severe financing gap. It has received requests from 119 countries totaling $2.8 billion, while the international community has contributed about $400 million. The United States has disbursed $17 million after President Donald Trump withdrew the country from the Paris agreement.

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This is not the time to blame any country, but the time for all of us to act together.