Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation after floods that killed or left missing more than 6,000 people, with a senior minister telling the Guardian that the world's biggest polluters must 'wake up' and accept shared responsibility.
Key facts
- Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for the recent floods.
- More than 6,000 people were killed or disappeared in the disaster.
- More than 1,300 are confirmed dead and over 5,500 remain missing after 12 days of rescue operations.
- The floods were triggered when a melting glacier partially collapsed, setting off a landslide and flash flooding through Chinese-controlled Tibet and Nepal in late August.
- Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for recent devastating floods, as a senior minister called on the world’s most polluting countries to ‘wake up’ and accept shared responsibility for a disaster that led to the death or disappearance of more than 6,000 people, according to the Guardian.
Foreign minister Shisir Khanal told the Guardian that the world’s biggest economies need to help Nepal, a country that contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The appeal frames the disaster as a matter of shared responsibility between wealthy, high-emitting nations and a country that has played a minimal role in driving the climate crisis.
Scientists believe the climate crisis had a role to play in the floods, which were triggered when a melting glacier partially collapsed and set off a deadly landslide and flash flooding in late August, the Guardian reported. The waters swept through Chinese-controlled Tibet and Nepal.
So far, more than 1,300 people are confirmed dead and more than 5,500 remain missing, according to the Guardian. Hopes of finding survivors have diminished after 12 days of rescue operations.
The compensation demand adds to a wider international debate over how the costs of climate-linked disasters should be shared, particularly for lower-emitting nations that face severe consequences from extreme weather and melting glaciers.
Why it matters
Nepal's call highlights the growing tension between countries that emit the least greenhouse gases and those that emit the most, as climate-linked disasters cause devastating loss of life. The demand for compensation puts a concrete figure on the argument that wealthy polluters bear responsibility for helping vulnerable nations recover.
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation is Nepal demanding?
Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for the recent floods, according to the Guardian.
How many people were affected by the floods?
More than 6,000 people were killed or disappeared. More than 1,300 are confirmed dead and over 5,500 remain missing after 12 days of rescue operations.
What caused the floods?
The floods were triggered when a melting glacier partially collapsed, setting off a deadly landslide and flash flooding through Chinese-controlled Tibet and Nepal in late August. Scientists believe the climate crisis played a role.