Nepal seeks climate compensation after deadly Bhotekoshi flash floods

Nepal has asked major greenhouse gas emitters to compensate it after the deadly Bhotekoshi flash flood. The move recasts disaster support as climate justice and presses for urgent loss and damage funding.Nepal has launched a diplomatic push to seek climate-related compensation from major greenhouse gas emitters after the recent deadly flash floods, saying support after such disasters should be treated as a matter of "moral liability" and "not charity".It has also sought urgent financial assistance from the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage after the catastrophic flash flood in the Bhotekoshi river basin on August 26, saying the scale of the disaster exceeds the country’s immediate response capacity.Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Nepal, despite contributing "virtually negligible" greenhouse gas emissions, was facing 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 on Tuesday, he 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 was 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. Calling it a broader regional issue, Khanal 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." He said the finance ministry had officially sent a formal climate compensation claim letter to Nepal’s international partners.The minister identified China, the US and India as the world’s three largest greenhouse gas emitters and said they had a "historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal". India has repeatedly emphasised climate equity and its relatively low per-capita emissions. It has argued that climate obligations should reflect differences in countries’ historical emissions, development needs and capacities. New Delhi has also maintained that Western nations, which industrialised first, occupy most of the global carbon budget, and has supported efforts to address loss and damage suffered by vulnerable developing countries while saying developed countries should provide the required financial resources. According to The Kathmandu Post, Nepal has formally approached the board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage for urgent support. The mechanism was set up at COP27 in 2022 and operationalised at COP28. A letter jointly signed by Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Forests and Agriculture Minister Geeta Chaudhary said the flash flood caused widespread loss of life, displacement and destruction of homes and critical infrastructure. "The full scale of economic and non-economic loss and damage has yet to be determined; however, preliminary information indicates that the consequences are extensive and exceed Nepal's immediate response capacity," the letter said.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 help from the mechanism. He said the damage caused by the flood, and the search, rescue, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction needed afterwards, had become a major challenge for the country. "Since we are genuinely suffering from the adverse effects of climate change, we have approached the board," Dhakal said, adding that Nepal wanted an immediate response instead of waiting for the board’s next scheduled meeting in December.The letter said the disaster affected a fragile transboundary mountain river system and showed how extreme events in the cryosphere could quickly cascade from high mountains to densely populated downstream areas. It highlighted the impact on water, food, energy, health, infrastructure, ecosystems and human security. Describing Nepal as a least developed and highly climate-vulnerable mountainous country that contributes negligibly to global greenhouse gas emissions, the letter said the country continued to bear disproportionate and rising climate impacts. "In view of the exceptional urgency and magnitude of this disaster, the Government of Nepal respectfully requests the Board to take a special decision to respond rapidly, directly, and effectively in accordance with its governing instrument," it said.Nepal has increasingly made Himalayan climate risks central to its international diplomacy, as rapid warming in the Himalayas, glacier and snow melt, glacial lake risks, landslides and more intense rainfall raise its exposure to climate-related disasters. Its latest appeal links the Bhotekoshi flash flood to that wider climate challenge while pressing for compensation and urgent international support.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 1, 2026 16:14 IST