China, US and India should compensate Nepal for climate change, says Kathmandu days after floods

China, the United States and India, the top industrial emitters of carbon dioxide, have a “historical responsibility to compensate” Nepal as it deals with the consequences of climate change, the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Shisir Khanal was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post on Tuesday.

The statement came five days after a flash flood in the Rasuwa district along Nepal’s northern border with China, which has killed 1,003 persons. Of these, 987 deaths were reported in Nepal. The remaining 16 deaths were on the Chinese side of the border. Nearly 4,500 persons are missing, reported AFP.

The United States Geological Survey has said that the floods were caused by a glacial collapse that sent a wall of water and debris downstream. As there was no rainfall in the area, residents did not have a warning about the deluge.

In an interview to Kantipur TV, Khanal described the disaster as a “catastrophic mountain tsunami”, which he said was a direct consequence of global climate change, reported The Kathmandu Post.

“Nepal’s greenhouse gas emissions are virtually negligible,” the minister was quoted as saying. “Yet, we are paying the ultimate price for a global crisis we did not create.”

In 2024, China accounted for 33.1% of the global carbon emissions, according to data from the Worldometer tracker. The US was in second spot,...

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