Nepal says big polluters must ‘wake up’ as it calls for climate compensation over flood disaster

A woman looks on as heavy machinery works in the aftermath of deadly flash floods and a mudslide near the Nepal-Tibet border. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters View image in fullscreen A woman looks on as heavy machinery works in the aftermath of deadly flash floods and a mudslide near the Nepal-Tibet border. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Nepal says big polluters must ‘wake up’ as it calls for climate compensation over flood disaster Foreign minister Shisir Khanal tells the Guardian the world’s biggest economies need to help Nepal, which contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for the 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. 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 through Chinese-controlled Tibet and Nepal in late August. So far, more than 1,300 are confirmed dead and more than 5,500 still missing, with hopes of their survival diminished after 12 days of rescue operations. A journey to the frontline of Nepal’s disastrous floods – podcast Speaking to the Guardian, Nepal’s foreign minister, Shisir Khanal, was forthright in his call for climate justice and said it was imperative the world’s biggest economies stepped up to help Nepal recover and rebuild after the catastrophic floods. Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while its neighbours India and China are among the world’s biggest emitters. The mountains of the Himalayas – which span across India, China, Nepal and Bhutan – have been warming at a rate nearly 50% faster than the global average. In 2023, the UN said Nepal’s mountains had lost close to a third of their ice in just over 30 years due to global heating. Khanal emphasised that the recent disaster was far more extreme than any flooding regularly seen during the monsoon season, and said the magnitude of damage was on par with the 2015 earthquake that left much of the country in ruins. View image in fullscreen An excavator repairs a damaged road in Nepal near the Trishuli River on Monday. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters“This felt like a tsunami that was coming from the Himalayas,” he said. “We experienced waves as high as 60, 70 feet, which were mixed with debris, mud, stones, rocks, and came at the speed of almost 180km per hour.