‘A Question of Justice and Fairness’: Nepal Demands Climate Compensation Following Flood Tragedy

ISLAMABAD: Nepal has urged that international support following the deadly flood tragedy in the country be channelled in the form of climate compensation rather than merely welfare aid, describing the matter as “a question of justice and fairness,” reported Anadolu Agency.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said his country bears the disproportionate impact of climate change despite contributing only a tiny fraction to global greenhouse gas emissions.

The death toll from the flash floods and landslides that struck the Nepal-China border on 26 August has risen to 1,225, while nearly 4,757 others, including 541 in China, remain missing.

Nepalese authorities said 1,204 bodies had been recovered, while China confirmed 21 deaths as of Wednesday.

“If you look at the data, our total carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions are less than one-tenth of one percent.

“Glaciers are melting, permafrost is thawing, and there is a risk of glacial lake outburst floods,” Khanal told the Anderson Cooper 360° programme on CNN.

He said the latest disaster also involved a glacial collapse.

“What we want to convey to the world is that our contribution to this climate change is almost insignificant,” he said.

Khanal stressed that efforts to protect the Himalayan mountain range should not be Nepal’s responsibility alone.

“Efforts to save the Himalayan range must be part of a global effort because today it affects Nepal, but it also affects China,” Khanal said.

He said rivers originating in the Himalayas eventually flow into India and in some cases into Bangladesh, thus supplying fresh water for agriculture and drinking to more than two billion people.

“The international community must come together, and this cannot be seen merely as charity; rather, it must be part of a compensation process,” he said.

When asked by Cooper whether Nepal wants support from foreign governments to be seen as compensation rather than just aid, Khanal replied: “Exactly, this matter needs to be viewed from the perspective of justice and fairness.

“How fair is it that the people of Nepal and the inhabitants of the Himalayan range have to bear the burden of climate change when our contribution to it is so small?”

When asked whether he considers the disaster to be a direct effect of climate change, Khanal said: “Certainly, there is no question that there is evidence of it.”

BERNAMA – ANADOLU