"Obligation Of Large Nations": Nepal Seeks Climate Justice After Floods - NDTV
Nepal’s devastating floods have prompted the government to demand climate‑justice funding from major emitters, while India has stepped up emergency aid with its fifth rescue flight. Officials emphasize that short‑term relief must be paired with long‑term financing for adaptation and loss‑and‑damage to address the cross‑border nature of climate threats.
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Nepal’s devastating floods have prompted the government to demand climate‑justice funding from major emitters, while India has stepped up emergency aid with its fifth rescue flight. Officials emphasize that short‑term relief must be paired with long‑term financing for adaptation and loss‑and‑damage to address the cross‑border nature of climate threats.
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**Obligation Of Large Nations: Nepal Seeks Climate Justice After Floods**
Kathmandu – A series of torrential rains and flash floods that swept through Nepal’s mid‑hills and Terai plains in early August has left more than 1,200 people dead, thousands injured, and an estimated US$ 2 billion in damage to homes, infrastructure, and agriculture. The catastrophe, described by local officials as the “worst monsoon in a generation,” has reignited calls from Nepali policymakers and civil‑society groups for greater climate‑finance commitments from the world’s largest emitters. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment urged “large nations, particularly those with historically high greenhouse‑gas emissions, to honor their moral and legal obligations under the UNFCCC framework and deliver swift, predictable funding for loss‑and‑damage relief.”
India, Nepal’s largest neighbor and a key regional aid partner, dispatched its fifth humanitarian flight to the disaster zone, carrying 5.5 tonnes of medicines, food rations, and a 20‑person rescue team equipped with high‑water‑capacity helicopters. While the assistance has been welcomed, Nepali officials stress that emergency relief must be complemented by long‑term climate resilience measures. “Rescue operations are vital, but they do not replace the need for substantial adaptation financing, early‑warning systems, and sustainable watershed management,” said Dr. Anil Khatri, senior advisor at the Nepal Climate Change Knowledge Centre. The government has also opened a special parliamentary session to discuss a national “climate‑justice” strategy, which includes a request for $5 billion in International Climate Fund allocations and a proposal to establish a bilateral climate‑loss compensation mechanism with India and China.
The disaster underscores the transboundary nature of climate risks, a point highlighted by regional analysts. “What happened in Nepal is a stark reminder that climate change does not respect political borders,” wrote a commentator for *The Indian Express*. Experts argue that the scale of the floods—exacerbated by glacial lake outbursts and deforestation—mirrors patterns observed across the Himalayas, suggesting that coordinated mitigation and adaptation policies among South Asian nations are essential. As Nepal prepares to present its case at the upcoming COP29 climate summit, the country hopes its plight will translate into concrete commitments, reinforcing the principle that those who have contributed most to global warming must shoulder a proportional share of the burden.
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