Nepal’s PM says floods ‘a warning to the world’ about climate change

Nepal’s catastrophic flooding last month “was a warning to the world” about the rising dangers of climate change, prime minister Balendra Shah told the United Nations on Thursday, urging countries to step up to help his country adapt.

Addressing the General Assembly in sunglasses during its high-level week, Shah said a warming climate was “destabilising the fragile Himalayan ecology,” melting permafrost and glaciers and accelerating hazards.

The nation suffered one of the worst catastrophes in its history late last month when a tsunami-like flood, triggered by a high-altitude glacial mountain collapse along the Nepal-China border, cut a swathe of destruction.

More than 1,400 people died, 6,000 are still missing, and the economic devastation runs in the billions of dollars.

Scientists from the World Weather Attribution have described the event as a “compound crisis” in which local geological instability combined with long-term warming has led to glacier retreat and permafrost thaw.

“Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emission. We did not create this crisis, yet we are paying for it,” he said.

Shah urged the international community to help bear the cost of helping his country adapt to climate change, because “Nepal cannot build resilience alone against a crisis made worse by the failure of global governance.”

He proposed to create what he called a “Himalaya Climate Resilience Mechanism”, which would include Nepal and its neighbors India and China, and allow them to share satellite data and expertise, monitor glacial lakes and strengthen joint early warning systems.

A 36-year-old ex-rapper, Shah swept to power six months ago on a wave of youth-led anti-corruption protests, buoyed by optimism for change.

But the disaster has pushed climate diplomacy to the center of his premiership, overshadowing the anti-corruption agenda.

Nepal has asked the UN’s Loss and Damage fund for US$20 million in aid, the maximum allowed, but a tiny fraction of what it needs — a preliminary assessment by the government has placed the cost of the disaster at US$5 billion.

The fund, established in 2022 in the aftermath of catastrophic floods in Pakistan, has yet to make even its first disbursement, and observers see Nepal as a key test of its credibility.

Earlier this week, the US pledged an additional US$31 million in new flood recovery support.

Nepal’s foreign minister Shisir Khanal told AFP that the G7 informally promised support at a meeting on Wednesday, and Britain has also vowed to help.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.