[사설] 지구온난화로 인한 ‘네팔 참사’, 국제사회 함께 대응해야

Last 26th, the "fundamental cause" of the heavy flooding along the Himalayan mountain range was widely agreed to be global warming, yet Nepal was left to bear the burden of the resulting damages alone. Despite Nepal's authorities making all efforts to search for survivors and carry out rescue operations, the ongoing impediments such as road and bridge blockages and adverse weather conditions hamper their ability to cope.

Major countries like the United States and China, responsible for global warming, are urged to take active responsibility and provide extensive support to help the suffering people of Nepal recover. The government of South Korea also emphasized the importance of providing timely humanitarian aid to Nepal, as President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned on the 27th.

According to Mr. Sangar Shrestha, the Director-General of the Nepal Red Cross Society, who spoke to NHK and a Korean newspaper on the 30th, the situation has reached a critical point where all available rescue teams are exhausted, and even the thousands of rescue bags kept in reserve nationwide are depleted. He highlighted the severity of the disaster, saying, "Buildings and villages, as well as farmlands that have been tilled for generations, have all been reduced to sand dunes or wasteland."

He further emphasized that "borders do not exist even in disasters," stressing that the responsibility for this catastrophe is shared by three countries: China, India, and Nepal.

Nepal's per capita GDP is only $1,536 according to the World Bank's 2025 data, which makes it impossible for the nation to overcome this disaster on its own. Urging for international aid, Nepal expressed the desperate need for assistance from neighboring countries. A study by researchers from Kashmir University in India, released in January, revealed that the temperature in the Himalayan region has increased by 0.15-0.60 degrees Celsius every ten years, which is almost twice to eight times faster than the global average of 0.74 degrees Celsius per decade.

The United Nations noted in October 2023 that Nepal's glaciers have reduced by one-third in the past 30 years due to rising temperatures. Experts attribute the repeated occurrences of such disasters to the sudden release of water from the melting glaciers, which flows rapidly downstream. According to European Union data from last year, Nepal's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions was a mere 0.08% in 2024, compared to 29.2% for China, 11.11% for the United States, 5.95% for the European Union, and 1.26% for South Korea.

When looking at cumulative emissions since 1750, the top emitters are the United States, China, Russia, and Germany. The least responsible nations are suffering the most devastating consequences.