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

Prime Minister Balendra Shah of Nepal declared that the country's devastating floods last month served as a "warning to the world" about the escalating threat of climate change. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Shah expressed his plea for global assistance in helping his nation adapt to the worsening consequences of climate change.

Addressing the assembly in sunglasses, Shah emphasized that a warming climate was destabilizing the fragile Himalayan ecology, causing permafrost and glaciers to melt and accelerating hazards.

The catastrophic floods in Nepal were triggered by a glacial mountain collapse along the Nepal-China border, resulting in widespread destruction. Over 1,400 people lost their lives, with 6,000 still missing, and the economic devastation estimated at billions of dollars. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution described the event as a "compound crisis," attributing it to the combination of local geological instability and long-term warming, leading to glacier retreat and permafrost thaw.

Despite contributing less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Nepal bears the costs of this crisis it did not create, Shah stated. He urged the international community to help bear the cost of aiding Nepal's adaptation efforts, noting that the country cannot build resilience alone against a crisis exacerbated by the failure of global governance.

Shah proposed the formation of a "Himalaya Climate Resilience Mechanism" involving Nepal and its neighbors India and China, which would facilitate the sharing of satellite data and expertise, monitor glacial lakes, and strengthen joint early warning systems.

The 36-year-old former rapper, who assumed power six months ago amid youth-led anti-corruption protests, has now made climate diplomacy a central focus of his premiership. Nepal has requested US$20 million in aid from the UN's Loss and Damage fund, the maximum allowed, but the preliminary assessment places the cost of the disaster at US$5 billion.

The fund, established in 2022 following catastrophic floods in Pakistan, has yet to make its first disbursement, and observers view Nepal as a critical test of its credibility. The United States pledged an additional US$31 million in new flood recovery support, while Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal reported that the G7 informally promised support at a recent meeting, and Britain has also pledged assistance.