KATHMANDU, September 2, 2026: Nepal has called for climate compensation from major greenhouse-gas-emitting countries following devastating floods that reportedly killed more than 1,000 people, with Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal arguing that compensation for vulnerable countries is not an act of charity but a historical, legal and moral responsibility.
Khanal said countries with a major historical contribution to global carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions have a responsibility to provide support and compensation to climate-vulnerable nations such as Nepal.
Times Now, citing The Kathmandu Post, reported the remarks on Wednesday.
A catastrophic disaster struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district, near the Chinese border, on August 26, after a glacier collapsed and triggered massive flooding. According to the report, 1,114 people were killed in Nepal and another 16 in the Chinese section, bringing the reported death toll to 1,130. Around 4,500 people remain missing.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the disaster was triggered by the collapse of a glacier. With no significant rainfall recorded at the time, local residents reportedly received no prior warning of the impending catastrophe.
Speaking to Kantipur Television, Khanal described the disaster as a “mountain tsunami”, stressing the stark imbalance between Nepal’s contribution to global emissions and the climate-related risks it faces.
“Nepal’s contribution to global carbon emissions is only 0.04 percent,” he said, arguing that countries such as Nepal are being forced to bear some of the most devastating consequences of a climate crisis largely driven by emissions elsewhere.
The disaster also appears to be prompting a shift in Nepal’s climate diplomacy. While the country has traditionally focused on securing climate-related assistance, the government is now placing greater emphasis on climate justice and compensation.
“This is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of legal and moral responsibility,” Khanal said. He added that Nepal had already raised the issue of compensation with international partners and would adopt a stronger position on the matter at international forums.
A 2025 European Commission report, cited in the report, said China, the United States, India, the European Union, Russia and Indonesia collectively accounted for 61.8 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.
India, however, has long highlighted its relatively low per-capita emissions and has advocated greater climate financing and financial support for developing countries.
Experts Shashwat Sanyal of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and UN climate negotiator Manjeet Dhakal said Nepal’s share of global emissions is less than 0.1 percent, yet the country is increasingly exposed to severe natural disasters linked to climate change.
They called for countries responsible for a significant share of global emissions to be held accountable and urged the international community to accelerate efforts to reduce global carbon emissions.
Nepal’s renewed demand for compensation underscores the growing debate over climate justice, particularly for vulnerable mountain nations that contribute little to global emissions but face disproportionate risks from a rapidly changing climate.
Sources: Times Now, The Kathmandu Post