Kathmandu : Nepal has named China, India and the US among the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, and demanded climate compensation for the recent deadly floods in Bhotkoshi that devastated several of its districts in Bagmati province. Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the three countries had a responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations bearing the consequences of emissions they contributed little to producing.
Kathmandu has formally approached the UN-backed Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage for urgent financial assistance. It is also preparing to raise the disaster and its demand for climate justice at international forums, according to reports. Though the west loves to blame India because of the absolute carbon emissions, the country’s per person and historical contributions are very low compared to developed nations. The catastrophic flood surged through the Bhotekoshi river basin on August 26, devastating parts of Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
Nepal might need $4-5 billion, which is nearly 10% of its economy, to rebuild what has been destroyed by the floods, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle told news agency Reuters last week. To amplify this, Balen Shah could travel to New York to attend the 81st UNGA, according to The Kathmandu Post. The proposal is being discussed so Shah can personally highlight the Rasuwa floods and demand climate justice and compensation. More than 1,100 people were confirmed dead and thousands remained missing as of September 1, according to figures reported by Nepal Police.
Khanal named China, the United States and India as the world’s three largest current emitters and said they had a responsibility to compensate countries such as Nepal.According to the European Commission’s latest EDGAR estimates for 2024, China, the US and India were the three largest greenhouse gas emitters in absolute terms. However, India emits only around three tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)-equivalent per person, far below China’s roughly 11 tonnes and the US’s over 17 tonnes.
Read Also : UNEP Report: World Set To Cross 1.5°C Threshold By End Of Decade Amid Mounting Climate Risks