09/02/2026
Nepal is calling for climate compensation from the world’s major polluting countries after devastating flash floods caused widespread destruction and claimed hundreds of lives across the country.
According to Nepal’s government, major industrial emitters such as China, the United States and India have a responsibility to support vulnerable countries that contribute comparatively less to global emissions but face severe consequences of climate change.
A Nepal minister reportedly pointed to China as the world’s largest emitter, followed by the US and India, while arguing that major emitters have a “historical responsibility” towards climate-vulnerable nations.
The demand comes as Nepal deals with the aftermath of destructive floods that swept through communities, damaged homes and infrastructure and displaced people. The disaster has also brought renewed attention to the Himalayan region’s vulnerability to extreme weather. Nepal has repeatedly highlighted risks linked to changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and the rapid melting of glaciers.
The issue also connects to the wider global debate over “loss and damage” — financial support for developing and vulnerable countries facing climate impacts that they have limited capacity to prevent or recover from.
Nepal’s position raises a larger question for international climate negotiations: should countries that have contributed more to global emissions bear a greater share of the financial cost when climate disasters strike vulnerable nations?
As Nepal begins the long process of recovery, the debate is no longer only about rebuilding what has been destroyed, but also about who should help pay for the growing cost of climate-related disasters.
