Nepal demands $20 million in compensation from the UN

On August 26, a glacier collapsed on the Nepal-China border in the Bhotekoshi River basin, triggering a powerful flash flood. More than 1,300 people have died, and over 5,000 are still missing.

The numbers

The Nepali government requested $20 million from the UN fund following the glacial collapse, flooding, and mudslides. At the same time, Nepal is calling on the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters — China, the US, and India — to take responsibility for the consequences of climate change.

However justified Nepal's appeal may be, the reality is more complicated. Although the UN's FRLD (Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage) was established more than four years ago, it has failed to raise a significant budget through voluntary donations and appeals.

The US donated $17.5 million, and Japan gave $10 million. China — the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases — has taken on no obligation to the fund and has yet to contribute a single dollar. India has openly refused to pay in: the country's environment minister, Bhupender Yadav, stated that funding the pool is "solely the responsibility of developed nations."

Notably, small island states — including Antigua and Barbuda — have for years been demanding that the UN compel China and India, as "polluters," to contribute. But this demand carries no legal weight and remains purely political pressure.

In fact, the requested sum falls far short of covering the total damage. Preliminary estimates put the overall economic loss at more than $5 billion, with some assessments suggesting it could reach $50 billion.

The FRLD itself is in financial trouble: 119 countries have submitted requests totaling $2.8 billion, but the international community has so far allocated only $400 million.

Why this matters

Climate change is now directly affecting people's lives and national economies. On top of that, the international funds available to cover the damage fall short of what's actually needed.

What happened in Nepal isn't a distant story for Central Asia either. In Tajikistan, more than 1,000 of the country's 14,000 glaciers have already melted away completely, and air temperatures there are rising twice as fast as the global average. The faster glaciers melt, the more unstable mountain slopes become — bringing the region closer to the same kind of floods and mudslides that devastated Nepal.

Kyrgyzstan faces a similar situation: over the past 50-70 years, glacier coverage has shrunk by 16%, and by 2100 the country could lose up to 80% of its glaciers.

This is pushing Central Asia closer to a Nepal-like scenario: the faster the glaciers melt, the higher the risk of sudden floods and mudslides.

Maftuna Bakhtiyorova