Nepal Accounts for Just 0.04% of Emissions... Three Countries Singled Out for Reparations

[Anchor]

The government of Nepal has declared that the recent massive flood was caused by climate change, demanding compensation from the international community. Pointing out that industrial nations such as China, India, and the United States are the culprits, Nepal asks why a rural nation like itself must suffer the direct brunt.

Reporter Kim Young-a has the details.

[Reporter]

On the 26th, a collapsed glacier and rocks at an altitude of 5,200 meters on Mount Langtang Lirung in the Himalayas triggered an unprecedented glacial tsunami.

Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated, "This massive flood is a tragic disaster caused by climate change," adding, "We must raise a strong voice to the international community regarding the dangers facing the Himalayan region."

The Nepali government has abruptly shifted its diplomatic response from asking for aid to demanding reparations.

Foreign Minister Sisir Khanal appeared on a local broadcast and specifically singled out China, the United States, and India.

[Sisir Khanal / Foreign Minister of Nepal : Climate change has been brought about by greenhouse gas emissions from major industrial nations such as China, India, and the United States, which are the world's largest emitters.]

China, the United States, and India account for nearly half of global greenhouse gas emissions, which are pointed to as the cause of climate change.

Nepal, a rural nation with a population of 30 million, accounts for a mere 0.04% of emissions.

On the 31st local time, the Ministry of Finance of Nepal dispatched an official letter to the United Nations requesting emergency compensation.

The UN projected that the rate of disappearance of Himalayan glaciers between 2010 and 2020 accelerated by 65% compared to the previous decade, warning that the risk of glacial lake outburst floods will increase threefold by the end of the 21st century.

Through the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the international community resolved to impose greenhouse gas reduction obligations on developed nations.

However, the pact was effectively neutralized after the U.S. refused ratification during the Bush administration, and the system transitioned in 2015 to the Paris Agreement, which encourages voluntary participation.

Today (the 2nd), the UN released an official report stating that the Paris Agreement's goal of capping global temperature rise at 1.5°C (35°F) above pre-industrial levels has become unachievable.

Attention is focused on whether Nepal's desperate cry, having taken the direct hit at the frontline of climate change, can lead to changes in the international community.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi, Source: YouTube @Kantipur TV)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.