Nepal’s head of State has urged the world to act on climate justice after Himalayan floods killed 1,355 and left nearly 5,000 missing, with reconstruction costs soaring into the billions.
The President of Nepal, Ramchandra Paudel, on Monday appealed to the international community for concrete climate justice as Nepal continues to grapple with one of its deadliest disasters in recent memory.
Addressing the nation nearly two weeks after catastrophic flash floods swept through the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river basin, Paudel said the tragedy had laid bare the extreme vulnerability of the Himalayan environment and served as a stark warning of rising global temperatures.
The floods, triggered on 26 August by an ice-and-rock avalanche near the Nepal-China border, have claimed at least 1,355 lives across multiple districts, according to official figures released on Monday. Nearly 5,000 people remain unaccounted for, including hundreds of foreign nationals from dozens of countries. Preliminary estimates put the damage to homes, infrastructure and property at Rs 387.5 billion (about $2.56 billion), with longer-term reconstruction costs potentially reaching $5 billion.
“I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community not only to listen to the voices of ecologically vulnerable countries, including Nepal, but also to take concrete and effective steps to ensure climate justice for them,” Paudel said. He described the disaster as exposing the “exceptional fragility” of the Himalayan ecosystem and called for national unity in the face of mourning, search operations and eventual rebuilding.
A Disaster of Unprecedented Scale
The floods struck with terrifying speed. A massive collapse of ice, rock and debris high in the mountains sent a wall of water, mud and sediment roaring downstream, destroying villages, roads, bridges and multiple hydropower projects along a stretch of the river system. Districts including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and others bore the brunt. Entire settlements were erased, and workers trapped inside hydropower tunnels became a focus of prolonged rescue efforts.
Search-and-rescue operations continue more than 13 days later. Security forces, including the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force, have rescued more than 13,000 people. Helicopters, excavators and specialised teams from neighbouring countries have been deployed, yet difficult terrain, damaged roads and unstable conditions have slowed progress. Four people were rescued alive in recent days from tunnels and debris, offering rare moments of hope amid the grim statistics.
Paudel praised the efforts of security personnel, health workers, local representatives, civil servants, volunteers and organisations involved in the response. He urged those still waiting for news of missing relatives and friends to remain confident that operations would not stop. “The pain of this moment of uncertainty that you are experiencing is being felt by the entire nation,” he said.
Climate Change at the Heart of the Crisis
Nepali leaders have been unequivocal in linking the disaster to climate change. The Himalayan region is warming faster than the global average, accelerating glacial melt, destabilising slopes and raising the risk of catastrophic outbursts. Nepal contributes less than 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions yet repeatedly suffers the consequences of a crisis it did little to create.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah earlier told Nepal’s Parliament that the floods demonstrated the growing risks faced by mountain communities and that mitigating those impacts was a shared global responsibility. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has framed international support as a matter of “legal and moral liability” rather than charity, identifying major emitters such as China, the United States and India as bearing historical responsibility. Nepal has formally approached the UN Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, established under the UNFCCC, seeking urgent financial assistance.
Paudel’s address reinforced this message. He said the disaster was a serious alert about continuously rising temperatures and the risks they pose to countries like Nepal. The call for climate justice echoes positions Nepal has taken at successive COP climate summits, where it has pressed for loss-and-damage funding, easier access to climate finance and recognition of the unique vulnerabilities of Himalayan and least-developed nations.
Unity Over Division in the Recovery Phase
Beyond the international appeal, Paudel focused on the domestic response. He called on political parties, elected representatives, civil society, humanitarian organisations, the private sector and ordinary citizens to stand together. “This is not a time for division. Nor is it a time to blame one another or become entangled in political disputes and confrontation,” he said. “This is a time to demonstrate national unity and solidarity. It is also a time for reconstruction, rehabilitation and economic recovery.”
He stressed that every rescued person must have access to food, clean drinking water, safe shelter, medical treatment and psychosocial support. Special attention should be given to children, older people, persons with disabilities, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups. Temporary shelters must be safe and dignified. Families of both Nepali and foreign victims should receive accurate information and assistance to bring loved ones home.
The president also thanked neighbouring countries and the wider international community for rapid assistance in the form of personnel, technical experts, medical teams and equipment. The government, he said, was coordinating closely with local authorities and other stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of relief and recovery work.
Rethinking Development in a Changing Climate
As Nepal begins the long process of rebuilding, Paudel urged a deeper reflection on the country’s development model. Decades of infrastructure expansion, particularly hydropower projects in fragile mountain valleys, have brought economic benefits but also exposed communities to greater risk when extreme events strike. The floods damaged or destroyed several major projects, highlighting the need for climate-resilient planning.
Scientists and disaster officials have described the event as part of a larger climate crisis involving changing landscapes and cryospheric systems. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority is preparing damage assessments that will feed into formal loss-and-damage claims. The scale of destruction – thousands of homes affected, dozens of bridges washed away, long stretches of road and critical energy infrastructure ruined – means recovery will take years and require substantial external support.
A Test for Global Climate Commitments
Nepal’s push for compensation is being watched closely as an early real-world test of the Loss and Damage Fund. The fund remains new, underfunded relative to need, and still developing its procedures. Board members have acknowledged that disasters of this magnitude are precisely the kind of events the mechanism was designed to address, and some have called for an extraordinary meeting to consider Nepal’s request.
For a least-developed, highly climate-vulnerable mountain country, the stakes are existential. Communities that once lived with seasonal monsoons and occasional landslides now face sudden, high-impact events driven by accelerating glacial change. Survivors describe walls of water and debris arriving with little warning, sweeping away everything in their path. The psychological toll, especially on children and those who lost entire families, will linger long after the physical reconstruction ends.
Paudel closed his address by recalling Nepal’s history of confronting earthquakes, floods, landslides and pandemics with courage and determination. He expressed confidence that the same resilience would carry the nation through this crisis. Yet his central message was directed outward: the world must move beyond listening to the voices of vulnerable countries and take effective action to deliver climate justice.
