Climate justice: Nepal calls for $20m in climate compensation to UN Loss and Damage Fund

Nepal formally requested $20 million in compensation from the UN Loss and Damage Fund on 9 September 2026, arguing that major greenhouse gas emitters bear shared responsibility for the catastrophic floods that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on 26 August 2026.

The appeal, submitted jointly by Nepal's finance and environment ministries, marks one of the most direct tests yet of the Fund established at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in 2022 to help vulnerable nations cope with unavoidable climate impacts.

The disaster, triggered by a partial glacier collapse, unleashed flash floods and debris flows reaching 20 metres through Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts, as well as the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nepali authorities have confirmed more than 1,300 deaths, with…