SHREE RAM SUBEDI

Nepal, Bhutan and Kyrgyzstan push for mountain agenda; Foreign Minister Khanal demands 1.5°C protection, dedicated UN programme and mountain-specific climate finance

COP31 leaders invoked Nepal's devastating Himalayan disaster to underscore the growing climate risks facing vulnerable communities and demand faster action on climate finance, adaptation and emissions reduction.

The findings carry particular significance for the Hindu Kush Himalaya, including Nepal, where millions of people depend on glaciers and seasonal snow for water, agriculture, hydropower and livelihoods.

Nepal also wants mountain-specific indicators incorporated into global adaptation and climate finance frameworks so that the particular risks facing the Himalayas are reflected in international decisions and funding arrangements.

The report estimates that the richest 0.1 percent of the global population—around eight million people—produce 44 percent more consumption-based emissions than the poorest 50 percent, or 3.5 billion people, combined.

Lancet correspondence warns that a warming Himalaya poses cascading threats to human health, livelihoods, water security and regional stability

The Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) has approved a $20 million grant for Nepal to support recovery and reconstruction following devastating floods in the Bhote Koshi region.

The Loss and Damage Fund will hold a special meeting on October 22 to consider a proposed US$21.6 million allocation for Nepal following the devastating Bhotekoshi floods.

Preliminary analysis points to a possible glacier or ice-mass collapse, but researchers say further investigation is needed to establish the cause.

Regional voices call for climate finance, adaptation and loss and damage funding, warning that Nepal’s disaster exposes the cost of global inaction