Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal urged wealthy nations to fund recovery and climate-resilient communities after a flood that killed more than 1,400 people and left 6,000 people still missing. The government preliminarily estimates the disaster's cost at $5 billion.
Khanal said the United States announced $31 million in new flood-recovery support, the G7 informally promised aid and Britain also vowed to help. Nepal has requested $20 million—the maximum allowed—from the UN Loss and Damage Fund, which has yet to make its first disbursement and is dramatically underfunded.
Scientists from World Weather Attribution described the disaster as a “compound crisis,” in which local geological instability combined with long-term warming that has led to glacier retreat and permafrost thaw. Khanal said Nepal contributes just 0.1% of global greenhouse gases and needs financial and technical assistance, including satellite systems to monitor glacial melt and provide advance warnings.
