Key Takeways:
- Nepal contributes only 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Khanal called for accessible grant-based climate finance for vulnerable countries
- Recent floods and landslides cited as evidence of rising climate impacts
- Minister urged stronger regional cooperation on water and weather data
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has called on the international community to provide Nepal with accessible, grant-based climate finance, saying climate justice must be translated into concrete action rather than remaining a slogan.
Addressing Kathmandu Climate Week-2026 on Thursday, Khanal said Nepal contributes only 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but bears a disproportionate share of the impacts of climate change.
"Climate justice is to accept this disproportionate burden and take concrete steps to address it," he said, calling for greater international support for climate adaptation, technology transfer and institutional capacity building.
Referring to the recent Bhotekoshi flood and landslides, Khanal said climate-related disasters were causing heavy losses to lives, property, roads, bridges, hydropower projects, infrastructure and local livelihoods. He said repeated spending on rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction was creating a structural obstacle to Nepal's development.
He called for infrastructure, including roads, bridges, transmission lines and urban settlements, to be designed to withstand climate-related risks for at least 20 to 30 years. He also stressed the need to turn scientific research on glacier melt and glacial lakes into effective early-warning systems that can reach farmers and people in remote areas.
Khanal said Nepal's Loss and Damage Fund should not be constrained by complex administrative procedures and called for stronger institutions to manage climate finance. He also urged greater scientific cooperation with neighbouring countries, including regular exchange of water and weather data to protect shared river systems and reduce disaster risks.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had established a Climate Diplomacy Section to link Nepal's domestic climate concerns with international climate negotiations.
Referring to the Himalayas as the "Third Pole", Khanal said glacier-fed rivers support the lives of about two billion people downstream. He said Nepal's position at upcoming international climate discussions, including COP-31 and the midterm review of the Doha Work Programme, should be grounded in community experiences, scientific evidence and practical solutions.