"Nepal's Disproportionate Climate Burden Raises Global Climate Justice Questions"
Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC)
UNFCCC principle that developed nations bear greater climate mitigation obligations due to historical emissions.
Loss and Damage
Climate finance mechanism for harms to vulnerable nations that exceed adaptation capacity, operationalised at COP27.
The global climate governance framework rests on a foundational principle: nations that have historically contributed most to greenhouse gas emissions bear the greatest responsibility for addressing climate change. This principle, known as Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), is enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in 1992. The 1987 Brundtland Report had earlier warned that traditional patterns of economic growth were unsustainable, and the Rio Earth Summit (1992) made the North-South divide in climate politics explicit: developed nations prioritised ozone depletion and warming, while developing nations emphasised the right to economic development.
India's own negotiating position in international climate forums has consistently relied on historical responsibility. At the G-8 meeting in 2005, India pointed out that per capita emissions of developing countries are a tiny fraction of those in the developed world. This framing, that accumulated historical emissions, not current output alone, should determine responsibility, underpins the broader demand by the Global South for climate finance, technology transfer, and loss and damage compensation. Nepal's situation is an acute illustration of this structural inequity.
The Paris Agreement (2015) acknowledged the special vulnerability of mountainous and small island states. The Loss and Damage mechanism, formally operationalised at COP27 (2022) and further developed at COP28 (2023), was designed precisely to address situations where adaptation is no longer sufficient and vulnerable nations suffer irreversible harm from climate impacts they did not cause.
Nepal contributes less than 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet it is among the most climate-vulnerable nations on Earth. The Himalayan region is warming at roughly twice the global average rate, accelerating glacial melt and increasing the frequency of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). These are sudden, high-volume floods caused when ice or moraine dams holding glacial lakes fail. GLOFs are distinct from monsoon flooding in their unpredictability and destructive intensity.
The concept of climate justice holds that the burden of climate impacts should be distributed in proportion to contribution, not geography. When a low-emitting, economically fragile country like Nepal faces reconstruction costs equivalent to one-tenth of its GDP from a single flood event, the gap between contribution and consequence becomes a governance and ethical question, not merely a scientific one. …
Which one of the following statements best describes the term 'Social Cost of Carbon'? It is a measure, in monetary value, of the
'Climate change' is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change?
Consider the following statements:
I.Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in India are less than 0.5 t CO2/capita.
II.In terms of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, India ranks second in Asia-Pacific region.
III.Electricity and heat producers are the largest sources of CO2 emissions in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the principle of 'Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC)', consider the following statements:
1.It is enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
2.It holds that all nations must reduce emissions by an equal percentage regardless of historical contribution.
3.India has used this principle to argue that per capita emissions of developing countries are far lower than those of developed nations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements about the 'Loss and Damage' mechanism in international climate governance:
1.It was formally agreed at COP27 held in 2022.
2.It is designed to address climate harms that exceed a country's capacity to adapt.
3.It is funded exclusively by contributions from OPEC member states.
4.It is distinct from both mitigation and adaptation as a category of climate response.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding Nepal's climate vulnerability:
1.Nepal contributes less than 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
2.The Himalayan region is warming at approximately twice the global average rate.
3.Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) are caused by the gradual seasonal melting of glaciers during summer.
4.Nepal's estimated reconstruction cost from recent major flooding was equivalent to roughly one-tenth of its GDP.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Match the following climate governance instruments with their primary purpose:
List I (Instrument) — List II (Primary Purpose)
A.UNFCCC — 1. Operationalising financial compensation for irreversible climate harms
B.Loss and Damage Fund — 2. Establishing the foundational principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities
C.Paris Agreement — 3. Recognising special vulnerability of mountainous and small island states
D.Brundtland Report — 4. Formally warning that traditional economic growth patterns are environmentally unsustainable
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