"Nepal Demands Climate Compensation After Catastrophic Himalayan Flash Floods"
Loss and Damage Fund
UN fund established at COP27 (2022) to compensate vulnerable nations for climate-related economic losses beyond adaptation.
GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood)
Sudden, high-velocity flood caused by failure of a moraine dam holding a glacial lake.
The Himalayas are often called the Third Pole because they hold the largest concentration of ice and freshwater outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Major river systems across South Asia originate from Himalayan glaciers. Glaciers such as Bara Shigri feed the Chenab, Bandarpunch feeds the Yamuna, and the Siachen glacier feeds the Nubra river. This glacial network is the hydrological backbone of the entire region. As temperatures rise, these glaciers are retreating at an accelerating pace. Retreating glaciers leave behind unstable lakes held by loose moraine dams. When a moraine dam fails, the result is a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF): a sudden, high-velocity release of enormous volumes of water and debris. The 2013 Uttarakhand glacial burst, which destroyed areas around the Kedarnath temple and killed thousands, remains the most cited example of how glacial hazards translate into catastrophic downstream consequences.
Nepal sits at the heart of this risk zone. Its terrain is steep, its geology is young and fractured, and it hosts hundreds of glacial lakes in its high-altitude valleys. The country shares an open border with India across five states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim. Floods originating in Nepal's river catchments flow directly into Indian rivers, particularly the Kosi and Gandak, which drain into Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. This geographic reality means Nepal's disaster is never purely Nepal's problem. India faces simultaneous obligations: providing humanitarian assistance and managing downstream flood risk within its own territory.
The global climate governance architecture has long struggled with a fundamental equity question. Countries that contributed least to historical greenhouse gas emissions suffer the most severe climate impacts. The Paris Agreement (2015) acknowledged this principle but did not create a binding compensation mechanism. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) provides a global blueprint for reducing disaster risk but is similarly non-binding and does not address financial liability. The gap between climate impact and climate finance has been a central tension in international negotiations for decades.
The UN Loss and Damage Fund was established at COP27 in 2022. It is specifically designed to help vulnerable countries respond to economic losses from extreme climate events that cannot be avoided through mitigation or adaptation. Contributions to the fund are entirely voluntary. As of the time of this article, approximately $822 million has been pledged, but only around $350 million is allocated for disbursement. The UAE contributed $100 million, with much of the remainder coming from European nations. The United States, which had pledged around $17 million, subsequently withdrew from the fund entirely.
The fund's voluntary nature is its central weakness. There is no binding legal obligation on large emitters to contribute. The United States, which is responsible for approximately 25% of cumulative CO2 in the atmosphere, has withdrawn. The European Union, responsible for around 20%, has contributed but faces no legal compulsion. China, now accounting for roughly 15% of the global CO2 stock, is a major emitter but is classified as a developing country under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which complicates its legal obligations. …
Consider the following pairs:
Glacier — River
1.Bandarpunch — Yamuna
2.Bara Shigri — Chenab
3.Milam — Mandakini
4.Siachen — Nubra
5.Zemu — Manas
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements regarding the UN Loss and Damage Fund:
1.It was established at COP27 in 2022.
2.Contributions to the fund are mandatory for all UNFCCC member states.
3.The United States has withdrawn from the fund.
4.The UAE is among the contributors to the fund.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following pairs — Country: Approximate share of cumulative atmospheric CO2:
1.United States — 25%
2.European Union — 20%
3.China — 15%
4.India — under 4%
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between India and Nepal with respect to shared river systems and border states?
1.The Kosi and Gandak rivers originate in Nepal and drain into Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
2.India and Nepal share an open border across five Indian states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim.
3.The Brahmaputra river originates in Nepal and enters India through Assam.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
With reference to the UN Loss and Damage Fund, consider the following statements:
1.Total pledges to the fund stand at approximately $822 million.
2.The amount actually allocated for disbursement is approximately $350 million.
3.The UAE has contributed $100 million to the fund.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements about India's per-capita CO2 emissions:
1.India's per-capita CO2 emissions are approximately 2 tonnes per year.
2.This is roughly half the global average per-capita CO2 emission.
3.India is the second-largest contributor to cumulative atmospheric CO2 stock.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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