People light candles during a memorial vigil at the Devghat burial site, in Chitwan district, Nepal, September 1, 2026. Residents gathered to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the recent devastating flash floods and landslides that hit the region.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A devastating glacial collapse in Nepal that unleashed deadly floods was a "warning signal" over the growing risks climate change poses to the Himalayan nation, its foreign minister told AFP on Tuesday."We believe that this disaster should be seen as a warning signal to the risk that climate change poses to Nepal," Shisir Khanal said in an interview with AFP nearly a week since the tsunami-like wave of freezing water, rocks and debris carved a trail of destruction.More than 1,000 bodies have been recovered, and nearly 4,500 people are missing in Nepal as well as across the Chinese border in Tibet.Mr. Khanal invited international support based on climate justice rather than charity, noting that his largely rural nation of 30 million people contributes a fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions compared to industrialised nations."We call upon the international community to take the changing climate in the Himalayas in an urgent light," he said."The support to Nepal should not be just seen from an angle of aid or charity, but should be seen from a perspective of climate justice as well."The disaster has affected people's lives but also public infrastructure, the minister said, underlining the need for long-term support to help Nepal adapt to and mitigate the growing challenges of climate change.While the exact cause of the glacial collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters.Scientists say the Himalayas, the world's highest mountain range, are melting faster as global temperatures rise."We have to seek not just the preservation of mountains, but also seek support for adaptation and mitigation of the challenges that climate change is bringing to Nepal — and this region as well," he said."In the longer term, it will have even further impact downstream, in the entire South Asia, as the ice melts."
