Nepal must make climate justice top national priority, says Environment Minister
Nepal's Environment Minister Gita Chaudhary has urged the government to prioritize climate justice following devastating flash floods that killed approximately 1,000 people. She emphasized the need for Nepal to lead the global 'mountain agenda' to secure international support and compensation.
Why it matters
The catastrophic loss of life highlights the urgent vulnerability of mountainous regions to climate-induced disasters and the growing political push for climate reparations.
Nepal’s Forestry and Environment Minister Gita Chaudhary has called for climate change and environmental issues to be made a top national priority, local media reported on Tuesday (September 1, 2026).
Follow the updates of the Nepal flash floods on September 1, 2026.
Her comments came days after devastating flash floods killed around 1,000 people in Nepal and left nearly 4,000 missing. The floods, triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.
She also said the country must assert its rights and claims on climate justice at international forums.
Speaking at a consultation with experts at the ministry before leaving to attend a ministerial conference of the least developed countries, Ms. Chaudhary said that Nepal must work to establish mountain issues on the global agenda.
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