The catastrophic flash floods that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region last month occurred without a spell of rain, a stark reminder of what climate change can do.
Released last week, the UN Environment Programme’s latest study, the Limiting Overshoot Spotlight Report, should serve as a stark reminder of what awaits humanity if calls for climate action continue to be ignored. It said global temperatures are set to cross 1.5°C in the coming years, while warning that every fraction of a degree above the threshold set by the Paris Agreement could have devastating consequences, including “intensified extreme weather, ecosystem loss, and submersion of low-lying coastal cities.” The report also warned of the possibility of crossing irreversible tipping points that could destabilise glaciers, degrade the Amazon rainforest, and disrupt the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Given the scale of the risks associated with ignoring this imminent threat, the UNEP report underscored the importance of minimising the magnitude and duration of the temperature overshoot above 1.5°C through an “overshoot, peak, and decline” pathway. The extreme heatwaves, devastating wildfires, deadly flash floods, and other natural calamities the world is witnessing today are clear signs of what lies ahead if global warming remains unaddressed. The catastrophic flash floods that struck the Nepal–Tibet border region last month occurred without a spell of rain. They were reportedly triggered by a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayan mountains. The resulting flood, carrying enormous quantities of mud and rock, destroyed everything in its path, claiming hundreds of lives and displacing thousands of people. The scale of the devastation was unprecedented and should serve as a stark reminder of what nature can unleash when environmental degradation continues unabated.
In the wake of the tragedy, Nepal’s President, Ram Chandra Paudel, appealed to the international community to take concrete action to ensure climate justice for ecologically vulnerable countries such as the Himalayan nations. The world cannot brush this aside. Nepal, which accounts for roughly 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is bearing the brunt of global warming largely driven by major industrial economies. Northeast India is also facing severe climate impacts despite accounting for 23.75 per cent of the country’s total green cover, with forests covering more than 64 per cent of its geographical area. No country is immune to this human-made peril, but economically weaker nations and people living in geologically vulnerable locations are bound to suffer more than others. It is therefore only fair to demand that developed countries, which have contributed disproportionately to global emissions, take the lead in tackling climate change. Ironically, some developed nations continue to blame developing countries for the climate crisis instead of taking responsibility and doing more to address it. The Donald Trump administration, which withdrew the United States from several global climate commitments, including the Paris Agreement, is a classic example of shirking accountability. The world must shed its hypocrisy, stop living in denial, and make a collective effort to tackle climate change before the consequences become even more devastating.a