KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Nepal has the right to pursue climate compensation following the devastating floods that hit the country last Wednesday (August 26), according to a public health expert.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Faculty of Medicine’s Public Health Medicine Department lecturer Prof Dr Rozita Hod said such a claim is consistent with the principles of climate justice and equity, particularly as vulnerable countries such as Nepal bear a disproportionate impact of climate change.
Developed countries and major economic powers carry a greater responsibility due to their significant contribution to global carbon emissions.
“Actually, from the perspective of ethics, justice, and climate equity, this exists. Who contributes the highest carbon dioxide in the world?
“If we look at global data, the United States, China, and European countries emit the most carbon dioxide because they are developed countries,” she told the media at the Tuanku Muhriz Chancellor Hospital Auditorium today.
Earlier, Dr Rozita delivered a public lecture titled Climate Change and Its Impact on Human Health: Infectious and Non-Communicable Disease Transmission at the same venue.
She added that the possibility of seeking compensation or redress at the international level can be examined based on the relevant legal instruments and jurisdictions applicable to the countries concerned.
Malaysia, alongside other countries, could support Nepal's position and urge developed nations to assume greater responsibility in addressing losses caused by climate change.
“Other countries also need to unite to urge these developed countries to pay compensation. On Malaysia's side, we ratified the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and have a permanent representative to the IPCC,” Dr Rozita said.
The IPCC is a United Nations (UN) body that assesses the science related to climate change and is not an international treaty that requires ratification.
Malaysia is a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), having ratified it in 1994, and also ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016.
At the international level, the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage was established under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement framework to assist developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in addressing climate-related loss and damage.
On Wednesday (September 2), Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal called for international support to be provided to the country in the form of climate compensation rather than merely humanitarian assistance.
He said that Nepal faces the disproportionate impacts of climate change despite contributing little to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Khanal noted that its overall carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions accounted for less than 0.1 per cent of the global output.
Meanwhile, the death toll from flash floods and landslides along the Nepal-China border has increased to 1,225. So far, 4,757 people were reported missing, including 541 victims in China.
Of the total fatalities, Nepal recorded 1,204 deaths, while 21 deaths were confirmed in China as of yesterday.
