The Price of Climate Injustice: Why Nepal Must Demand, Not Beg
Money does not grow on trees, or so the saying goes. But for a country like Nepal, rich in natural capital yet increasingly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, the real question is not simply whether its forests can generate economic value. It is whether the world is willing to recognize the price Nepal is already paying for a crisis it did not create. With 45% of its land covered by forests and natural ecosystems that absorb more carbon than the country emits, Nepal possesses immense environmental value. Yet, despite contributing only a negligible share to the emissions driving global warming, it faces melting glaciers, increasingly destructive floods, landslides, and the growing threat of climate-related displacement. This is not merely an environmental challenge; it is one of the clearest examples of climate injustice.
Prab Dahal, Vice President of Eastwood Forest LLC, a private equity firm specializing in natural resource investments, believes Nepal stands at a critical juncture. His work involves managing forests to mitigate climate change by capturing carbon dioxide and monetizing those environmental services through global carbon markets. But his argument for Nepal goes beyond the economics of carbon credits. He believes the country must fundamentally change how it positions itself in the global climate conversation. Nepal should not see itself merely as a vulnerable nation asking wealthy countries for assistance. It should recognize that it is suffering the consequences of an industrial system it did not build, while simultaneously protecting ecosystems that provide benefits to the entire world. The question, therefore, is not simply how much climate aid Nepal can receive, but what the world owes countries forced to pay for a crisis created elsewhere.
Paying the Price for a Crisis Nepal Did Not Create
Nepal's position in the global climate crisis is uniquely unjust. The world's major economies built their prosperity over centuries of industrialization powered by coal, oil, and other fossil fuels. Those emissions accumulated in the atmosphere and now contribute to rising global temperatures. Nepal did not follow the same path. It did not become a major industrial emitter, nor did it build its economy through centuries of carbon-intensive development. Yet the consequences of global warming are being felt directly across the country, from the Himalayas to the plains of the Terai.
Melting glaciers and expanding glacial lakes create increasing risks for mountain communities, while unpredictable rainfall, floods, and landslides threaten homes, agriculture, infrastructure, and livelihoods. When roads and bridges are destroyed, communities become isolated. When farmland is washed away, families lose their source of income. When disasters strike repeatedly, governments are forced to spend scarce development resources rebuilding what was already built. The
