Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called for a collaborative effort between regional powers India and China to combat climate-related threats in the Himalayas. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Shah proposed the creation of a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism, aiming to enhance cross-border disaster response and scientific data sharing.
Shah's proposal comes in the wake of devastating debris floods that hit Nepal in August, highlighting the urgent need for cooperation in one of the world's most environmentally fragile regions. A senior official from Nepal's foreign ministry noted that the proposal is still in its early stages, with efforts underway to develop a preliminary framework.
Despite the potential benefits, neither India nor China has formally responded to the initiative. The two countries share a contentious 3,500-km border across the Himalayas, marked by territorial disputes and military stand-offs. However, the shared climate threat in the region, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average, could necessitate collaboration.
The melting glaciers and thawing permafrost in the Himalayas are accelerating, leading to increased risks of landslides, avalanches, and glacial lake outburst floods. These disasters often cross national boundaries, threatening lives and infrastructure downstream. A report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development highlighted the rapid pace of glacier retreat in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.
Efforts to address these issues have been attempted before. In 2009, India and China agreed to conduct joint research on the impact of global warming on glaciers, but the initiative stalled. Similarly, agreements for China to provide hydrological data to India have expired, with data sharing ceasing in recent years.
Some analysts see potential for renewed cooperation amid recent diplomatic engagements between India and China. William Yang, a senior analyst for North East Asia at the International Crisis Group, suggests that these developments might open avenues for climate-related collaboration. However, unresolved border disputes remain a significant hurdle.
One of the main challenges is the dual-use nature of climate data, which can also serve military purposes. Walter Ladwig, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, notes that what scientists view as essential research data might be perceived as strategic intelligence by national security establishments.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development has been promoting regional cooperation for over three decades, focusing on flood early-warning systems. However, progress has been slow due to sensitivities around sharing comprehensive river flow data, particularly by upstream countries.
Experts like Dr. Uday Kala from India's IIT Mandi suggest starting with practical steps, such as identifying high-risk glacial lakes and agreeing on basic data-sharing protocols. He emphasizes the need to anticipate future disasters rather than merely responding to past ones.
Nepal faces the challenge of convincing India and China to set aside their differences and collaborate on addressing the shared climate threat. Whether these two regional giants are willing to take even preliminary steps towards cooperation remains uncertain.
