UN climate fund promises just $20 million for Nepal flood recovery

BENGALURU, India -- A United Nations climate fund has provisionally set aside $20 million to help Nepal recover from catastrophic flooding that killed more than 1,400 people, left thousands missing and caused billions of dollars in damage to homes, schools and hydropower dams in the Himalayan country and in China.Nepalese government officials and climate policy experts welcomed the move, but said the $20 million represents only a fraction of the $4.7 billion the government estimates is needed for recovery and reconstruction.“It’s a very small amount compared to what we lost,” said Maheshwar Dhakal, a senior official in Nepal’s climate and environment ministry. But Dhakal said that releasing the money sends a significant message: “This shows that the global community can take the right decision at the right time to help those who are most vulnerable to climate change.”The government said it had received around $102 million from domestic and international donors as of the end of September. Dhakal said the government is working with neighboring countries like India and China, as well as multilateral development banks, to raise more of the money it needs for recovery.The U.N. Fund for ...