OSLO, Norway — Speaking at the prestigious Nobel Peace Conference before an audience of international politicians, global activists, and Nobel laureates, prominent Nepali activist Rakshya Bam delivered a passionate, urgent plea for climate justice following catastrophic flash floods in Nepal.
Addressing the assembly in Oslo, Bam underscored the stark disconnect between international diplomatic discussions and the immediate, deadly reality unfolding in her home country.
“As I am standing in front of you and speaking to you in Oslo, the disaster in my country is still not over,” Bam told the conference. She recounted the catastrophic devastation across Nepal’s Himalayan and hilly regions, where rising floodwaters swept away entire villages, homes, and infrastructure. Early reports indicate that over 1,000 lives have been lost, with more than 4,000 people still missing, affecting upwards of 6,000 households and 17,000 children.
Highlighting the structural injustice of the climate crisis, Bam challenged high-emitting nations to confront their historical responsibilities. She asked the audience to imagine a world where carbon emissions had strict national borders that could not cross into neighboring territories.
“If carbon had borders, countries like mine would not be paying such a devastating price for emissions we did not produce,” Bam argued. “But carbon has no passport; it does not stop at a border. We share the same atmosphere… and if the consequences of our actions do not stop at borders, then neither should our responsibilities.”
Refusing to frame the appeal as a request for international aid or charity, Bam invoked core democratic principles to demand binding accountability, financial compensation, and systemic climate justice.
“We are not asking for charity; we are asking for justice and compensation,” Bam stated, emphasizing that genuine peace and democratic justice cannot exist without climate justice. Concluding her address, she quoted Bob Dylan’s iconic anthem Blowin’ in the Wind, asking the global community how many lives must be lost before the world acknowledges that too many people have died.