In Mustang, a dry trans-Himalayan region of Nepal once famed for its juicy apples, farmers watch their orchards wither as winters grow warmer and the snow that has fed their land with meltwater for centuries falls less. This is not an isolated incident. It is a harbinger of a crisis that is engulfing the entire country. For Nepal, located in the heart of the Himalayas, climate change is not an abstract threat of the future, but a harsh reality today.

While global headlines often focus on melting glaciers, the real catastrophe is unfolding below, in the valleys and plains where most of the population lives and works. Nepal’s climate crisis is not just an environmental problem; it is a cascading failure that is systemically destroying the foundations of the nation’s economy and society.

Nepal is extremely vulnerable. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, the country is among the top 10 countries in the world most affected by climate disasters. Forecasts show that warming here will occur much faster than the global average: by the 2080s, temperatures could rise by 1.2°C–4.2°C. The economic impact could be devastating. Without decisive adaptation measures, Nepal could lose between 2.2% and 7% of its annual GDP by 2050, according to estimates from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank. Already today, about 80% of the country's population faces climate threats.