Former American aid chief 'blames Donald Trump' for Nepal flood death toll
Catastrophic glacial floods which have killed at least 800 people and left around 3,000 missing in Nepal could have claimed less lives if not for the actions of Donald Trump's administration, a former US aid chief who worked in the country has suggested.
TL;DR
- A former US aid chief suggested Donald Trump's administration's policies may have contributed to the high death toll in Nepal's recent glacial floods.
- The official cited the Department of Government Efficiency (DODGE) initiative, created by Trump to slash public spending, which allegedly terminated federal grants, including a USAID and NASA collaboration for flood prediction and disaster readiness in Nepal.
- This initiative reportedly killed $420 million worth of climate work at NASA and canceled other disaster risk reduction projects in Nepal.
- The former official linked these cuts to an ideological dismissal of climate change, which he argued hinders the anticipation and mitigation of climate hazards.
- Nepal's foreign minister highlighted that the country, despite minimal contribution to global emissions, is disproportionately affected by climate change.