Nepal, Oct. 28 -- Prime Minister Balendra Shah's told the UN General Assembly on September 24 that Nepal, India and China should lead a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism. It is a welcome beginning, and those of us engaged in the scientific, ecological and legal side must capture the positive momentum. But a mechanism without a law beneath it rests on goodwill, and goodwill is the first casualty when relations cool. The Himalayas need a legal agreement that protects the system as a whole, delivers just climate governance and promotes a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. I made that case in my September 1 opinion article. Here I set out what the arrangement should contain, and what stands in the way.

The overall objective sho...