A melting glacier contributed to the deadly Nepal floods. We can expect more like this
A catastrophic flood in Nepal and Tibet, caused by a glacial collapse, has resulted in hundreds of deaths and missing persons. Scientists attribute the increased frequency of such disasters to climate change and rising global temperatures.
Why it matters
This event underscores the immediate, life-threatening risks posed by climate change to mountain communities and the urgency of environmental policy.
More than a thousand people are missing and at least 400 people are dead after flash flooding tore through Nepal and Tibet early Wednesday. According to initial assessments, a massive chunk of ice snapped off a glacier and tumbled thousands of feet into the valley below. Rock, ice and mud plunged down for miles, washing away communities along the river.
Beyond the Poles: The far-reaching dangers of melting ice Living in the shadow of a dangerous shrinking glacier Science Why the most climate-resistant glaciers are hiding in plain sight Scientists say glaciers in this region, and around the world, are increasingly unstable because of human-caused global warming. Across the mountains of Nepal and Tibet, climate change is causing glaciers to melt at an alarming rate.
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