How Rising Temperatures Likely Contributed to Nepal’s Deadly Flood
Deadly flash floods in Nepal, triggered by a glacial collapse, highlight the increasing instability of mountain regions due to climate change. Scientists warn that retreating glaciers and the formation of unstable lakes pose a growing threat to millions living in high-altitude areas.
Why it matters
The disaster underscores the urgent, real-world consequences of global warming on geological stability and human safety in vulnerable regions.
Roughly 160 people are dead and hundreds more—including dozens of international tourists—are missing after flash floods hit a region on the mountainous border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Devastating footage posted to social media shows people fleeing a wall of water that washed away buildings and vehicles.
Initial analysis of satellite imagery and reports from the Nepalese government indicate that the flooding was likely triggered by a landslide caused after a piece of a glacier fell hundreds of feet.
As the region warms, its ice is becoming increasingly unstable, raising the risk of catastrophic flooding.
“The glaciers over there are definitely in retreat,” says Joseph Shea, an associate professor of geography at the University of Northern British Columbia. “There’s a lot of glacier mass up there, but we’re seeing thinning, we’re seeing retreating.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in