Climate change boosted risk of devastating Himalayan flood, experts say
HONG KONG: Climate change is leading to conditions that can destabilise high-mountain rock and ice, strengthening prospects for disasters such as this week’s Himalayan flood along the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet that killed 165, scientists say.
Climate change is making conditions in the Himalayas more unstable, increasing the risk of disasters like the recent flood, experts say. Simon Cox, a scientist at Earth Sciences New Zealand, explained that climate change destabilises high-mountain rock and ice, making collapses and cascading hazards more likely. The disaster in Nepal and Tibet likely began with an ice-rock avalanche on the Langtang Lirung peak, triggering a chain reaction of flooding, infrastructure damage, and altered river channels.
While climate change is not the sole cause, rising temperatures and melting glaciers likely played a role. Similar incidents have occurred in recent years, including floods in 2025 and glacial lake outbursts in 2024 and 2023. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development warns that rising temperatures are making the cryosphere more vulnerable, and warns that these compound events pose a major threat to people living in the region.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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