The Himalayan warning and the blind spots in climate risk
A glacier in Tibet fell exactly as the science said it would, and no agency or institution was waiting for it: Indonesia is writing a climate change law with the same blind spot.
A devastating flood swept through the Lhende Khola valley in Tibet on August 26, 2023, claiming lives and infrastructure. This tragic event unfolded exactly as scientists predicted, but no agency or institution was prepared to respond, highlighting a significant blind spot in climate risk management. The flood occurred when a massive glacier section, located at 5,200 meters, broke off and tumbled 1,200 meters into the valley, causing significant destruction.
Meanwhile, Indonesia was drafting its own climate change law, yet it remained unprepared to handle this disaster. This tragedy underscores the critical need for countries to recognize and address the diverse failure modes of climate-related hazards, as well as the importance of assigning responsibility for monitoring and mitigating these risks.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
