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Climate change made deadly Nepal glacier and rock collapse more likely, analysis finds

Human-caused global warming thinned glaciers and thawed mountain permafrost, likely helping to destabilize the Himalayan slope that collapsed last month and unleashed catastrophic flooding across Nepal, according to a report released Thursday.

Climate change made deadly Nepal glacier and rock collapse more likely, analysis finds

Human-caused global warming likely contributed to a recent glacier and rock collapse in the Himalayas, which caused catastrophic flooding in Nepal. According to a report, global warming thinned glaciers and thawed mountain permafrost, destabilizing the slope that collapsed.

This event is part of a larger trend of climate change impacting high mountain regions, making rock-ice avalanches and other glacial hazards more likely.

The effects of climate change on the global water cycle are also being felt, with rivers experiencing extreme conditions and freshwater reserves declining.

Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour Science, PBS NewsHour, Science News, France 24 — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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