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.
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 World Meteorological Organization has reported that 2025 was one of the driest years in over three decades for the world's rivers, with glaciers continuing to retreat and freshwater reserves declining, increasing the risk of both droughts and floods.
Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour, PBS NewsHour Science, 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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