Climate Change Role Examined in Nepal Glacier Collapse

Why it matters locally: While the Nepal glacier collapse is geographically distant, Oregon's own glaciers in the Cascade Range are similarly vulnerable to warming temperatures and permafrost thaw, potentially impacting water resources and increasing the risk of landslides in the future.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Human-caused global warming likely contributed to the instability of a Himalayan slope that collapsed last month, leading to widespread flooding across Nepal, a new analysis released Thursday indicates. Researchers who compiled the report identified thinned glaciers and thawed mountain permafrost as factors in the destabilization. The collapse triggered catastrophic flooding, impacting communities throughout the region. The analysis points to environmental changes influenced by human activity as having a role in the event. Scientists observed that rising temperatures, attributed to human-caused global warming, have accelerated the thinning of glaciers. These same temperature increases have also led to the thawing of permafrost in mountainous areas. Both phenomena reduce the stability of rock and ice formations on slopes.