A scientific study by World Weather Attribution links human-caused climate change to the rock-and-ice slope collapse that triggered the deadly August 26 disaster in Nepal and Tibet.
Reader brief
Through the Reader lens: A study by World Weather Attribution found that decades of human-caused climate warming destabilized the rock-and-ice slope that collapsed on August 26, triggering a cascading debris flood in Nepal and Tibet. The research indicates that rising temperatures raised freezing levels, thawing permafrost and thinning glaciers that previously bound the steep slopes. Following these findings, Nepal plans to seek $20 million from the UN Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, and Prime Minister Balendra Shah will advocate for climate justice at the UN General Assembly.
What to watch next
- Whether Nepal successfully secures the $20 million from the UN Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
- Diplomatic outcomes from Prime Minister Balendra Shah's address at the UN General Assembly in New York.
What was said2
Attributed, verbatim. Every quote is checked against the article it came from. One that does not match is not shown.
Friederike Otto
1 quote“There’s absolutely no doubt that human-induced climate change played a role here in the preconditioning of the disaster through permafrost thawing, through thinning of the glaciers, through having more rainfall instead of snow”
In the article
…triggered the Aug 26 Nepal-Tibet disaster, first scientific assessment of the deadly event released Thursday found, linking decades of warming to thinning glaciers, thawing permafrost and more rain replacing snow. “ There’s absolutely no doubt that human-induced climate change played a role here in the preconditioning of the disaster through permafrost thawing, through thinning of the glaciers, through having more rainfall instead of snow ,” said Friederike Otto, climatologist at Imperial College London and co-author of World Weather Attribution (WWA) study. Researchers described it as a cascading disaster rather than conventional flood. Around 2 sq km…
Priyanka Vadrevu
1 quote“Rising temperatures are thinning ice, thawing permafrost and weakening frozen material that helps hold steep slopes together. Preparedness in the Himalayas can no longer focus only on rainfall and conventional flood forecasting. We need integrated monitoring of glaciers, permafrost, slopes, rivers and weather conditions.”
In the article
…earthquake could also have weakened mountain slopes, though researchers could not quantify its role. Priyanka Vadrevu, an independent researcher specialising in climate adaptation and disaster resilience, told TOI, “ Rising temperatures are thinning ice, thawing permafrost and weakening frozen material that helps hold steep slopes together. Preparedness in the Himalayas can no longer focus only on rainfall and conventional flood forecasting. We need integrated monitoring of glaciers, permafrost, slopes, rivers and weather conditions. Nepal now hopes to seek around $20 million (£15 million) from UN Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, which supports countries facing climate-related destruction. The study is expected to strengthen Kathmandu’s case…
Sources1
- [1]The Times of Indianeutral'Human-caused warming helped prime slope for deadly Nepal-Tibet flood'