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Global warming: in Nepal, the threat of glacial lakes
Global warming: in Nepal, the threat of glacial lakes – (France 2)
With global warming, glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate and the consequences for humans are disastrous. In Nepal, the Himalayas are in poor condition.
It’s the roof of the world and it’s collapsing. In ten years, the glaciers of the Himalayas, the highest mountain range on the planet, have melted 65% faster than in the previous decade. To understand the effects of global warming on the Himalayas, you have to go to Nepal.
The town of Melamchi, at the foot of the mountains, was hit in 2021 by what scientists called a sudden glacial lake drain: the overflowing of a lake formed at high altitude by global warming. Significant mudslides had taken place.
A climate time bomb
With rising temperatures, the melting of glaciers is accelerating. Gradually, the glacier retreats and turns into water, lakes are naturally created in cavities or on plateaus but quickly the mountain gives way. Tons of water and blocks of stone are then thrown into valleys and destroy everything in their path.
These glacial lakes in the Himalayas are, today, a climatic time bomb. 240 million people could be impacted by this phenomenon according to scientists.
