Nepal Glacier Disaster Is a Warning of Future Climate Breakdown

A devastating climate disaster has killed at least 1,200 people in Nepal. A mass of ice and rock came crashing down off the Langtang mountain into the valley below. The climate crisis has made events like this much more likely. This is just one of many retreating glaciers. We’re also on track for a record year of ice-loss in the European alps. As the world is reshaped before our eyes, what does this mean for the planet - and the 1.9 billion people who live downstream of glacier ice mountains? This all comes as experts predict this year’s Super El Nino event will be the biggest in 1,000 years - plus an admittance from The UN Environment Programme that we will overshoot 1.5 degrees of global warming. To discuss the tragedy in Nepal and the growing concern in the Alps, Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Professor of Glaciology Bethan Davies and climate journalist Alec Luhn. Image Credit: The aftermath of severe flooding along the Bhotekoshi river in Nuwakot, Nepal, on 28 August Ambir Tolang/JNA/ZUMA Press/Alamy --- What does the latest science actually mean for us? Each week, New Scientist editors Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet dig into the biggest stories in science alongside expert scientists, from the mysteries of consciousness to the search for dark matter, to feed your curiosity and make sense of an uncertain world. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes: http://bit.ly/3OvFB80 🔔 For a specially discounted New Scientist digital subscription, go to https://newscientist.com/youtube ───────────────────────────── LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ───────────────────────────── 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xN0obO... 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... ───────────────────────────── MORE FROM NEW SCIENTIST ───────────────────────────── 🌐 Website: https://www.newscientist.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://bit.ly/NSYTINSTA 📘 Facebook: https://bit.ly/NSYTFB 🐦 Twitter: https://bit.ly/NSYTTW