Scientists link deadly Nepal floods to climate change

What Happened

A new study shows that climate change likely caused the devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet that killed more than 1,300 people. Researchers found that rapid warming in the Himalaya region triggered a glacier collapse, leading to the deadly flood wave.

Background

The research team, known as World Weather Attribution, studied the disaster and noted that extreme weather events in the area are now happening beyond normal adaptation limits. Despite the high death toll and massive destruction, the international response to the disaster has been unusually quiet, leaving many questions about why the reaction was so muted.