Climate change made deadly Nepal glacier and rock collapse more likely, according to analysis, tell me about this news in (https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/climate-change-made-deadly-nepal-glacier-rock-collapse-likely-rcna598279)

On August 26, 2026, a catastrophic disaster occurred in the Himalayas near the Nepal–Tibet border when a massive section of rock and glacier ice broke away near the Langtang Lirung peak. The falling mass plummeted approximately 1,400 meters into the valley floor, generating enough seismic energy to register on earthquake monitors and pulverizing ice and rock into a high-speed debris torrent. The surge rushed down the Trishuli River corridor at speeds exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h), obliterating villages, bridges, roads, and hydropower facilities. The disaster claimed over 1,300 lives, with thousands more reported missing.

A scientific attribution study released by international researchers, including teams from Imperial College London and the World Weather Attribution (WWA) collaboration, examined the role of global heating in the catastrophe. The key findings include:

• Thawing Permafrost and Loss of “Mountain Glue”: High mountain slopes in the Himalayas are bound together by permafrostsub-zero ground where ice acts as a natural cement filling fractures in the bedrock. The researchers noted that rising temperatures have shifted the freezing line upward by roughly 100 meters per decade, thawing this frozen mortar and destabilizing steep rock faces that had remained intact for millennia.

• Record-Breaking Heat and Meltwater: The region experienced its warmest July and August on record, with localized temperatures reaching up to 5°C above the multi-decade average in the days leading up to the collapse. The intense heat accelerated snow and ice melt, sending liquid water deep into existing mountain fissures, which exerted hydrostatic pressure and lubricated sliding planes.

• Glacier Retreat: Over recent decades, glaciers in the areasuch as the Langtang Lirung glacierhave retreated significantly. The retreat removed crucial physical buttressing from the foot of the rock face, exposing unsupported bedrock.

• Compound Drivers: While earlier geological events (such as the massive 2015 Nepal earthquake) likely created initial cracks, scientists concluded that long-term, human-induced atmospheric warming fundamentally conditioned the slope to fail. They emphasized that while catastrophic rock avalanches of this scale are historically rare, climate change is loading the dice by steadily weakening high-altitude terrain.

Following the disaster and the publication of the analysis, Nepal has pointed to the findings to formally request financial aid from the United Nations Loss and Damage Fund, highlighting the severe vulnerability of downstream mountain communities to warming driven largely by global emissions.