The New York Times published an article today featuring CliC co-chair Miriam Jackson and IC-MontC member Walter Immerzeel on the tragedy in Nepal and how “better monitoring and cooperation” between countries in the Himalayan region “could save lives.”
See a preview below and read the full article here.
See a preview below and read the full article here.
It’s not just Nepal.
Glaciers are melting across much of the Himalayas. Long-frozen ground, known as permafrost, is thawing. And a raft of disasters is menacing tens of millions of people who live in the countries that span the world’s highest mountains: landslides, bursting lakes, swollen rivers so forceful they wash away entire communities.
Now, three weeks after a glacier collapsed, unleashing flash floods that left more than 8,000 dead or missing in Nepal and China, experts are urging national and local leaders across the region to prepare better for the next catastrophe. That includes more robust monitoring of their shared mountains and rivers, exchanging data with each other, and putting in place early warning systems and evacuation plans.
“We need a lot more data-sharing and communications across these national borders,” said Miriam Jackson, who studies Earth’s frozen parts, or the cryosphere, as a research scientist for the Norwegian government.
“We are going to see more and more of these events,” she added. “The cryosphere is changing very quickly. We have more and more people living quite close to these hazards. And we need more knowledge.”
