Scientists link climate change to deadly Langtang Lirung mountain collapse
An international team of scientists found that climate change contributed to the Aug 26 2026 disaster at Langtang Lirung mountain in Nepal.
Decades of warming destabilized slopes
Scientists determined that atmospheric warming caused by fossil fuel burning has melted glaciers and pushed freezing thresholds upward. This process removed stabilizing ice from the failure site while thawing permafrost within rock fractures. The resulting instability rendered high mountain walls vulnerable to collapse.
Compound crisis triggered disaster
The study identified the event as a compound crisis rather than a single extreme weather occurrence. A massive 2015 earthquake likely preconditioned the slope for this specific failure. Glacier retreat and meltwater further contributed to the catastrophic damage downstream.
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