Kathmandu (Nepal) (AFP) - When he watched the avalanche of ice and debris barrel down the valley and level his village last week, Pemba Chhring Tamang immediately understood that his life, on the Nepalese foothills of the Himalayas bordering China, would never be the same.

First modification: 09/03/2026 - 09:25

"We had heard about climate change in the news, we had experienced floods, but never like this," confesses this 57-year-old man, evacuated from the devastated Rasuwa district. "It destroyed everything, our houses and our town."

The wave, caused by the collapse of a glacier upstream, has left more than 1,200 dead and 4,700 missing, according to the still provisional estimates of the authorities of Nepal and China.

Eight days after the disaster, rescue teams continue their efforts to search for bodies or possible survivors and are struggling to urgently meet the basic needs of tens of thousands of victims.

"What has Nepal done to deserve this?" asks environmental activist Tashi Lhazom.

Although the precise causes of the glacier collapse remain to be clarified, the widespread melting of these ice masses, related to climate change, increases the probability of this type of catastrophe occurring.

An injustice for many, since Nepal is one of the countries that contributes the least to global warming with its greenhouse gas emissions.

"We suffer for a crime that we have not committed," Lhazom concluded.

"Chain events"

For the inhabitants of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush mountain range, the most important ice reserve on the planet after the two poles, rising temperatures have disastrous consequences.

The rate of melting of glaciers has doubled in the last twenty years, as demonstrated by two studies published in March 2026.

"A change of just one degree can mean thousands of deaths," insists Lhazom.

Saswata Sanyal, from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, recalled that global warming "causes numerous dangerous interactions in high mountains."

"We have already recorded chain events like the one on August 26," he added.

The Nepalese glaciologist Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa does not hesitate to point out the countries that pollute the most. "They must assume their responsibilities and, in one way or another, be held accountable," he said.

In recent days, the Nepalese government has multiplied calls for the international community to provide help and, above all, to accelerate the fight against the causes of climate change.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah declared that Nepal must "strongly highlight" the catastrophes suffered by the country to the international community.

Last week's tragedy is a "warning," added his Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, to AFP.

"Climate justice"

Support for Nepal "should not be limited to humanitarian aid or considered an act of charity, but should also be approached from a climate justice perspective," he insisted.

The minister advocates, in particular, the implementation of warning systems and a better exchange of information.

It is urgent, as numerous scientific studies show that climate change accelerates the intensity and frequency of floods, landslides and other violent natural phenomena.

"There are no signs that these events are going to stop," confirmed Dhondup Wangmo, a researcher at the Tibet Policy Institute, close to the Tibetan government in exile.

"In fact, they are more likely to occur in the future, with even more tragic consequences," he warned.

Beyond Nepal, the entire region is threatened.

In neighboring India, Rushati Das, from the NGO Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA), warned that climate change is "knocking at our door."

"What happens in the mountains doesn't stay there," he explained. "A disaster in the Himalayas has consequences that go far beyond borders, affecting river basins, ecosystems, populations and their livelihoods across South Asia," he said.

In his makeshift camp, Pemba Chhring Tamang worries about his immediate future. Their village was destroyed.

"We were born here," he says, "and now what do we do?"

© 2026 AFP

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