CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Image by Richard Young.

Global warming is becoming a self-advertised nuisance with the recent Nepal disaster bringing renewed attention: Is global warming fueled by fossil fuel CO2 emissions behind the Nepal catastrophe?

In High Mountain Asia, there are thousands of glaciers at some stage of transforming into large lakes that may burst, barreling down mountainsides. The recent Nepal incident is but a warning, according to Jason Gulley, professor of geology, University of South Florida, who focuses on glacier hydrology. (The Melting Glacier in Nepal Was a Time Bomb. There are More to Come, The New York Times, August 28, 2026)

Professor Gulley understands the dynamics of cascading glaciers. Since 2005, he’s made six expeditions to the Khumbu region to study how glaciers disintegrate into hazardous lakes.

So far, here’s what’s known: “What’s clear at this point is that a giant hunk of glacier peeled off the side of the mountain, tumbled down 4,000 vertical feet and slammed into a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River in China. Originally misidentified as an earthquake, the mountain-shaking event registered as a 5.2 magnitude seismic event. Moments later, a wall of rocks and water blasted through the Gyriong Port building as the flood barreled down the valley,” Ibid.

Stop CO2 Emissions or Suffer More Glaciers Barreling Down Mountainsides

“Unless the carbon dioxide emissions that are heating the planet are curbed, scientists project warming across High Mountain Asia, a broad region encompassing........

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