From Nepal, No Love

Nepal, the land of the Himalayas, has a unique geography that also makes it highly vulnerable to natural hazards. The recent devastating floods that struck the country have sent a clear message: nations like Pakistan are not immune to the growing threats of climate change, melting glaciers, and natural disasters.

On the morning of 26 August, a massive section of glacier high in the Himalayas on the Nepal–Tibet border suddenly collapsed. The force of the falling ice and rock generated a seismic signal equivalent to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake and unleashed a powerful flood wave of water, mud, and debris that gave people almost no time to escape. The torrent tore through valleys, destroying power projects, roads, and bridges. More than 1,400 people in Nepal and China were killed, while over 5,000 Nepalis and Chinese citizens, along with hundreds of foreign tourists, remain missing.

The recent disaster in Nepal has once again focused global attention on climate change, with rising temperatures in the Himalayas cited as a major contributing factor. Environmental experts say a warming atmosphere is accelerating the melting of glaciers, altering snow and ice reserves, and weakening permafrost and ice structures at high altitudes. As a result, rocks and ice formations that had remained relatively stable for centuries are becoming increasingly unstable.

Unlike conventional floods caused by heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers, this disaster was triggered by the sudden collapse of glaciers and rocks. The economic cost of the destruction is estimated at more than $5 billion — roughly 10 percent of Nepal’s economy.

The recent devastation is not Nepal’s burden alone — it is a regional concern. Like Nepal, Pakistan contributes little to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the Himalayan region has become a critical hotspot for climate impacts. Low-emitting countries are increasingly forced to absorb the consequences of emissions produced elsewhere.

For Pakistan the stakes are particularly high. Its northern ranges — the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalayas — contain more than 7,000 glaciers and numerous glacial lakes. Global indices rank Pakistan among the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change. Rapid glacial melt is already elevating the risk of sudden, destructive floods.

Nearly 70 percent of the water in Pakistan’s rivers comes from glaciers. Accelerated melting in recent years, however, threatens to turn this vital resource into a source of catastrophe. The country has already endured some of its worst flooding in 2010 and 2022, when about one-third of its territory was submerged.

The devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet are not a distant tragedy for Pakistan — they are a clear warning. The disaster has shown that, under climate change, the dangers facing mountain regions go far beyond conventional floods, heavy rain, or earthquakes. Glacier collapses, glacial lake outbursts, landslides, and the sudden, highly destructive floods they can trigger within minutes are now tightly interconnected threats.

Pakistan should rethink its development model for the northern regions, placing the protection of human life above tourism, trade and employment

Pakistan’s northern areas, especially Gilgit-Baltistan and the mountainous parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are rapidly emerging as centres of tourism, trade and construction, attracting growing numbers of domestic and foreign visitors. This presents a valuable economic opportunity. Yet if development continues without regard for climatic and geographical risks, the very natural beauty and economic activity we aim to promote could themselves become the source of future tragedies.

Success in the years ahead will not be measured by how many roads, hotels or buildings are constructed in the mountains, but by how safely those destinations are managed. Pakistan should therefore rethink its development model for the northern regions, placing the protection of human life above tourism, trade and employment. True sustainable development requires that economic progress advance together with disaster preparedness, climate resilience, and the safety of both local communities and visitors.