Devastating flash floods have already killed hundreds in Nepal and Tibet. And even when the floodwaters recede, the disaster doesn’t necessarily end. In the Himalayas, landslides, collapsing glaciers, floods and debris flows are triggering one another. This is a “cascading hazard”, says Daniel Parsons, a geoscientist at Loughborough University, who explains why such cascades are becoming increasingly common in a warming world.
We also have a Q&A with Stuart Dunning of Newcastle University, who is part of a team already investigating exactly what happened high in the mountains. He explains how a collapsing glacier turned into a lethal debris flow and what made it so destructive.
Meanwhile in Europe, a debate is emerging on how to challenge US tech dominance. And in Ukraine, critics want Volodymyr Zelensky to defy the constitution in order to hold wartime elections. But a political scientist warns against such a move.
