There was “absolutely no doubt that human-induced climate change played a role here in the preconditioning of the disaster”, said Dr Friederike Otto, a climatologist at Imperial College London who co-authored the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The World Weather Attribution study said the disaster was the result of a “compound event” caused by rising temperatures, thinning glaciers, thawing permafrost and pre-existing geological weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The findings came as Nepali authorities significantly revised the number of people missing in the disaster from 5,179 to 6,150.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The death toll still remains at around 1,400, according to figures released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Massive floods and landslides swept through border towns and villages in Nepal and Tibet, wiping out thousands of houses, destroying energy infrastructure and leaving thousands dead or missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scientists say the floods were caused by a collapse of rock wall and glacier icenear the peak of Langtang Lirung, a mountain on Nepal’s side of the Himalayas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The collapsing debris hit the bottom of a valley with such force that it registered as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, according to United States Geological Survey (USGS) data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The World Weather Attribution study published on Thursday said climate change was a “destabilising factor acting on a pre-existing geological predisposition”, but it was not the only cause of the disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the study, July and August temperatures in the area were around 1.5C (34.7F) warmer “due to human influence on the climate”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, glaciers in the region had also been thinning by about half a metre (1.6ft) a year, which could weaken existing fractures and increase instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heavy snowfall last October and November also added to a large amount of meltwater early this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This combination of activities “may have interacted to amplify the compound event,” the study said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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