After Himalayan disasters, mountain nations urge COP31 to turn recognition into action

ANTALYA, Türkiye, 15 November 2026  – A series of devastating mountain disasters across the Hindu Kush Himalaya has exposed growing climate risks, gaps in preparedness, and the urgent need for stronger international cooperation, funding and action, speakers warned at COP31 today.

Representatives from the Governments of Nepal and Bhutan, the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said recent disasters in Nepal and Bhutan demonstrate how rapidly climate-related hazards are escalating in some of the world’s most vulnerable mountain regions.

The warning comes less than three months after a catastrophic rock-and-ice collapse above Nepal’s Rasuwa district triggered a devastating flood that tore through the Trishuli valley and across the Nepal-China border corridor, causing widespread destruction, significant loss of life and billions of dollars in damage. In October, another ice-rock avalanche struck Nepal’s Gorkha district, while a glacial lake outburst flood in Bhutan’s Shintaphu region damaged roads, bridges and livelihoods downstream.

The speakers said these events are not isolated disasters but signs of a changing mountain risk landscape that threatens communities, infrastructure, water security and economies across the region.

“Every time there’s a disaster in the Himalayas, we tend to call it a wake-up call,” said Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD. “The question before us is: what will it take for us to wake up and take action?”

Scientists highlighted new evidence from the Rasuwa disaster showing that satellite observations detected significant movement on the Langtang Lirung slope in the weeks before its collapse, demonstrating the potential for new monitoring technologies to help identify high-risk mountain areas before catastrophe strikes.

However, participants stressed that science alone cannot save lives if it is not matched by investment, preparedness and regional cooperation.

The flood surge reached the border corridor within minutes, highlighting how rapidly mountain hazards can move across national boundaries and overwhelm conventional warning systems. Speakers called for stronger transboundary monitoring, real-time exchange of hazard information, coordinated early warning systems and improved cooperation among countries sharing mountain ecosystems and river basins.

The panel also drew attention to new findings from the recent ICCI–UNEP report Overshoot and the Cryosphere, which warns that exceeding 1.5°C of global warming would lead to irreversible losses of snow and ice, increasing the risks of floods, water insecurity and mountain hazards for generations.

“There is no negotiating with the melting point of ice. Ice melts at zero degrees,” said Pam Pearson, Director of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. “Overshoot should not be normalised. For the world’s ice, it means emergency situations.”

Speakers warned that mountain regions are already experiencing warming rates above the global average and said decisions taken this decade will shape the future of glaciers, water supplies and mountain communities across Asia.

The press conference followed the High-Level Dialogue on Advancing the Mountain Agenda, convened on 12 November by Bhutan, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with support from ICIMOD. Participants said the dialogue reflects growing momentum among mountain countries to ensure mountain-specific risks and vulnerabilities receive sustained attention within international climate negotiations.

While mountain issues have gained increasing recognition in recent UN climate processes, speakers stressed that recognition alone will not protect communities from future disasters.

“The Himalayas are often seen as a Shangri-La, a place of peace and meditation,” said Sonam Tashi, Director of the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Bhutan. “But climate change is affecting us, and that Shangri-La is under threat.”