- The WMO report warns of record heat build-up, with 2026 tracking as the fourth-warmest year due to rising greenhouse gas levels.
- Himalayan glaciers are melting twice as fast as pre-2000 levels, triggering deadly flash floods and rockslides that threaten mountain communities.
- Recent disasters in Nepal highlight urgent needs for modern early warning systems and satellite monitoring to track unstable mountain terrain.
- At COP31, Nepal is demanding climate justice through direct grants and loss and damage funding to adapt without increasing national debt.
ANTALYA, TÜRKİYE: Earth's heat is building up faster than ever, and scientists are sounding the alarm. Rising global temperatures are speeding up glacier melt, triggering avalanches, and causing sudden flash floods. These dangerous events pose a growing threat to mountain communities.
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights this danger. Released on the opening day of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, the report shows just how vulnerable Nepal’s Himalayan region is to climate change.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that sudden ice and rock slides, followed by violent flooding, threaten people living in high-altitude areas. Recent natural disasters in Nepal serve as clear examples of these mounting risks.
Nepal produces very little of the world's greenhouse gas pollution, yet it suffers some of the worst impacts. Because of this, Nepal is asking the world community for climate justice. The country is requesting direct grant money for climate defense, along with support for climate-related losses. The new WMO report backs up Nepal's call for urgent help.
Trapped Heat and Rising Temperatures
The energy balance on Earth is severely disrupted. The WMO report shows that the gap between the heat Earth gets from the sun and the heat it releases back into space is at its highest level since tracking began in 1960.
Greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, trap this excess heat in the atmosphere. Today, carbon dioxide levels are 53 percent higher than pre-industrial levels, reaching 426.8 parts per million (ppm).
Between January and September 2026, global average temperatures were 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels. This trend puts 2026 on track to be the fourth-warmest year on record. The hottest year ever recorded remains 2024, when temperatures reached 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels.
To make matters worse, a developing El Niño in the Pacific Ocean could release even more trapped ocean heat into the air, pushing global temperatures higher in the coming months.
Rapidly Melting Glaciers Impact Nepal
As a direct result of this trapped heat, mountain glaciers are melting away rapidly. In 2025 alone, glaciers around the world lost over 400 billion tonnes of ice. In fact, all 19 major monitored glacier regions have lost ice every year for the past four years.
The Hindu Kush Himalaya region is losing ice twice as fast as it did before the year 2000, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
This loss of ice endangers mountain towns. Beyond that, it threatens millions of people across South Asia who depend on glacier rivers for drinking water, farming, and hydropower electricity.
Recent events show how fast these disaster risks are turning into real damage:
August 26 Disaster: A massive wall of rock and ice broke off the northern face of Langtang Lirung in the Rasuwa–Bhotekoshi area.
Sudden Surge: The falling ice and rock slammed down and caused a dangerous flood surge along the Lhende River.
Not a Normal Flood: ICIMOD noted that this was not a typical glacial lake outburst, but a sudden flash flood triggered directly by land collapse.
This disaster exposed major gaps in Nepal’s safety systems. Current early warning setups rely mainly on rain gauges and river level monitors. Nepal urgently needs modern tools—like satellite imaging and remote sensors—to track unstable mountain rocks and shrinking glaciers before disaster strikes.
Nepal’s Goals at COP31
With climate dangers mounting globally, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is urging world leaders to ditch fossil fuels, build clean energy, and step up financial aid for vulnerable nations.
At the COP31 summit, Nepal has clear goals:
Protect fragile Himalayan ecosystems.
Secure money to help communities adapt to climate changes.
Get quick access to the international Loss and Damage Fund.
Nepal stresses that financial support must come as grants, not loans. The nation argues that countries facing climate disasters should not be forced into debt for a crisis they did not create.
Nepal wants to use this funding to move families out of high-risk zones, rebuild livelihoods, and install modern early warning systems. For Nepal, securing international aid is crucial to keeping its mountain communities and environment safe.
