Insane global climate: Himalayan glacial flood kills 200 people

As of February 2021, environmental disasters are occurring simultaneously in various parts of the world. More than half of the U.S. is suffering or suffering from winter storms accompanied by cold waves and heavy snow, as the lowest temperature drops close to 20 degrees Celsius. In Texas, etc., civilization is temporarily cut off due to blackouts, water outages, traffic paralysis, and food products caused by cold waves and heavy snow.

Realization of environmental disasters caused by climate change

Europe and the Near East, including the Mediterranean region, where the climate is mild, are also suffering from abnormal cold and heavy snowfall. Even in the Himalayan mountains in northern India, a glacial flood caused by the fall of mountain glaciers has killed more than 200 people. The weather is always invariant, but the recent situation is clearly beyond the normal range in terms of degree and frequency. It is a concern that the environmental disaster caused by climate change is becoming a reality.

This environmental catastrophe occurred in the midst of a global village that had suffered from a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) for the year 2020, seeking hope with the expansion of vaccinations in the new year. Following Corana 19, now is the time to take full interest in climate change. Look at the situation.

#One. The United States is experiencing a cold wave. A power outage continued due to the freezing of power facilities as the winter ice and snow storms and cold waves caused by the temperate cyclone hit the area. The cold wave started on February 10-11. In some areas, the temperature has dropped close to -20 degrees Celsius. There are many places where traffic is paralyzed due to the blizzard. According to the New York Times (NYT), more than 150 million out of 330 million Americans suffered from cold waves and blizzards. At least 9 people were killed.

According to NYT, ice and snow storms raged from the Rio Grande River, which borders Mexico at the southern tip of the United States, to northern central Ohio. Heaving in Midwest Minnesota has dropped to -38 degrees Celsius. The blizzard caused power outages in 14 states. Cold waves and heavy snow have disrupted traffic in many southern states. In Georgia, a tornado related to winter storms also occurred, causing damage to some villages.
On February 11th, almost all areas, except Florida and Georgia in the southeastern United States, South Carolina and North Carolina, and California and southern Arizona in the west, fell to subzero weather. In particular, temperatures in the Midwest and northern regions of southern Texas dropped to -18 degrees Celsius. In the meantime, the temperature was between -17 and 0 degrees below zero.

Texas had an unprecedented cold wave. According to Weather US, a weather information site, in Texas in February, the highest temperature in the daytime ranges from 14.4 to 23.9 degrees Celsius by region, and the minimum temperature ranges from -3.3 to 13.3 degrees Celsius. In Austin, the capital city of south-central Texas, average temperatures range from 7.2 to 18.3 degrees Celsius. Western El Paso rises to 17.2 degrees Celsius when warm and drops to 2.8 degrees Celsius on cold nights. Such a cold wave hit such an area.

Warm southern Texas is considered the most severely affected by the cold weather. A massive power outage has occurred for several days, the water supply has been cut, and the refrigerator is not being used, leading to a food shortage. Ice and snow storms hit the area again on the 13th and 17th following February 10th-11th. More than 3.6 million people have suffered power outages, and some have spent days without electricity. It means that parts of Texas have turned into a’refugee camp’ with no electricity, no water, and no food.

In response to the blackout, some Republican politicians, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, blamed the freezing of wind turbines and shutting them down due to an abnormal cold. However, the New York Times and others argue that the main cause is the freezing of natural gas pipelines.
There is no disagreement that Texas has not prepared for such a cold wave in advance, but there are debates whether it is possible to accuse the state of the southern United States of the mild climate of not preparing for this degree.

#2. The Mediterranean region is experiencing unusually heavy snow along with cold waves. The BBC reported that on February 18th, the largest snow fell in six years in Jerusalem, Israel. With these eyes, Jerusalem, the common holy place of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, was covered in snow. In particular, the dome of the rock built on the temple mount, which both Judaism and Islam regard as a holy place, was covered with white snow, and people made snowmen and had a snowball fight in front of it.

Since weather observations began in 1870, Jerusalem experienced massive snowfall in January and February 1950, and in 2013, it hit the Middle East and recorded 40-70 cm of snow in the cold.
Even in Athens, Greece, known for its mild climate, heavy snow fell on February 16, covering the Parthenon and the streets. Because of this, traffic was paralyzed and the coronavirus vaccination was temporarily suspended.

In France, heavy snow fell on February 10, covering the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre hills in Paris. In the northern regions, including Paris, traffic was paralyzed and many trains and buses were suspended.

Britain also suffered cold and snow on February 10th and 11th. Britain is a region where warm weather continues in winter thanks to the Gulf Stream and rains instead of snow. Sometimes, when subzero weather is forecast, a large mobilization of police and administrative forces to move homeless people on the streets to safe places is enough to top the front page of the newspaper. However, on February 11, the UK reported the coldest weather in 26 years since 1995, when some areas fell to minus 23 degrees Celsius, the Daily Telegraph reported. After weather observations, Britain’s lowest temperature record was -27.2 degrees Celsius, recorded on December 30, 1995 and January 10, 1982.

#3. The environmental disaster in India differs from the environmental catastrophes in the United States, Europe, and the Near East in that it suffered great casualties. There was a situation that threatened our safety and our lives.
February 7, Uttarakhand, northern India. Sudden flooding occurred in the Himalayan alpine region, completely destroying one dam and hydroelectric power plant and partially destroying the other. The accident was fatal when the reports from AP·AFP communication, BBC·CNN broadcast, and local India Express are combined. As the floods swept villages and roads, more than 200 people were reported missing in the early days of the accident. Only some of the people trapped in the tunnel under construction were rescued, most were found dead, or even the bodies could not be recovered.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter right after the accident that “India is with Uttarakhand Province, and the state prays for the safety of everyone in the region,” the BBC reported.
LK Shin said of the Defense Research and Development Organization of India, who was dispatched to the site and investigated the cause of the accident, “As a result of aerial reconnaissance, this accident was first caused by a glacier hanging at the end of a huge glacier, falling into a glacial lake, and a large amount of water overflowing into a narrow valley. “It seems that there has been a problem,” the Guardian of the British daily newspaper reported, citing local media in India.

Winter glacier collapse unusual… Double the melting rate
The Guardian points out that scientists are very unusual for glaciers to fall in winter. Nevertheless, there have been warnings that glacial melting due to climate change will cause major problems in the region in the next few years. According to a 2019 survey, the melting rate of glaciers in the Himalayan mountains doubled from 2000, reaching 50 cm annually. “The Himalayas are like towers that contain water (glaciers) in the alpine regions,” said Dr. AP Dibri, from the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Jawalhalla Nehru University in India. It will melt.”

There are three reasons to pay attention to this case. First, it is the fact that there was a flood in the’highlands’ of the Himalayas. The accident site is in the Himalayan highlands, not far from Mt. Nandadebi, the second highest in India, at 7816 m above sea level. Mount Nandadevi is the origin of the Ganges River.
Second, it is the fact that the flood occurred suddenly. Suddenly, without warning or warning, torrents flowed from the upstream and swept through man-made facilities such as dams, hydroelectric power plants, and inhabited villages. According to the Associated Press, Sangram Singh, an employee of the Uttarkand state hydroelectric power plant, said, “Suddenly, immediately after a loud noise was heard, a torrent came down and swept away a colleague working from the bottom.”
Third, there was neither rain nor snow at the time. In alpine regions, it is common for cold water to melt snow in spring, but this flood occurred in winter. Like this, in the highlands, in the winter, the potato ware. It is unusual for large-scale human accidents to occur due to floods forming huge rapids, AFP said.
According to experts’ opinions on the cause of the flood, a huge glacier in the alpine suddenly fell on the lower glacial lake like an avalanche, and as a result, the glacial lake overflowed and flooded two rivers along the Alaknanda and Dowling Rivers. Estimate. These rivers form the upper reaches of the great Ganges. Eventually, alpine glaciers fell into the lake and the lake water overflowed, causing a glacial flood in the upper stream of the Ganges River. In this process, it is believed that the dam at the bottom collapsed due to the increased amount of water, causing secondary damage again.

Experts point out that this accident is directly related to climate change. According to The Guardian, Ansal Prakash, who led the UN’s 6th climate change assessment report as a professor at the Barti Public Policy Institute in India, said, “It can be seen as a climate change accident that fell due to the melting of glaciers in the alpine regions due to global warming.” “The impact of global warming on Korea is well known.” He pointed out that in 2013, during the monsoon (seasonal wind), when there was a lot of rain, a glacial flood occurred in Uttarakhand province, killing more than 6,000 people. He explained that the flood shows how vulnerable the Himalayan intellectuals are to climate change along with the 2013 disaster.
Atul Sati, a social activist in the Joshi Mart area, which was largely damaged by the flood, said, “The Himalayan area is an area that is vulnerable and fragile like a child.” “Even though it is a geologically unstable area, we ignored it and built dams and roads. There was a problem.”
The Uttarakhand region has played an important role in the environmental movement in India. According to The Guardian and The Times of India, women in the region launched the’Chipco Andolan’ movement in 1973 to protest reckless deforestation and preserve the environment and ecosystem. This movement, which means “to hug a tree,” originated from the action against damage to nature by linking human chains. It is evaluated as the beginning of the’non-violence, non-resistance’ environmental movement that inherited Gandhi’s spirit and method of struggle for independence.

Environmental activists in the region have filed a court lawsuit demanding that the blasting work at the nearby dam construction site in 2019 and the inflow of sediment and rivers be stopped can cause environmental disaster. The construction of dams and hydroelectric power plants at an altitude of 3700m, just below the Himalayas, is contrary to the recommendations of experts. In 2013, the Supreme Court of India formed a committee headed by Ravi Chopra, the head of the People’s Science Committee and a member of the Himalayan Conservation Foundation, a scientist after the glacial flood in 2013 to make recommendations to prevent recurrence.
The Ravi Chopra Committee recommended that dams, beams, and hydroelectric power plants should not be built in the elevation of more than 2000 m of liberation. It was pointed out that it was dangerous to construct dams and highways because the glaciers at 2000 m above sea level are’extra-glacial areas’ where rocks and soils are unstable due to melting glaciers. Nevertheless, the local government continued to build dams in the area, and this time an accident occurred. The area where the accident happened this time is also in the’ideal glacier area’. Dr. Chopra pointed out, “Even though we are concerned that extreme weather phenomena will become more frequent due to climate change, the development project continues, making the situation even more serious.” “To prevent the recurrence of this environmental catastrophe, the Indian government must listen to the advice and warnings of scientists and environmentalists,” he said.

US President Biden receives momentum from’zero carbon’
As environmental catastrophes of unbearable levels appear one after another in the global village, the’zero carbon’ strategy proposed by President Joe Biden of the United States is gaining momentum. President Biden is willing to completely change the policy of former Donald Trump in the field of environment and energy. On the day of January 20, when the inauguration ceremony was held, Trump signed an executive order to return to the Paris Climate Agreement, which had unilaterally withdrawn, demonstrates this will. Reducing carbon emissions is now an essential condition, not an option for human survival.
President Biden will invest $2 trillion in the clean energy sector over the next four years to promote a’zero carbon emission policy’. The electric power sector plans to undergo a major reorganization with the goal of zero carbon emissions by 2035. There are two main ways to secure energy while reducing carbon emissions. It is a way to increase the ratio of renewable energy or expand nuclear power with no carbon emission. Or there is a way to pursue both at the same time. The founder of Microsort, Chairman Bill Gates, strongly supported the zero-carbon policy by interviewing, contributing, and publishing a book entitled Bill Gates, How to Avoid Climate Change (Youngsa Kim). It even warned that humanity would be extinct due to environmental catastrophe if carbon zero was not achieved by 2050. Chairman Gates presented nuclear power as a representative zero-carbon energy source.

Gates is interested in zero-carbon nuclear power
Nuclear power is a representative’zero carbon energy source’ with no carbon emission at all. Renewable energy such as solar power or wind power generation has a high possibility of’output intermittent’ and a power outage due to the increase in utilization rate depending on the weather. Accordingly, it is necessary to prepare an alternative power generation facility using natural gas with low carbon emissions by spending a large amount of money. The cost of the country is high and the power supply becomes unstable. To achieve zero carbon emissions, there is a limit to renewable energy alone, and there is no choice but to expand nuclear power.
The US Department of Energy has recently made active investments in the development and introduction of small modular reactors (SMRs) with high safety. With the global environmental catastrophe that shook 2021, especially the blackout in Texas, which is famous for producing crude oil and natural gas in the United States, the Biden administration has no choice but to spur a more rational zero-carbon policy. The ripple effect will not be limited to the United States. Humans who have witnessed the era of environmental disaster are now bound to open the era of new zero carbon technology development and industrialization.

In-Taek Chae International Reporter [email protected]