Expert: Glacier Changes May Force Relocation of People and Infrastructure in Europe Too
Kristaps Lamsters, a glacier researcher at the University of Latvia, says retreating glaciers and unstable mountain slopes may require moving people and infrastructure in the Alps as well. He spoke in the context of August floods in Nepal.
Retreating glaciers and unstable mountain slopes may make it necessary to relocate people and infrastructure in Europe as well. This was said by Kristaps Lamsters, associate professor at the University of Latvia, geologist and glacier researcher, on the news agency LETA's podcast “Kas tas vispār bija?!” (“What Was That?!”). The conversation was prompted by the aftermath of mountain disasters in Nepal, where floods caused severe damage in August.
Situation in Nepal
According to The Associated Press, Nepal's government announced on Monday that search and rescue operations for victims of the August floods had ended. The focus will now shift to reconstruction. On Sunday, 11 October, new floods on the Budhi Gandaki river led to the evacuation of residents and damaged buildings.
The Alps
Lamsters stressed that the threat linked to glacier change also affects the Alps. A large share of Alpine glaciers is projected to vanish by the end of the century, but the extent of the losses will depend on future warming. “We may have to relocate infrastructure and relocate people,” the researcher said.
He explained that heat affects both glaciers and rock. Meltwater seeps into cracks and can reach the base of a glacier, promoting sliding. When ice thaws within rock fissures, slope stability may change. However, the general understanding of warming's effects is not yet enough to identify the specific trigger of a given landslide: assessing each slope requires data on its structure and long-term observations.
According to Lamsters, the Alps will not disappear as a mountain range, but the places where it is possible to live, travel and maintain infrastructure safely may change. In narrow valleys, relocation is difficult, as homes and roads are often built wherever there was room for them.
What can be done
The researcher emphasised that even under unfavourable forecasts it makes sense to reduce emissions and prepare for change. Slower warming would give more time to adapt. “That does not mean we have nothing to do. Quite the opposite,” he said.
