On the morning of August 26, a glacial collapse in the Himalayas triggered a flash flood that sent ice, mud, rocks and fast-moving water through a valley in Nepal, wiping out entire communities. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi is joined by Lou Del Bello, who has been reporting on the disaster for Bloomberg News from New Delhi. They discuss what can be done to keep mountain communities safe, and why events like this are likely to become more frequent in a warming world.

Explore further:
Nepal Races to Find Missing Amid Threats of Further Flooding 
What Caused Nepal’s Deadly Flash Flood? Here’s What We Know
Nepal: The World's Mountains Are Ticking Time Bombs - Bloomberg
A Building Boom in the Himalayas Threatens Climate Disasters
The Swiss Alps Reckon With the Threat of Collapsing Glaciers
Sound of the week: CRYING GLACIER - The inner sounds of a glacier

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Sommer Saadi, Laura Millan and Alyssa McDonald. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

On the morning of August 26, a glacial collapse in the Himalayas triggered a flash flood that sent ice, mud, rocks and fast-moving water through a valley in Nepal, wiping out entire communities. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi is joined by Lou Del Bello, who has been reporting on the disaster for Bloomberg News from New Delhi. They discuss what can be done to keep mountain communities safe, and why events like this are likely to become more frequent in a warming world.
Explore further:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-30/nepal-warns-of-more-floods-as-rescue-efforts-risk-disruption?itm_source=record&amp;itm_campaign=Nepal-Tibet_Floods&amp;itm_content=Latest-0">Nepal Races to Find Missing Amid Threats of Further Flooding</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-27/nepal-flash-floods-what-causes-them-and-why-the-country-is-so-vulnerable?srnd=undefined">What Caused Nepal&rsquo;s Deadly Flash Flood? Here&rsquo;s What We Know</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-08-27/nepal-the-world-s-mountains-are-ticking-time-bombs?srnd=undefined&amp;sref=jjXJRDFv">Nepal: The World's Mountains Are Ticking Time Bombs - Bloomberg</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-india-climate-disaster-himalayas/">A Building Boom in the Himalayas Threatens Climate Disasters</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-swiss-glacier-collapse-risk/">The Swiss Alps Reckon With the Threat of Collapsing Glaciers</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Sound of the week: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MkjeEEDlQU&amp;t=279s">CRYING GLACIER - The inner sounds of a glacier</a></li>
</ul>
Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Sommer Saadi, Laura Millan and Alyssa McDonald. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/green">https://www.bloomberg.com/green</a>.

Zero is about the tactics and technologies taking us to a world of zero emissions. Each week Bloomberg’s award-winning reporter Akshat Rathi talks to the people tackling climate change – a venture capitalist hunting for the best cleantech investment, scientists starting companies, politicians who have successfully created climate laws, and CEOs who have completely transformed their businesses. The road to zero emissions has many paths and everyone’s got an opinion about the best route. Listen in.

Zero: The Climate Race

Zero

Nepal disaster shows how mountains are becoming less stable

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/30eec2d5-5490-4f28-89b5-b4b6013eef88/transcript