Melting glaciers in northern Pakistan blamed for rising number of dangerous outburst floods

Pakistan is home to more than 7,000 glaciers, more than anywhere else in the world. As ice sheets in northern Pakistan melt at a faster pace because of climate change, nearby areas are being caught up in potentially deadly outburst floods. Glacial lake outburst floods happen when water is suddenly released from a lake fed by glacier melt collecting at the side, front, within, beneath or even on top of the ice sheets. In the first six months of 2022, there were 16 outburst floods, compared with…