Kathmandu, Feb. 19 -- It should not take a tragedy for the Himalaya to change its approach to mountain development. Yet every disaster that occurs is a poignant reminder that narrow solutions to short term threats are not the way forward.

On Sunday, 7 February, a glacier near Nanda Devi was bulldozed by a massive rockfall which triggered a tsunami-strength rush of water, killing hundreds downstream. This flood was yet another sign that the Himalayan region must take a broader view on climate action-one that addresses the drivers of glacial instability and considers the climate system as a whole.

The climate crisis is particularly potent in the Himalaya, where the glaciers on the roof of the world are disappearing at an unprecedented sca...