There is an increasing risk of natural hazards due to climate change. The melting of permafrost and glaciers creates unstable substrate, increasing the risk of landslides and debris flows. For example, the exceptionally warm summer of 2003 was associated by many mass-movement events during the warm period and afterwards.

Higher temperatures will also enhance the hydrological cycle with changes in rainfall patterns and intensity. More intense precipitation may trigger debris flows and landslides, where slopes are water saturated after prolonged and/or intense rain. In the mountain regions of South and Southeast Asia, for example, stronger or more frequent monsoon events may threaten agricultural production, food security and the livelihoods of millions of people and damage vital infrastructure.
Higher winter precipitation will result in higher snow amounts above the snow line and may therefore lead to more avalanches.

Prolonged periods of high temperatures will transform areas already sensitive to fire, such as the coastal ranges of California or the Blue Mountains in Australia, into regions of sustained fire hazard and others like Tibet will face an increasing risk of desertification.

Growing human populations and a shift from agriculture to service and leisure oriented societies with ever more (tourist) infrastructure in hazard-prone sites further increase the risk of severe damage. Furthermore, mountain systems are barriers for transport, and the functioning of transport routes through the highlands is of great economic significance.

Table 1 - Climate change and the incidence of hazards in mountain regions (from Marty 2009)

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13 August 2018
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