Himalayas bare and rocky after reduced winter snowfall, scientists warn

Lost Nanda Devi Nuclear Device Risk

• Commenters recall a lost plutonium power source on Nanda Devi and debate its danger.
• Rough estimates: a few hundred grams to ~3 pounds of Pu-238, half already decayed, now mostly Pu-238 and some U-234.
• Several argue this quantity, encased and localized, cannot plausibly “poison North India”; risk is local, not continental.
• Speculation that a past unexplained flood was caused by the device is dismissed: a nuclear detonation would be globally detectable.

Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict

• Many say climate-driven instability and migration are already here, citing Russian fires and the Arab Spring, Syria, and drought-related unrest in Iran.
• Disagreement over attribution: some emphasize climate; others stress governance failure, corruption, and water mismanagement as primary drivers.
• Several reference work linking food scarcity and prices to conflict risk, and predict more instability and mass migration as equatorial regions become hotter and drier.

India’s Vulnerability and Internal Politics

• One thread focuses on India: highly vulnerable Himalayan-region country with large underdeveloped populations.
• Concern that political forces encourage romantic nationalism and premodern thinking instead of scientific, technocratic adaptation.
• Counterpoints highlight progressive pockets (e.g., Kerala), but also note anti-industry union/racketeering issues and uneven “ease of doing business.”

Can Climate Change Still Be Mitigated?

• Some argue we’ve passed a “point of no return” and can only adapt; others insist every increment of avoided warming still matters.
• Broad agreement that technological tools exist; the problem is political will and unwillingness to pay or sacrifice economic growth.

Mountain Conditions and Snow Patterns

• Reduced Himalayan snow is linked to climate change, but commenters note similar patterns elsewhere: less steady winter snow, more “bomb” events and rapid melt (Japan, Cascades).
• Mountaineers say bare rock and thawing permafrost make climbing harder and more dangerous due to rockfall, not easier.

Human vs Natural Causes; “Greening” vs Decline

• A recurring debate: natural cycles vs human causation. Multiple replies point to ice cores, temperature records, and deforestation data showing unprecedented, human-driven change.
• Another long subthread disputes whether higher CO₂ will make Earth “greener”: satellite data show recent global greening, but others cite studies and models predicting net biomass or yield losses in many regions due to heat, drought, and extreme events.
• Consensus within the thread: impacts will be highly uneven, with some high-latitude greening and serious agricultural and water stress elsewhere, especially in South Asia.