Permafrost, or permanently frozen soil, on high mountain peaks provided the “glue” to keep steep mountain slopes together. However, the past decade has brought increased incidents on mountains across the world as rising temperatures destabilize the ground, turning frozen soil to mud.

US environmental consultant Daniel Tormey studied a massive landslide 11,000 years ago occurring on Chile’s Planchón-Peteroa volcano, where it was determined that glacier melt had triggered the collapse of the volcano’s cone and a landslide containing 10 billion cubic meters of rock that collided with 370 square kilometers of land.

British researcher Dr. Bill McGuire of University College London highlighted similar the threats to modern cities such as Seattle, USA, stating, “We have found that 39 cities with populations greater than 100,000 are situated within 100 kilometers of a volcano that has collapsed in the past and which may, therefore, be capable of collapsing in the future.”

We thank Mr. Tormey, Dr. McGuire and others for alerting us to this lesser-known effect of global warming facing societies around the world. May such research prompt the global community to act quickly to reverse this dangerous course in time. During a videoconference with our Association members in Canada, Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke of the most comprehensive approach to effectively address the increasing impacts of climate change.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827825.100-a-warming-world-could-leave-cities-
flattened.html
http://www.scientias.nl/opwarming-doet-vulkanen-wankelen/17985