Kathmandu, Sept. 2 -- The devastating August 26 Bhotekoshi flash floods have ignited an intense debate across social media and among environment experts about the ecological cost of modern technology and the growing footprint of artificial intelligence.

The floods, triggered by a massive glacial bedrock collapse dammed the Lhende river upstream before suddenly bursting, tore through settlements after settlements downstream, sweeping away homes, roads, power projects. In the wake of the unprecedented destruction, some experts and social media users in Nepal and abroad have increasingly sought to connect the vulnerability of the Himalayas to the climate crisis, and indirectly, to the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence. They...