Melting glaciers of Tibet worrying, troublesome for all regions
Jun 07, 2022
Lhasa [Tibet], June 7 : The melting glaciers of Tibet are worrying and troublesome for all the regions that depend on it as their ultimate source of water.
Over 1.5 billion people across the continent of Asia rely on Tibet for their source of water since the largest rivers in Asia such as the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, the Mekong and the Yangtze all flow from Tibet.
The growth and severity of the climate crisis in Tibet have however made the region susceptible to great loss, reported Tibet Press.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) published a report in which they made the prediction that at least a third of the region will melt due to the climate crisis and this issue will remain so or get worse if the carbon emission is not monitored or lessened drastically.
Tibetans inside Tibet have protested and are fighting endlessly for their rights and also for the Communist party to stop exploiting Tibet's environment and abundant natural resources.
Tibetans believe in preserving their environment but that has not been possible since China's entry. Mass Hunting began early on in the land and the Chinese government also encouraged large-scale illegal poaching across Tibet.
Tibet's forest cover dropped immensely due to excessive deforestation by state logging enterprises. The rate at which this happened even led to flood in many regions, reported Tibet Press.
Tibet, being the home to many natural resources also had to face issues of excessive mining. This was done to boost the businesses but this not only destroyed the land and its quality, lessened the number of natural resources but also led to toxic waste from the industries being released in the rivers which ended up in major pollution issues.
A news piece published by Radio Free Asia (RFA) in 2020 has the statement of a Tibetan man named Gyaltsen who said, "Tibet as the Roof of the World used to have a pristine environment, with hardly any problems with air and water. (But) the Chinese have excessively exploited Tibetan natural resources, and this has created issues with air and water pollution, and many animal species are now extinct."
Tibetans were once also known popularly for their nomadic lifestyle but now the number has gone down since China's forced resettlement of nomads.
The nomads being completely unaware of the different lifestyles face serious troubles to build a new lifestyle and to make their livelihoods, reported Tibet Press.
The numerous hydro projects led by the Chinese officials have also resulted in Tibetans being relocated without proper compensation and in them losing their houses and land.
Recent news came out from Tibet that the Chinese government is set again to build another major hydropower station causing the residents of the Tibetan village in north-western China's Qinghai province into forcibly being removed from their homes to make way for the project.
It is indeed sad since Tibetans are helpless when the Chinese Communist Party lays such projects and they have particularly no say in it or the rights to even question it or ask for proper compensation, reported Tibet Press.
The environmental crisis in Tibet however isn't over and the initiation of such projects would only affect the environment further.