The Tibetan Plateau is the world’s largest repository of frozen fresh water outside the polar regions. Water that originates on the “Third Pole'' supplies all ofAsia’s major rivers, and 25% of the global population – some 1.9 billion people– are directly or indirectly dependent on this hydrologic loop. But with melting on the Plateau occurring two to three times faster than the global average, these vital water sources are in peril, affecting downstream communities.
This panel will draw attention to the importance of the Tibetan Plateau for environmental, economic, and social reasons, and highlight recent findings that illustrate the urgency of reversing the Plateau’s warming. Failing to reduce global atmospheric warming and regional pollution will have devastating knock-on effects for millions of people across Asia that are reliant on the Third Pole’s water resources. This panel will discuss those implications in detail.
Martin Mills,
Director, Scottish Centre for Himalayan Research
Roland Psenner,
President, EURAC Research; former President, International Scientific Committee of Alpine Research
Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha,
Interim Deputy Director, Tibet Policy Institute
Tsechu Dolma,
Founder, Mountain Resiliency Project
Manshi Asher,
Environmental justice activist and researcher, Himdhara
Moderator: Lobsang Yangtso, Researcher, International Tibet Network
