The concern expressed by the Dalai Lama over the threat that climate change poses to Tibet is well founded, as the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) pointed out on Monday. "The melting of tens of thousands of glaciers in the Himalayas threatens not only Tibetans, but also well over a billion people all over South and Southeast Asia," said Ulrich Delius, head of the STP's Asia section in Göttingen. "China's response to glacial melt has been the construction of more dams – which causes more problems than it solves." According to secret US documents released by Wikileaks in mid-December, the spiritual and international leader of the Tibetans told US diplomats as early as summer 2009 that environmental problems in his country, such the melting glaciers, had to be combated immediately, while political talks with China could wait for several more years.

According to scientists, some 82 percent of the 46,000 glaciers in Tibet are showing signs of melting. Their total area is three times larger than Belgium. The glaciers are melting at different rates in different areas, some losing up to 7% of their volume each year. The melting also affects the more than 6000 glacial lakes in Tibet, with consequences in some cases devastating. They are overflowing their banks and causing landslides, sometimes in very narrow valleys.

China's officials want to exploit climate change for the expansion of hydroelectric power production. More than 100 dams are slated for construction on seven large rivers: Salween, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Indus, Ganges, Yangtze and Yellow River. Those who live near the rivers are forcibly relocated. In Lhünzhub County, for example, north of the city of Lhasa, approximately 4000 Tibetans will be forced out of their homes to make room for a reservoir.

"The construction of new dams in one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world is irresponsible, because widespread poor construction will make dam breaks unavoidable," warned Delius. "Moreover, the construction of the dam is not a logical solution, because as the glaciers disappear, the amount of water in glacial lakes and rivers will steadily decrease." Furthermore, the water power project is exacerbating conflicts with China's neighboring countries, who are worried about their own water supply.

Dams and climate change will also accelerate the destruction of 51,350 square miles of wetlands in Tibet. The disappearance of the wetlands and the melting of almost 580,000 square miles of permafrost in Tibet will present acute dangers for the world's climate, as these areas store huge amounts of carbon dioxide. "China's government is being short-sighted and is not facing up to its enormous ecological responsibility," criticized Delius. "With the expansion of hydroelectric power, they merely hope to create cheap power for their booming industrial sector."

For further information please contact Ulrich Delius: 0049-551-4990627

Translated by Elizabeth Crawford