Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 10: China’s infrastructure expansion, militarisation, and resource extraction have pushed the Tibetan Plateau towards “extreme ecological stress”, warns a new report by the Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs.
Released ahead of COP30, the report titled, “Wither Tibet in the Climate Crisis Agenda?” calls for Tibet to be central in global climate policy, arguing that ecological collapse on the “Roof of the World” is already influencing water, food, and energy security across the Indo-Pacific. According to the research, Tibet is warming at more than twice the global average, and glaciers and permafrost are melting. Grasslands are degrading, threatening river systems that sustain nearly two billion people in South and Southeast Asia.
The report attributes much of this breakdown to China’s state-led development model, which has prioritised highways, railways, airports, and hydropower dams—many with dual civilian and military uses—over ecological stability. It also emphasises China’s opacity, lack of accountability, and suppression of independent environmental monitoring.
Recent developments substantiate many of the report’s warnings. In July 2025, China broke ground on a mega-dam project called Medog Hydropower Station on the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) in Medog county, Tibet, estimated to cost some 1.2 trillion yuan (USD 167–170 billion). The project plans five cascade hydropower stations and is projected to generate 300 billion kWh annually. Chinese officials claim the dam will not severely impact downstream supplies, but India, Bangladesh, and NGOs have raised concerns about downstream ecology, water flow, displacement, and biodiversity loss.
Another alarming signal came in January 2025, when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Tibet killed 126 people according to authorities, but reports claim that the number is far more and damaged four reservoirs. Experts cited this as a warning of the seismic risk in Himalayan dam building — projects in geologically unstable zones could trigger landslides or catastrophic structural failures. The incident underscores how the fragile geophysical environment of the plateau magnifies the danger of large-scale hydropower projects.
Beyond dams, environmental violations have taken other forms. In September 2025, the outdoor brand Arc’teryx (part-owned by China’s Anta) staged a fireworks display in Shigatse, Tibet, as part of a promotional campaign. The event sparked public outrage over potential damage to fragile ecosystems and the contradiction with the company’s eco-friendly image.
Mining and resource extraction across Tibet are also accelerating. In 2025, videos circulated on social media showing large-scale mining-related damage in Markham County, Chamdo including landslides, stripped hillsides, and destruction of vegetation. The region, rich in lithium, copper, rare earths, and uranium, has seen a surge in exploitation projects, often operated under opaque state-corporate partnerships with little community consultation or environmental oversight. Tibetan villagers, according to rights groups, are frequently displaced or denied compensation.
The human rights dimension of Tibet’s environmental crisis is equally troubling. Tibetan environmental defenders who speak out against illegal mining or pollution face harassment, arrest, and imprisonment. One such activist, Tsongon Tsering, was first detained in October 2024 for exposing illegal sand-and-gravel mining; his sentence was later extended. Another, A-Nya Sengdra, a respected anti-corruption and environmental advocate, had his seven-year sentence extended in August 2025 amid reports of deteriorating health in detention. Their cases highlight the severe risks faced by Tibetans attempting to protect their environment under China’s strict political controls.
These recent facts amplify the Stockholm Paper’s key assertions that Tibet is being transformed into a high-stakes ecological battleground by aggressive infrastructure, resource extraction, and limited oversight. Observers say that the situation is no longer theoretical — China’s mega-dam projects are now underway, and seismic events have reinforced the inherent risks. Smaller violations, like the Arc’teryx fireworks incident, further demonstrate how even promotional activity can ignite backlash in Tibet’s delicately balanced ecosystems.
