As the world leaders gathered in Glasgow to negotiate the nitty-gritties of the climate actions, a young activist has urged them to not ignore Tibet, a region from where 10 major rivers of Asia originate and currently undergoing massive environmental damages.
“The Tibetan plateau is melting yet the world remains silent. If I were Greta Thunberg, I would say, ‘How dare you ignore Tibet?’ Glaciers in Tibet are melting, rivers in Tibet are shortening,” Yeshi Dawa, the activist based in Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh, said in a video sent out on his social media handle.
“Dear world leaders, always remember that Tibet’s environment belongs to the whole world and not just China. It affects all 7.9 billion people on this planet. Please think about Tibet for the sake of this planet,” he further said.
Stating that there is no institutional support, Dawa, the Tibetan-in-exile, said he has been working all alone to spread awareness about the cause of Tibet’s environment. He went all the way to the top of Triund, the highest trekking point near Dharmshala and photographed with a message to the COP leaders to not forget Tibet.
In Glasgow till November 12, leaders, and negotiators from across the globe would be deliberating on reducing carbon emissions to restrict the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era.
Two days ahead of the COP26 inaugural, the Dalai Lama, in a video message, had reiterated similar concerns about the effects of climate change impacting the Tibetan Plateau — the world’s ‘third pole’.
“At least in Asia, Tibet is the ultimate source of water. We should pay more attention to preservation of Tibetan ecology,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said.
