Tibetan Glaciers Melting, Dalai Lama Claims

NEW DELHI -- The Dalai Lama said Saturday that India should be seriously concerned about the melting of glaciers in the Tibetan plateau as millions of Indians use water that comes from there.

The Tibetan spiritual leader quoted Chinese experts as saying that the Tibetan glaciers were retreating faster than any elsewhere in the world.

He called for special attention to ecology in Tibet. "It's something very, very essential," he said.

The glaciers are considered vital lifelines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganges. Once they vanish, water supplies in those regions will be threatened.

As these major rivers come from the Tibetan plateau and "since millions of Indians use water coming from the Himalayan glacier, so you have certain right to show your concern about ecology of that plateau," the Dalai Lama told an audience of about 400 Indians.

He was speaking at the centenary celebrations of India's former President R. Venkataraman in New Delhi.

"India, a free country, I think should express more serious concern, that's I think important. This is nothing to do with politics, just everybody's interest, including Chinese people also," he said.

Rising demand has put a strain on access to freshwater in India and China – which are home to more than a third of the world's population.

Comments

[siyathomas88]

02:48 AM on 05/12/2011

This is a very serious issue, which should be taken under consideration. We know we are helpless in front of nature but we can at least try to overcome this future disaster.
http://bit.ly/eJJjCF

[camiangel13]

12:07 PM on 04/07/2011

Camille Herrera English 1311

Finally people are coming to terms that we are destroying our planet and it is showing it through the climate change. It is sad that we let it get this far and the only reason we are recognizing this problem more is because the glaciers are melting which will cause a huge situation for the native people there. Once the glaciers melt completely with this water shortage the people living there will have to adapt to vast changes in order to survive or if not migrate to somewhere different.

[sbalvillar]

12:04 PM on 04/07/2011

English 1311
The glaciers play a huge role in not just the people of India's lives, but the Chinese as well. This should be a major concern for them. This will absolutely effect their everyday lifestyle. People need water to survive and once a peoples water supply is threatened, then a lot of things start to unravel. Also it should be a reality check that there is a lot of climate changes happening in our world that need to be addressed and this is just one of them.

[dragonmaster]

07:25 AM on 04/06/2011

with C02 levels at 394ppm- and rising rapidly- the glaciers will melt quicker- it seems that the world sits by in a daze and ignores the warning signs-

it due time this will come back to haunt them.

[maruizolloqui]

07:40 PM on 04/05/2011

ENGLISH 1311 Monica RuizOlloqui


Climate change and global warming have had alarming effects on the planet. The melting of glaciers is one that has shocked researchers due to the increasing rate at which they are melting. Research shows that since 1980, the rate of glacial loss has increased by over 100 times that of the previous 320 years. The glaciers in Tibet are melting faster than any other glaciers on Earth leading to loss of water supply for people in South Asia. The Tibet plateau, which is the highest land in the world, has about 15,000 glaciers that are about 23,622 feet up above sea level. The melting of these numerous glaciers has effects such as lack of water, desertification, unpredictable weather patterns, future droughts, and sandstorms. Residents can see how the rivers have been drying up, how the land is much drier and have even had to change their lifestyles in order to adapt to these changes. Many rivers that bring water supply to China and Tibet like the Yangtze, Yellow, Brahmaputra, Mekong and Salween rivers all originate in the glaciers. It has been predicted that glaciers in the Tibetan plateau will be reduced by about 50% every decade. This is just a sample of what will happen to the world in a few years therefore we should try to not do any more damage than we have already done.

[Vianey Hernandez]

07:32 PM on 04/05/2011

Laura Hernandez English 1311
I am glad someone is making a big deal about this. Even if he does nothing else, at least he brought up the issue. Now it is known, and someone must do something about it. It is essential that we start taking care of our planet. It is encouraging to know people truly care.

[camiangel13]

12:09 PM on 04/07/2011

ya its good there finally making a deal about this now, but its too late. This issue should have been taken care of earlier when we first realized the changes to save our planet.

[iacosta6]

07:31 PM on 04/05/2011

Irene Acosta English 1311

It sad to hear that people are already affected by the Tibetan Glaciers Melting. People had to move from there homes because of there walls cracking. People that had cattle, now have to get government help for food because of less water. A man said when he was little the water was high and now it is so low you can step on it. Where the was water now looks like a dessert. The US government should continue with there mission to help. Beijing and Dalai Lama, and other exiled Tibetans need to come together to also help.

[rjsilva92]

07:30 PM on 04/05/2011

English 1311 Randy Silva

The glaciers are melting at an alarming rate and it is going to affect millions of people that rely on these rivers for drinking, agriculture, and to live. More needs to be done so they can find new resources of receiving water. The greenhouse gases are causing temperatures to change drastically all over the planet. Even if we do decide to "go green" it is already too late, it might slow down the process of the melting but overall the damage is done. Global warming is upon us.

[FelipeVazquez]

07:29 PM on 04/05/2011

English 1311 – Felipe Vazquez
Unfortunately until we truly understand the reason behind the melting of these glaciers we won’t be able to come up with a solution. Not only is the rate at which glaciers melt alarming, but the number of people that depend on them is equally important. We have to consider this is going to affect the whole region and not only India and China, as scarcity of water will create massive migrations. As people move to other places looking for water, local resources will be under heavy strain. And even though we knew since the late 20th century that emissions released in one part of the world will affect other regions, we still struggle to understand the consequences of it. This is a global issue and will require our cooperation at an international level.

[Tania Chavez]

07:28 PM on 04/05/2011

English 1311 Jorge M. (continued)
With the continuation of these melting’s permafrost will begin to arise and after that no green life will be able to take its place, which will convert this country into a desert with no water sources, something must be done in India to not only help its country but its people as well.

[Tania Chavez]

07:27 PM on 04/05/2011

English 1311 Jorge M.
After the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama announced his concerns over the melting of India’s most vital source of life, he made it clear that there must be something done in order to help reverse or help slow down the process of the melting of these glaciers. I have read in earlier comments about how there is no proof that the melting of these glaciers were of cause of Global Warming or man-made reasons, but it is proven that the snow off these mountains are melting ten times faster than that of the rate three hundred years ago. It is also proven that one of the main components of Global Warming is the source of excess of CO2 emissions and bio fuels, and although plants to give off some of these components, humans are prone to give off immense amounts of this, which speed up the process and encourage higher global temperatures in the long run. People in that country survive off the water sources that the Tibetan Glaciers give off in warm summer months, the yellow river for instance is surrounded by 120 million people that depend on this river for a life source that not many people can go out and afford out of pocket, with the constant melting’s of these various mountains or peaks, many are prone to worry about the future and I believe that if nothing is done soon, not much will be able to be done to help it.

[English 1311 A Navarro]

07:27 PM on 04/05/2011

Fresh water is vital to sustain life and though the Tibetan glaciers are melting, this isn't the first case in which the climate has changed drasticall­y. The world has to change now before it is all to late. Global warming is not joke and needs to be taken serious.

[SamGonz2687]

07:24 PM on 04/05/2011

It is difficult to comprehend the world's supply of water is dwindling to nothing. However these ice bergs are not the only ones melting away. They are not warning signs of global warming, it is a growing problem that impacts everyone. Once everything is gone it would be too late to act.

Pertaining to China, expert Isabel Hilton explains, "The continuing research on these glaciers suggests that they will be gone by 2050." http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/glaciers-melting-04072009162947.html

People must not disreguard these concerns. It is something to think about. Water is essential and what will be done to conserve it or possibly renew it? What will we do so to survive? I hope the answer isn't something you would hear from the movie Idiocracy.

[MikeBissonette]

07:23 PM on 04/05/2011

English 1311 Michael Bissonette
Glacial melting is caused by global warming. Alot of people are saying it's a myth but with this kind of an impact on a global scale it will hurt people in the future or we can act now by finding alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar panels and electric cars. And using electricity less, carpooling, using gasoline as little as possible. The glaciers melting is the earth's way of telling us that we are doing harm to the earth and we need to change our ways before it gets worse. Billions of people depend on water to survive. Why would we continue to squander it?