New Pulitzer Center Project Now LIVE – Tibetan Plateau & Climate Change

Climate-Change-Tibetan-Plateau
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

I’m delighted to announce the launch of my new project for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, “MELTDOWN: CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU”, which just launched today on their website.

This project will take an in-depth look at many of the challenges facing the plateau and its people, as a result of warming temperatures and a changing climate in the region. Here is the project overview…

The Tibetan Plateau covers approximately 25 percent of China’s surface area, spreading out over 2.5 million sq. km in the west of the country. It is home to the largest store of freshwater outside of the North and South Poles, feeding water into Asia’s major rivers which supply water to over a billion people.

As a result of anthropogenic climate change, temperatures are rising on the Tibetan Plateau faster than anywhere else in Asia. The effects of these changes are becoming more evident in the form of melting glaciers, increasing desertification and degraded grasslands.

Forced resettlement programs have been introduced to relocate tens of thousands of nomads who are blamed for contributing to the deterioration of the plateau. Increased mining operations near so-called protected areas also fuel degradation on the plateau creating conflicts between native Tibetans and Han Chinese.

This project highlights the major challenges associated with climate change and the resulting social issues that have appeared in recent years. The vivid transformations on the Tibetan Plateau have important ramifications not only for China, but also for the rest of Asia as climate patterns change across the continent and fragile communities are further threatened.

I’m halfway shooting this project, so please stay tuned for many more updates from the field.

For realtime updates, find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!

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One Comment

  1. Sean, this is very important work and ties in very well with this month’s National Geographic article on “Tibetan Gold.” What happens with the flora and fauna change drastically due to temperature rise? This will impact the ghost moth and consequently the fungus that feeds on them, and thus also the income of many people on the Tibetan Plateau. Good luck with the rest of the project!

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