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The Third Pole Is Melting
March 28th, 2019
Courtesy of The Diplomat, an article on the impact of rapidly retreating Tibetan glaciers: The Tibetan plateau, which holds the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) ice sheet, is known as the world’s “Third Pole.” It holds the largest number of glaciers and snow after the Arctic and Antarctic. The Tibetan plateau has more than 46,000 glaciers, […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Water Sharing Treaties
March 22nd, 2019
Courtesy of China Water Risk, a report on China’s water sharing protocol: China is in a hydrologically important position in Asia, sharing >40 surface waters & >20 aquifers with 17 neighbours; but its reputation on transboundary waters faces significant misunderstanding Despite voting against the UN Convention on Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses, China is party […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Belt and Road and the World’s Water Resources
February 27th, 2019
Via Reconnecting Asia, an article on the impact of China’s BRI on the world’s water resources: Officially, a central purpose of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is to promote sustainable development. According to Chinese state media portrayals of the BRI’s objectives, “China is building a green ‘Belt and Road’ to protect the green mountains throughout […]
Read more »Collapsing Glaciers Threaten Asia’s Water Supplies
February 20th, 2019
Via Nature, a study on the impact of shrinking glacial ice on Asia’s water supplies: The ‘third pole’ is the planet’s largest reservoir of ice and snow after the Arctic and Antarctic. It encompasses the Himalaya–Hindu Kush mountain ranges and the Tibetan Plateau. The region hosts the world’s 14 highest mountains and about 100,000 square […]
Read more »Asia’s Water Supply Endangered by Third Pole Warming
February 20th, 2019
Via Glacier Hub, an article on the climatological and glacial changes in the ‘third pole’, which encompasses the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and the Tibetan Plateau: It is well known that warming will deeply affect glaciers and ice at the poles. Many of the effects are observable today and will continue to impact wildlife, people, […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Can China Quench Coal’s Thirst?
February 14th, 2019
Via The Wilson Center, a look at whether western China can lower its coal-water risk: China’s war on pollution and goals to lower carbon emissions are noteworthy as the United States takes a back seat in the global energy transition. Cleaner air and low carbon efforts in China could significantly change the country’s environmental health story […]
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