Tibet plateau as clean as North Pole: report

(Xinhua) Updated: 2015-11-18 11:04

Highlights of the report

70 scientists from the world began the research since 2012
They said the Tibetan plateau gets warmer, moister, particularly over the past 50 years;
And glacier on Tibetan plateau has been backing off since the 20th century, and at a faster speed since 1990s;
And 81 percent of the permafrost on the Tibetan plateau will possibly disappear around 2100;
And Natural disasters are on the rise on the Tibetan plateau.
However, they added that the government has started to restore environment. China has closed 40 mining companies which failed to meet environmental standards in Tibet since 2010; And the ecological environment along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest railway, is recovering after its first five years of operation
The report also proposes ecological protection in Changtang of Tibetan plateau, a habitat for wild animals including Tibetan antelopes and yaks.

Tibet plateau as clean as North Pole: report

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BEIJING - Several data revealed by a global research endeavor showed that the Tibetan plateau remains one of the world's cleanest regions despite pollutants discharged by surrounding regions.

"The environment background value of pollutants in the Tibetan plateau, which is similar to that of the Arctic, is remarkably lower than that of densely-populated areas," said an environment change evaluation report organized by the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Pollutants in the air of the plateau, such as black carbon and heavy metal, have increased by two times since the 1950s, the report said.

Citing lake and ice core records, the report said South Asia and Central Asia are the two major contributors to the plateau's black carbon, a climate forcing agent which heats atmosphere and warms the Earth.

The average deposition of black carbon in southeastern and central parts of the plateau from the beginning of this century was three times the average in the period between the 1950s and the 1980s.

"Black carbon on the plateau is now at its highest level in nearly 100 years, which is lower than that in the Alps in France and similar to the Arctic," the report said.

Though the level of heavy metal recorded in ice and lake cores of the plateau is higher than or similar to the south and north pole regions, it is much lower than that in densely-populated areas.

In addition, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the air remain at a relatively low level, which is close to or lower than that in the Arctic region or the Alps.

The plateau's disaster risks increase as climate is warming and human activities are increasing.

If humans continue to exert a positive influence on environment and improve disaster early warning capability, the low environment background value as one of the world's cleanest areas could be maintained, the report said.

The CAS institute describes the Tibetan plateau in its report as the areas mainly in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, with an average altitude of over 4,500 meters.