Qinghai-Tibet Glaciers Melting Threatens Billions

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• published: 15 Mar 2013
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Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews Experts of the World Meteorological Organization found that after years of observation, 85-90% of the glaciers are rapidly melting in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, which is known as "the roof of the world." This will become a serious threat to billions of people's lives. Let's understand this phenomenon together. On March 13th, a meeting regarding "Polar Observations, Research and Services" organized by the World Meteorological Organization was held in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province. Xiao Chengde, researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at the meeting that China has joined the observation and study of the so-called polar regions since 1980. After years of observation, it shows that 85-90% of glaciers in the Earth's "Third Pole", Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, is rapidly melting. Xu Xiaofeng, Deputy Secretary of China Meteorological Bureau, said the third pole is warming noticeably, which exacerbates snow melting and threaten the lives of billions of people in the future. The third pole is based at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the west Pamir and Hindu Kush mountain range, east of the Hengduan Mountains, north of the Kunlun Mountains and Qilian Mountains, and south of the Himalayas. A total of 100,000 square kilometers of glaciers is the source of more than 10 major rivers in Asia, including the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Ganges. As early as in 2005, the ecological geological survey showed that a marked deterioration occurred in the last 30 years in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's ecological environment. A large area of the glaciers receded, at the average reduction of 147.36 square kilometers per year. In view of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau glacier snow line, only 50% of the total glacial area will be left by 2090. Hu Jia, environmental protection activist in Beijing, said, when he went to the Tibetan Plateau in 2005, that he saw glaciers in a large area having retreated. Hu Jia: "When traveling by car in Hoh Xil of the Tibetan plateau, we actually drove in a large area— the bottom of the Queen-Mother-Jade-Pound. We were at a huge lake area, which had totally dried up. The environmental degradation in the past decade was quite obvious." Zhang Junfeng, Beijing environmental protection volunteer, pointed out that in the last 100 years, the overall global climate has increased. Zhang Junfeng: "The global warming caused the snow line to move up, from the 2000 meter mark above sea level to 3,000 meters. Thus, a large amount of glaciers below 3,000 meters started to melt. In addition, the glacier-melting results in the rising altitude of water vapor inside the Earth's atmosphere. Thus, many springs have disappeared and caused water shortage nowadays." Zhang Junfeng commented that human agricultural systems depend on a stable climate. Once the climate system shows an extreme change, a decrease in agricultural productions over a large area can take place. Zhang predicts this would likely happen in the future. Zhang Junfeng: "The vegetation and ecosystem would also be seriously affected. It weakens the functions of the original energy storage and energy conversion of the entire planet. It will worsen the Earth's global change condition and turn into a vicious cycle. Once this balance point is broken, human beings would encounter more natural disasters." The biggest threat of climate warming is that a large area of glaciers melts and causes a rising sea level. It is predicted that, if the average temperature increases from 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius, the sea level will rise 25-100cm. A sea level rise not only floods coastal lowlands, but also affects the undersea earthquake, ocean storms and ocean tides. These changes will have a direct impact on cities within 60 kilometers of the coast and socio-economic activities of billions of people. 30% of the world's major cities will be subject to the threat of ocean tides, and many islands will disappear from the map. In mid-November 2012, the World Bank released a research report, saying if the international community does not take steps to curb climate change, the global temperature will rise by four degrees by the end of this century, triggering a series of catastrophes including extreme heat waves, global food stocks decline, rising sea levels, and dying coral reefs. The entire world will be affected. 《神韵》2013世界巡演新亮点 http://www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org/