COP26 Summit: Tibet’s Delegation Denounces the Serious Existential Threat Posed by Chinese Environmental Policies 

COP26 Summit: Tibet’s Delegation Denounces the Serious Existential Threat Posed by Chinese Environmental Policies 
Tibetan Delegates at the UN COP26 Conference in Glasgow. Source: Central Tibetan Administration, 2021.

Giulia Benzi

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence. 

During the on-going UN COP26 Conference in Glasgow, the five Tibetan females constituting the country’s delegation have spoken up about the increasing deterioration of the environment in the Tibetan territory. Climate change is becoming a significant threat for the Tibetan Plateau and its rural communities, and the Chinese government activities in these areas is intensifying the already delicate situation. The Tibetan delegation is therefore denouncing China’s exploitation of the Tibetan natural resources, which also have a detrimental impact on natives’ access to water and livelihoods. 

China’s environmental policies and Tibetans’ human rights are closely linked and interdependent. As expressed by Students for a Free Tibet, “racist and oppressive policies have created an existential threat to both the lifestyle and the fragile ecosystem in Tibet”. The Tibet delegation stressed this point by recognising that China’s history of occupation plays a role in the deterioration of climate change in Tibetan territories, and this must be acknowledged by the international community as a whole. 



Sources and Further Reading:

Central Tibetan Administration. COP26 Team Tibet in Glasgow to Highlight Tibet's role in the Global Climatic System. Central Tibetan Administration. https://tibet.net/cop26-team-tibet-in-glasgow-to-highlight-tibets-role-in-global-climatic-system/ 

Lekhden, T. (2021). Tibetan delegation highlights Tibet's serious existential threat at COP26 summit. Phayul Newsdesk. https://www.phayul.com/2021/11/03/46356/