The Tibetan plateau, a crucial hub for global climate change and a vital resource for the world’s ten most densely populated nations, faces mounting threats. China’s aggressive dam-building agenda seeks to exploit the region’s natural resources, often neglecting the environmental, climatic, social, and cultural repercussions. If left unchecked, this approach risks replicating the ecological damage and instability caused by unrestrained industrialization in Tibet. To prevent such outcomes, it is essential to adopt a sustainable strategy that harmonizes human rights, regional stability, climate accountability, and the development of genuinely renewable energy solutions.
China’s plans for Tibet include a series of large dams on the Yarlung Zangbo River, which flows west through Tibet before forming the Brahmaputra River, which runs south into India and Bangladesh. China has already commenced construction of several large dams on the river’s lower reaches and is planning further projects in the region. These will alter the river’s flow, potentially affecting millions downstream in India and Bangladesh and causing significant environmental impacts.
These plans are also dangerous because they threaten Tibet’s unique biodiversity. The region is a seismically active zone with numerous high-altitude glaciers and is home to unique animal and plant species not found elsewhere on Earth. Dams are hazardous in this environment because they can trigger landslides and other natural disasters.
In addition, the vast dams require massive amounts of fossil fuels to construct because building the high walls of a hydro dam is labor-intensive. The process involves importing fossil fuel-generated cement, blasting rock from steep valley walls, trucking the rocks to the construction site, and compacting them to make them heavy enough to support the massive walls that will hold back the river’s waters. The resulting carbon emissions are more than the dams’ power output combined.
Furthermore, most of the proposed dams are located in or near UNESCO World Heritage sites and buffer zones and will likely displace local communities. Compensation for displaced people has been calculated to be about 200,000 yuan per household, which could divide families and drive many youth to the cities for better opportunities.
To protect Tibet’s ecosystem and its people, the PRC must stop all planning, proposing, and construction of large hydropower dams in the country. In addition, it must ensure the right of all affected communities to free prior and informed consent to any project that may impact them. Finally, it must protect human rights and civil society groups that work to raise these concerns and ensure that Tibet’s people have the means to fight for their rights. The future of this region — and the planet — depends on it. Unless the PRC adopts a different course, Tibet will continue to suffer from decades of unchecked development and will face an inevitable future of regional instability, poverty, and conflict.