A prominent think tank is urging COP30 and the BRICS countries to urgently prioritise the deteriorating climate crisis on the Tibetan Plateau, warning that ignoring the region could undermine global ecological stability.
The call comes from the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo‑Pacific Affairs (SCSA‑IPA) at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP). In a project titled “Whither Tibet in Climate Crisis Agenda”, the delegation highlights that the Tibetan Plateau – often dubbed the world’s “Third Pole” – is warming at a rate nearly three times faster than the global average.
This accelerated warming is driving rapid glacial retreat, permafrost degradation, and destabilisation of river systems. These alarming changes pose a risk far beyond Tibet’s borders: the plateau feeds ten major river systems that sustain nearly 2 billion people across South and Southeast Asia.
The SCSA-IPA also cautions against China’s expanding infrastructure footprint on the plateau. Projects like the Medog Water Diversion Project, along with intensified mining (for lithium, rare earths, copper, and other strategic resources), are deepening ecological stress and heightening geopolitical vulnerabilities. According to their report, dam-building, railways, airports, and dual-use military infrastructure are fragmenting fragile alpine ecosystems.
The think tank argues that these activities are not just environmental issues, but also climate‑security risks. The loss of ice reserves, changing river flows, and destabilised permafrost could undermine water security, disaster resilience, and long-term climate stability for entire downstream regions.
In Rio de Janeiro, during COP30-related events, the ISDP delegation presented its findings in a session hosted by the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI). Diplomats and researchers from BRICS countries underscored the need to treat Tibet not as a politically sensitive internal matter of China, but as a climate governance priority.
They advocate concrete measures: data sharing, transboundary river monitoring, and early warning systems for hydrological risks. The logic is simple but urgent: Tibet’s ecological crisis is a shared challenge, not just for China, and demands collaborative, science-driven solutions.
Experts at the Second Stockholm Forum on Himalaya – convened by ISDP earlier in 2025 – echoed the urgency. They concluded that the Tibetan Plateau must be treated as a core pillar of global ecological stability, arguing that global climate action without Tibet is fundamentally incomplete.
According to them, the climate crisis in Tibet isn’t a remote mountain issue—it’s deeply connected to water security, biodiversity, risk of disasters, and long-term resilience across the Indo-Pacific.
The timing of the appeal is strategic: COP30 (held in Brazil) and BRICS (with its significant role in South‑South cooperation) offer vital platforms to push these issues into the international spotlight. Integrating Tibetan environmental concerns into BRICS’ agenda could unlock deeper scientific partnerships on hydrology, biodiversity, and climate governance.
Furthermore, the SCSA‑IPA suggests that Brazil, which is hosting COP30, could play an important role in bridging this gap — helping to broaden the climate diplomacy agenda to include high-altitude ecosystems.
But the proposal isn’t without geopolitical complexity. Tibet’s status is deeply tied to China’s domestic policies, and any call for international oversight or data transparency risks political friction. Still, SCSA‑IPA insists that focusing on conservation and climate stability does not have to be a sovereignty confrontation—it can be framed as an urgent ecological imperative. There are also financial hurdles. High-altitude regions like Tibet receive far less international climate funding and scientific attention than lower-lying hotspots, such as the Amazon.
