Tibet’s sacred waters in Peril

By Olivier Guillard, a specialist in Asian issues, research associate at the Institut d'études de géopolitique appliquée, a researcher at CERIAS (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada), Director of Information at CRISIS24 (Paris), and lecturer (geopolitics; political science) at EDHEC Business School (Lille).    

Early summer (July 8), a dozen UN experts [1] raised alarms over the exploitation of Tibet's rivers by China, warning of "dire and irreversible environmental and climate impacts" [2] from the construction of the Kamtok [3] (Gangtuo) hydroelectric dam on the Drichu River (Yangtze) in Tibet. The UN experts' concern was not limited to the local environment only but extended to the long-term effects on the global climate, food security, and the displacement of Tibetan communities.

Their worrying assessment assumed greater significance in the wake of the fact that China has come under the scanner of global community with regard to climate change. The experts have pointed out that the construction of the Kamtok dam can have catastrophic consequences. According to them, the dam poses a severe threat to biodiversity and climate stability, and it stands to displace Tibetan communities. Furthermore, these hydropower projects undermine the rights of indigenous Tibetans, threatening their cultural heritage and religious practices by submerging sacred sites, including centuries-old monasteries. Tibet's unique environment, already fragile due to its high altitude and delicate ecosystems, is especially vulnerable to such large-scale industrial projects.

The experts expressed concern that China had not conducted a comprehensive environmental impact assessment for the dam, and that the decision-making process lacked free, prior, and informed consent from affected Tibetan communities. This violates international norms regarding indigenous rights and sustainable development. Despite being requested to respond within 60 days, as of now, China has not offered any explanation or defense of its actions.

This silence is emblematic of the broader issue: China's refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue about the environmental and social costs of its aggressive development in Tibet. In fact, Tibetans have been at the forefront of resisting these projects. In February 2024, the Kamtok dam caught the global attention when large protests [4] broke out in eastern Tibet, particularly in Dege and Jomda counties. Tibetans have long opposed this project, as it threatens not only their homes but also their cultural heritage. Research conducted by Tibetan groups indicates that the dam would displace a minimum of 4,000 people and submerge two villages, along with six Tibetan monasteries, some of which contain murals over 500 years old.

In a rare and dramatic display of resistance, hundreds of Tibetans took to the streets, despite the risks posed by China's heavy surveillance and repressive measures. The protests were met with a harsh crackdown [5], with several hundred individuals arrested, including monks. There were numerous reports of brutality, with protesters being beaten and denied access to their families and legal representation. According to Radio Free Asia, some of the detainees suffered injuries. Despite this, Tibetans continued with their opposition.

China has a different viewpoint on these hydropower projects. According to the Chinese government, such projects are necessary for the country's economic and industrial development. The government has been promoting them as part of its broader strategy to reduce reliance on coal and transition toward renewable energy. Hydropower is seen as a key component of China's ambitious goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The Kamtok dam, along with others planned along the Drichu and Yellow Rivers, is part of a broader scheme to export electricity generated in Tibet to eastern China, where the demand for energy is high. Chinese authorities have argued that these projects would bring material benefits to Tibet, improving infrastructure and providing new economic opportunities for the region. But Tibetans have found no benefit from these projects. Moreover, China's justification of hydropower as a "clean" energy source overlooks the well-documented environmental consequences of large dams, such as greenhouse gas emissions from submerged vegetation, increased risks of natural disasters like landslides and floods, and the disruption of aquatic ecosystems.

While China's push for hydropower aligns with its stated goals of reducing carbon emissions, it also highlights the contradictions in its approach to environmental governance. Large-scale dams have been shown to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions due to the release of methane from decomposing organic matter in the reservoirs. Furthermore, the construction of dams in ecologically sensitive areas like Tibet accelerates biodiversity loss and can have far-reaching consequences for climate stability.

Importance of Tibet from environment point of view

Tibet is often referred to as the "Third Pole" [6] because of its significant role in regulating global climate patterns. The glaciers and rivers of Tibet serve as a critical water source for millions of people in Asia [7]. Disrupting these natural systems through massive dam projects threatens water security for downstream nations and could exacerbate climate change. The UN experts underscored the importance of protecting these rivers, not just for the sake of local biodiversity, but for global climate stability. By ignoring these warnings, China risks undermining its own environmental goals while contributing to a climate crisis that will have devastating effects worldwide.

The continued development of hydropower in Tibet, despite opposition from local communities and international experts, illustrates China's disregard for the environment and human rights. The UN experts have made it clear that China's hydropower projects violate international norms and pose a grave threat to the global climate. Yet, without concerted international pressure, it is unlikely that Beijing will change course.

Without wishing to be systematically harsh if not critical of Chinese policy in this area (as on many other sensitive issues that interest, move or even irritate Western public opinion [8]), Beijing's uncompromising stance on the critical Tibetan water topic speaks volumes both about the Chinese central power's contempt for local considerations and issues (human and cultural), which can be sacrificed at will, and about its self-confessed determination to attract external opprobrium. And obviously, it doesn't really matter whether this opprobrium is fueled by domestic or regional issues that are difficult to defend (cf. aggressive policy in the South China Sea, territorial dispute with India in Arunachal Pradesh, etc.). Certainly nothing that bodes well for the future.

How remote it seems today - if not from another era... - the time when President Xi Jinping called on certain nations (starting with the United States) to "inject positive energy" (in 2013) into their bilateral dynamics... And what can we say about the 3 years since the Chinese president announced (June 2021) that he wanted to create a new dynamic and improve the way the former Middle Kingdom is viewed by the outside world, in order to "build a reliable, amiable and respectable image of China". Here again, it's clear that much remains to be done.

[1] Including the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.

[2] AL CHN (8.2024) (csosew.org)

[3] Jomda County, Qamdo Prefecture, Tibet ; 1300 km (by road) northeast of Lhasa.

[4] ''China Cracks Down on Tibetan Protest Against a Hydropower Project in Dege'', The Diplomat, March 12, 2024.

[5] ''US official expresses concern over crackdown on Tibetans protesting dam'', Radio Free Asia, Feb. 26, 2024.

[6] Tibet holds the largest store of fresh water outside the Arctics, providing water for one fifth of the global population.

[7] Brahma Chellaney, Water: Asia's New Battleground, Georgetown University Press, 2011.

[8] We're thinking here of the thorny issues of respect for human rights, the defense of ethnic or religious minorities, the constant assaults on democratic rule and its defenders in Hong Kong, the threats hanging over Taiwan on an almost daily basis, etc.