Tibetan villagers living in northwestern China’s Gansu province are protesting the proposed extension of a Chinese-built highway into nomadic grazing areas, blocking earth-moving equipment with their bodies and demanding that the work be stopped, sources said. ….
China recently unveiled an action plan for its controversial One Belt, One Road initiative to link its economy with the rest of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Known as the ‘new silk roads’, it combines new infrastructure networks of roads, railway lines, ports to strengthen trade, investment, and people-to-people cooperation. ….
By Zamlha Tempa Gyaltsen
The toxic smog engulfing Beijing and other Chinese cities has forced the Communist government to amend its development model and bring in a new environmental protection law in a bid to calm ever growing public anger. Unfortunately, as in the past, the new environment law may prefer to stay within China proper rather than extend into the ethnic regions of the PRC.
Nepal is one of the world’s most water-rich nations, with over 6,000 rivers and huge hydropower potential. But it is also one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions. ….
Tibetan villagers living in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan have marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year by vowing to give up the wearing of animal furs and by burning those already in their possession, sources said. ….
After her unborn daughter was diagnosed with a tumour, former CCTV reporter Chai Jing quit her job and self-funded a one million yuan (US$160,000) documentary on China’s smog. ‘Under the Dome’ took a year to make, and since its release has become an online sensation. ….
Desalination is now an integral part of China’s strategy to ease its mounting water crisis, but the environmental costs could be huge, and make it more difficult for China’s government to reduce its reliance on coal to generate electricity. ….
DHARAMSHALA: “China’s vision of development and hunger for economic growth are both powerful driving forces and the environmental exploitation of Tibet shows no sign of slowing down”, said a new report titled “Environmental Protest on the Tibetan plateau” released by Britain based Tibet Watch, a human rights group. ….
The Editorial Board, New York Times, 23 January 2015
China’s exploding appetites have unleashed a wholesale looting of Myanmar’s valuable natural resources. While this often involves outright theft, it also comes in the form of crony capitalism. Myanmar’s military elite has deals with Chinese companies that are eager to exploit the land, with little concern for the environment or people. ….
India’s reservoir water storage levels are down 15% since last year, intensifying concerns over declining water availability in the country, particularly north India. ….
