Herders in China

Herder Tencho and her younger sister Tsenang Tseten in Maduo County. The entire region around the Yangtze river source and its community are under heavy threat from global warming, as temperatures rise and the permafrost melts.

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Permafrost Melt Effects in China

This documentation shows the impacts of global warming - glacier retreat and melting permafrost - on the land and local community at the Yangtze and Yellow rivers sources. The glacial lakes feeding into this river have been subject to outburst floods (GLOF) affecting the immediate landscape and covering it in black glacial deposits and destroying grassland so it can no longer be farmed on. As lakes burst, melt and recede, local people lose their main water source. Latest research (2009) indicates that in the Chinese Himalayas region, there are currently 143 glacial lakes and 44 of them are at ‘very high risk’ of bursting. Infrastructure has been impacted by warming permafrost, cracks are appearing in houses and some are starting to sink and become unstable. A number of affected people have had to resort to temporary accommodation supplied by social welfare as they lack funds to repair the buildings.

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Unique identifier: GP01X13

Type: Image

Shoot date: 20/07/2009

Locations: Asia, China, Qinghai

Size: 2500px × 1664px 915.31 KB

Ranking: ★★★★★★ (B)