Tibet's warming trend gaining pace, study says

Tibet, the mountainous region whose snows and glaciers give birth to several of Asia's major rivers, is warming at an alarming rate, China's state media reported Sunday, citing a new survey.

Average annual temperatures in Tibet are rising at a rate of 0.3 degrees Celsius (0.54 degrees Fahrenheit) every ten years due to global warming, Xinhua news agency said, citing a report by the Tibet Meteorological Bureau.

The report, called "Tibet's Climate Under the Global Warming Trend," said the rate is far faster than in the rest of China and the world generally.

By comparison, China's average temperatures are rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius every 100 years, while a report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said average global surface temperatures have risen 0.74 degrees over the past 100 years.

"The Tibet climate shows a warming trend under global warming," Zhang Hezhen, a senior engineer with the bureau, was quoted as saying.

Tibet's sensitive alpine environment is seen as a key barometer of the world's climate.
more from 24 Hour International News