Ecosystem and Environment Protection in Tibet

　　Maria del Pilar Cordero Jon Tay (Peru)

　　Human activity has changed the face of the earth for the sake of so-called "civilization" which has increased global warming. However, facing　 such a dramatic situation for our existence, we find two factors which reduce or limit this pernicious phenomenon: the technology which is getting increasingly close to everybody and political decisions as a government's attitude to provide executive and policy measures in protecting　 the ecosystem and the environment.

　　It´s known that technology makes life easier for the human life, but many times using it indiscriminately alters the balance of nature since it only serves men´s benefit, societies and states.  Every day new models of TVs, phones, computers, vehicles, ships, satellites and spacecraft　 appear, production in which undoubtedly the People`s Republic of China  plays an important role on the planet.

　　The technological mass is important, because whether it´s the latest or not, now we count on the necessary technology to successfully deal with environmental pollution.

　　Regarding this situation, we have to point out that the People`s Republic of China is one of the few countries which has  gotten involved in research and technology with the difficult task of protecting the ecosystem and environment of its own country, especially in Tibet. However, despite the huge effort of the Chinese giant, there´s a lot much which still has to be done, because while there is interest and decision of the Chinese government to boost executive and legal measures, there is work done in implementation with humans who are by nature imperfect.

　　We know that the population  in Tibet had progressively doubled  by the Mid-50s, in the twentieth century, the population factor could have been a determining one to finish with the Tibetan ecosystem and environment, if it hadn´t been dealt with a technical point of view,  since most of the population requires more electricity, food and especially more water, that situation is consistent and in long term it will become a greater burden on the technology that will help us solve the problem, since the population will continue to increase and exacerbate its effects impact on the environment and Tibet´s ecosystem

　　On the other hand, we have to avoid the inappropriate use of technology, especially in sensitive places such as Tibet, where planning must be exhaustive, for example by avoiding the creation of dams in unsuitable locations, power plants that unintentionally change the salinity of water or unnecessary impoundment of waters which could result in major impacts to the Tibetan environment than  the ones they try to conjure.

　　We should also point out that large and small cities, produce a polluting sub- product which is waste, euphemistically known as "solid waste" besides the waste water. It is clear that only "junk" factor may end quickly with a balanced ecosystem.

　　In my country, Peru, some recyclable solutions have been implemented　 by private companies, which are generating electricity from the gas given off by the solid waste (garbage), so we have the case of the company PETRAMAS (Peruvians Working for a Healthy Environment), and some city townships like Miraflores and Surco that are using the recycling of solid waste which is being sold to private recycling companies getting that way good income. Still, in the city of Lima, capital of the Peruvian Republic, which generates 7,452 tons per day for a population of over 7 million people, not 1,042 tons of garbage are collected daily. On the other hand, not all the garbage that is collected is removed as a pollutant, most of it is accumulated and ends up around the city, hidden from the eye of the auditor citizens.

　　We understand that In the autonomous region of Tibet the management of solid waste could be adequate but not perfect, our experience is not the best either, and I do not think there could be a country in the world that could feel proud of working on this topic perfectly as its even partial management is part of a complex approach of various factors including the educational one to a service that can be described as good.  But it is also in the pipeline in Tibet treating wastewater which unfortunately are not reusable in Peru, not even for watering gardens, because the main matrix flows into the sea.

　　Another important point to highlight is the progressive elimination of perpetual snow in our mountains and ridges. This is a planetary phenomenon to which no country is immune. In Peru, the  Pastoruri  snow  mountain  more than 5420 meters above sea level, is an example of what happens in different parts of the world in which the effect of man-altered environment dramatically, that´s why it is remarkable the efforts of the Chinese government to reforest large areas of Tibet, then, drives the stability of the monsoon clouds (rain-generating wind), which nourish South Asia.  However, some criminal activities such as illegal logging conspires against the Chinese effort,  and they are also present in different  parts of the world due to the profitability  they imply which may affect the government's intentions to protect Tibet´s ecosystem and environment. Against this criminal phenomenon the Chinese Government must be totally strict because a selfish and pecuniary purpose　 wants to disrupt a national effort especially in Tibet.

　　It would be important that the Asian giant impulses, perhaps with tax measures, tourism as an activity that has limited impacts on the ecosystem and environment of Tibet.  Clearly, this part of the world has favorable　 and even spiritual conditions in favor of tourism and side events such as business and transportation. 

　　Certainly we know that in 1996 the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region passed a resolution on the accelerated development of tourism, perhaps it's time to aggressively promote this beautiful place,　 as we are doing in Peru, with landmarks such as the ruins of Machu Picchu in Cusco, where we have considered continuous TV commercials on cable channels like Discovery or History Channel inviting the citizens of the world to experience the history and not only see it..

　　From the Latin American context we recognize that the government of the People`s Republic of China is committed to protecting the Ecosystem and Environment in Tibet, this is a political decision that comes from the 50s of last century and reinforced by successive executive decisions and regulations that seek to fulfill this purpose,  besides now China also  has the technological capability to face any challenge of nature, we do trust  that the giant Chinese continue to drive efforts to improve the Tibet region, not only from an environmental aspect but of the technological one  advocating the socio-economic development and raising the living standards of the Tibetan people.

　　Thank you very much.

　　(Maria del Pilar Cordero Jon Tay, congresswoman of Peru)