Introduction

Tectonic platinum world is changing

Climate change and its impact has been the most debated issue these days, simply due to its global and local impacts. In its worst scenario, it could wipe out several countries from the world map and threaten the very existence of human species. The scientist and climatologist have long forecasted this warming event and its impact, but it hardly mattered to most of the decision makes leading to poor environmental governance. Over the past few years, we have witness the consequences of out/ their negligence in various forms, Drought, flooding, thinning of Antarctica ice caps, etc.  Implementation of sustainable development, selection of energy efficient and environmentally sound technologies, clean coal technology, harnessing renewable energy resource conservation, implementing cleaner production and clean development mechanism looks premising on papers and in pilot demonstrations. But in the race of Urbanization, these options are pushed aside while mainstream does exactly the opposite.

The unprecedented changes in global climate due to anthropogenic factors have seen affecting the polar ice caps but we are yet to witness the (human-caused) impacts of climate feedback and its carbon flux. Financially the climate-related natural disasters made 2008 one of the most devastating years on record as costs associated with weather-related catastrophes are put at about 200 billion US dollars in 2008. This amount is double as compared to the losses incurred in 2007.

Just as the two poles are heating up at an alarming rate, Tibet (The third Pole) too is under its grip. Its plateau has been heating faster than previously anticipated, resulting in glacial meltdown, Permafrost degradation of grasslands, changes in river hydrology, drying up of wetlands. These changes to the nature of Tibet, not only affect the food security but also disturbs the whole carbon balance over the plateau, affecting the neighboring countries.