Qinghai-Tibet Railway Raises Environmental Concerns Despite Protection Efforts

The Qinghai-Tibet railway began passenger service on July 1, increasing concerns about the railway's impact on the ecology of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, according to a July 6 Agence France-Presse (AFP) article reprinted on the Yahoo Web site. Environmentalists and the Tibetan government-in-exile are concerned that increased tourism could create demand for wild plant or animal products and contribute to waste that can contaminate rivers, according to a June 30 South China Morning Post (SCMP) article (subscription required). In addition, Tibetan advocacy groups worry that the railway, and the influx of settlers and migrants that the railway will bring, may accelerate development of the area's natural resources and increase environmental degradation, according to a September 2003 report by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).

The Chinese government says that it has taken steps to protect the environment during railway construction and operation. For example, the government has spent 1.54 billion yuan (US$193 million) on projects to protect the environment, such as the construction of 33 tunnels to allow the migration of the endangered Tibetan antelope and other wildlife, according to the July 6 AFP article and a June 30 Beijing Review article. A July 1 Xinhua article reports that this sum is the most money allocated to environmental protection for any single railway project in Chinese history. In addition, the government signed environmental protection responsibility pledges with relevant provincial and local governments, according to the Beijing Review article. According to the SCMP article, authorities have taken steps to preserve the marshland along parts of the route and a train will run each week to collect waste.

The government claims to have incorporated environmental protection mechanisms into each stage of construction. Before work could start on a section of the railway, the government required the contractor to provide an environmental protection plan for approval. In addition, government rules required all construction enterprises to designate an independent, third-party environmental protection supervisor who monitored the impact of the project, according to the Beijing Review article and a June 28 Beijing News article (in Chinese). Engineers re-routed parts of the railway because they were too close to the habitats of certain species, such as the endangered black-necked crane, according to the July 6 AFP article. The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) announced that it will release its project completion environmental protection inspection survey at the end of August. SEPA also announced it will conduct follow-up Environmental Impact Assessments after the railway has been operating for a few years, according to the Beijing News article.

Environmental groups, often in cooperation with local government agencies, have developed initiatives to educate the public about wildlife conservation and have made plans to conduct follow-up research on the impact of tourism. For example, environmental groups worked jointly with the local forestry bureau to create brochures for train passengers that urge them to avoid buying native animal and plant products, among other suggestions, according to the SCMP article and a June 30 World Wildlife Federation (WWF) news article. Green River, a domestic civil society organization that works on conservation issues, plans to send volunteers aboard the train to educate passengers about the Tibetan ecology through broadcasts, leaflets, and social interaction, according to a July 6 China Development Brief article. In addition, WWF will collaborate with the local development agency to conduct follow-up research on the impact of tourism in the region, according to the SCMP article.

Despite these initiatives, concerns continue about the railway's immediate and future impact on the environment, as well as about the government's ability to enforce environmental protection measures. In the railway's first days of operation, reporters saw discarded supplies such as rubber tires, scrap metal, plastic bags, and bottles along the tracks, according to a July 4 Toronto Globe and Mail article reprinted on the ScrippsNews Web site. Moreover, critics are skeptical that the government will be able to enforce its promises to protect the environment around the railway, given its record on environment protection in other parts of the country, according to the July 6 AFP article.

Tibetans living outside of China worry that the railway's operation, and the influx of settlers and migrants that the railway will bring, could accelerate the development of mining and logging, as the cost of transporting these commodities to other parts of China will be reduced, according to an August 2001 Tibetan government-in-exile report and a June 30 ICT news article. Whereas mining operations were previously concentrated in the more accessible regions of the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the railway will provide an easier way for settlers and migrants to reach other areas of the Tibet Autonomous Region and find employment in mineral extraction projects, according to a July 23 AFP article reprinted on the Sino Daily Web site. According to the ICT report, this development of resources and immigration can result in increased deforestation, land degradation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and air pollution.

For more information, see related Commission analysis on the future sustainability of the railway and the possible economic and social impact of the railway on the Tibet Autonomous Region. See also Section VI - "Tibet," Culture, Development, and Demography and Section III(g) on The Environment in the Commission's 2005 Annual Report.