02-05-06
Glaciers in western China's Qinghai-Tibet
plateau, known as the “roof of the world,” are melting at a rate of 7 % annually
due to global warming.
The figure is drawn from data from China's 681 weather stations over four
decades.
Statistics from the Tibet weather bureau show that average temperatures in
Tibet have risen by 2 degrees since the 1980s, quoting Han Yongxiang of the
National Meteorological Bureau.
The glaciers in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau account for 47 % of China's total
glacier coverage. The melting glaciers will eventually lead to drought, more
desertification and an increase in the number of sandstorms, researcher Dong
Guangrong at the Chinese Academy of Sciences was quoted as saying.
Source: AP