What happened to all the timber? Did the Tibetans cut it all down? I wonder how much of it took a trip on that railroad the Chinese built.
If they can control the water resources of the Tibetan Plateau, the Chinese can divert a critical supply of fresh water for India to China. More.
The Chinese sure did strip the timber in Tibet. They have also stripped a lot of the mineral resources already. The money isn’t going to Tibetans or to Tibetan infrastructure. I have heard of the water diversion projects. No benefit to Tibet.
However, recent studies – including several by the Chinese Academy of Sciences – have documented a host of serious environmental challenges to the quantity and quality of Tibet’s freshwater reserves, most of them caused by industrial activities. Deforestation has led to large-scale erosion and siltation. Mining, manufacturing, and other human activities are producing record levels of air and water pollution in Tibet. Together, these factors portend future water scarcity that could add to the region’s volatility.
Not satisfied with crapping in their own rice bowls the Chinese are turning Tibet into an open sewer too. Which, ironically, runs right down into China so once again they crap in their own rice bowl. Unfortunately for India and the rest of SE Asia much of their water also flows out of Tibet. Perhaps they will get tired of China squatting in everybody's well.