Assessment of past, present and future environmental changes on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

This study summarizes the Assessment Report on Environmental Changes over the Tibetan Plateau. In that report, a set of indicators under six categories-climate, bodies of water, ecosystem, land surface environment, effect of human activities, and hazard risk-is used to depict past changes, present status, and future scenarios of the Tibetan Plateau environment. Similar to other assessments, that exercise deals with evaluating the existing scientific evidence (typically published in peer-reviewed journals) concerning a policy and/or relevant research issue in the scientific community, with involvement of other stakeholders such as policymakers and users of scientific information. Our summary of the report presents the framework and indicators used, the main findings, and future perspectives of the assessment. An overview of similar international assessments and lessons learned is also provided to view the assessment from policy-related and international perspectives.