Recently, the Third Pole Environment (TPE) Workshop was held at the Department of Earth System Science (DESS), Tsinghua University. More than twenty experts from countries including India, Australia, Sweden, and China attended the workshop. Academician Yao Tandong and Academician Chen Deliang, Co-Chairs of the Third Pole Environment, were present at the meeting. Academician Chen Deliang, Xinghua Distinguished Chair Professor at Tsinghua University and Chair of Tsinghua DESS, presided over the workshop.

In collaboration with experts of the Earth Commission, the workshop discussed changes in the cryosphere of the Tibetan Plateau and the polar regions (Antarctic and Arctic), aiming to define safe and just boundaries for the cryosphere within the Earth system and for the sustainable development of human society.

Workshop in Progress

The Third Pole Environment (TPE) is an international scientific programme launched in 2009, focusing on the "Third Pole" region, with the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding high mountain areas at its core. This region holds the largest volume of ice and snow outside the polar regions and serves as a major water tower for Asia, exerting significant influence on climate, water resources, ecosystems, and regional sustainable development.

The core research theme of the TPE is the interactions among "water, ice, air, ecology, and human activities," aiming to reveal the processes, mechanisms, and global implications of environmental changes in the Third Pole region, and to provide scientific support for climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development.

Written by Chen Deliang and Su Bo

Photos by Guo Rong

Reviewed by Yu Le