FEBRUARY 7, 2022 - Climate Change and Environmental Human Rights on the Tibetan Plateau

Feb 7, 2022 — All day

The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) is pleased to partner with the Canada Tibet Committee to present this online event:

Climate Change and Environmental Human Rights on the Tibetan Plateau

The impact of climate change on the Tibetan plateau has been extreme, causing unprecedented natural disasters due to rapid glacial retreat, permafrost degradation, and extensive desertification. Due to the lack of international attention on the significance of the Tibetan plateau, there is very little to no international scrutiny or observation on Chinese government policies in Tibet. China's development model in Tibet ignores the Tibetan people's actual social, environmental, and economic needs.

While it has been difficult promoting discussions on the significance of the Tibetan plateau, it is far more challenging to address how the human rights of the Tibetan people are disrupted by climate change and by the Chinese government policies and practices that needlessly exacerbate the situation in Tibet. The first victims of China's so-called environmental conservation practices are Tibetan nomads who have lived an eco-friendly and self-sufficient lifestyle on the vast grasslands of the Tibetan plateau for thousands of years. The Chinese government has removed more than two million Tibetans from their land and pushed them into large-scale settlements without any consultation or compensations, or enough medical, educational, or business opportunities to support a dignified life.

Tibetans who speak publicly of such issues are arrested, tortured, and even killed in some cases. On 19 May 2020, five UN experts called for all charges against Tibetan environmental activist A-Nya Sendgra to be dropped stating “the criminalisation of the legitimate work” of A-Nya Sengdra can be seen as part of “a wider crackdown on Tibetan” human rights defenders. The UN experts urged the Chinese Government to comply with international law and lift the charges against him and raised serious concern that he is known to have serious health issues and is being held in extremely poor conditions.

Free and open to all.

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Our Speakers

David R. BOYD | UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment

David R. Boyd is an environmental lawyer and internationally renowned expert on human rights and the environment. He has a Ph.D. in Resource Management and Environmental Studies from UBC, a JD from the University of Toronto, and a business degree from the University of Alberta. His primary focus is on identifying laws and policies that will accelerate the transition to an ecologically sustainable and just future, both in Canada and across the world. Areas of particular interest include environmental justice, environmental rights and responsibilities, the rights of nature, the debate between regulation and economic instruments, and urban environmental issues. Boyd is the author of seven books and over 100 articles on environmental issues.

MP Elizabeth MAY | Parliamentary Leader of the Green Party of Canada, representing the southern Vancouver Island riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands on the territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation.

Prior to running for elected office, Elizabeth May worked as a lawyer, a governmental policy advisor and was for seventeen years the Executive Director of Sierra Club of Canada (1989-2006). The ninth leader of the Green Party of Canada (2006 – 2019), she was the first Canadian Green to win election in 2011.

Pema DOMA | Campaigns Director, Students for a Free Tibet

Pema Doma began her social justice journey in 2010 as a youth community organizer with Boston Mobilization working in solidarity for racial, economic and environmental justice campaigns. In 2014, Pema spent 7 months teaching English at the Tibetan Children’s Village Vocational Training Center in Selaqui, India. Her first official role within the Tibetan Freedom Movement was in 2016 as a Campaigns Intern for SFT International in New York. After her internship, Pema co-founded an SFT chapter at her university and served as the chapter’s first President. As an undergraduate student, Pema also interned with US Congressman Jim McGovern and US Senator Elizabeth Warren. In 2019, Pema officially rejoined the SFT International team as the USA Grassroots Coordinator! Currently the Campaigns Director, some campaigns she has been working on include the "No Beijing 2022" and Tibet Climate Crisis campaigns.

The panel will be moderated by:

Alex NEVE | Canadian human rights activist and former Secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, currently Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

The HRREC is celebrating its 40^th anniversary during the academic year 2021-2022! This event is part of a diverse and rich programme developed to highlight this major milestone.

#CREDP40HRREC