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Tibet: life on the frontlines of climate change
This talk promises to offer a unique insight into climate change, inclusive development, and the role of frontline communities in driving solutions.
As the earth鈥檚 鈥榯hird pole鈥� and source of Asia鈥檚 major rivers, Tibet is an area of聽immense environmental and geostrategic importance.
For millennia, Tibet鈥檚 nomads flourished sustainably on the 鈥榬oof of the world鈥�. Today聽they are being forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. At the same time, the聽climate crisis is bringing dramatic changes to Tibet, with profound consequences聽both for Tibetans and the hundreds of millions of people who live downstream.
Tsechu Dolma, 25, is a Tibetan refugee, Columbia University graduate, and founder聽of the Mountain Resiliency Project 鈥� a social enterprise dedicated to building climate聽change resilient communities in Nepal through women鈥檚 empowerment in聽sustainable agribusiness. Her pioneering work led Tsechu to be recognised as one聽of Forbes 30 under 30 in social entrepreneurship.
Tsechu will explore how Tibet lies at the heart of many of the great development聽challenges of the 21st century. We will hear about how climate change is impacting聽Tibet, and how this affects the fresh water supply and food security of a staggering聽proportion of the world鈥檚 population. We will hear about the role of nomads in聽protecting Tibet鈥檚 environment, and the importance of traditional knowledge and聽practices in responding to climate change.
This event was held at the University of Sydney on Monday 6 August 2018 in partnership with Sydney Ideas.聽
Listen to the podcast
Speakers
聽was born to Tibetan refugee parents in Nepal, Tsechu Dolma moved to the United States聽as a young girl. She is the founder of Mountain Resiliency Project, a not-for-profit聽social enterprise dedicated to building climate change resilient communities through聽women鈥檚 empowerment in sustainable agribusiness. Her interest is in refugee rights, biodiversity conservation, climate change policy and聽inclusive development. Her work has been featured on Reuters, Forbes, NBC 高清福利片, and Sierra Club. She聽was recognized as one of Forbes 30 under 30 in Social Entrepreneurship,聽Fulbright-Clinton Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow and Brower Youth Award winner. Tsechu has a BS in Environmental Science and MPA in Economic Development聽from Columbia University in New York.
聽is the Executive and Campaign Officer of Australia Tibet聽Council, the leading national organisation campaigning for human rights and聽freedoms of Tibetans. She is also the Member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile based in Dharamsala in聽Northern India. Kyinzom was born to Tibetan refugee parents in India and was schooled at the聽Tibetan Children鈥檚 Village. After studying at Delhi University, Kyinzom worked as a聽journalist for the Times of India and The Asian Age. She has lived in Australia since 2006.
聽is a聽Professor of Food and Nutrition Security in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. She is also a Principal Research Fellow, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and member of Sydney Institute of Agriculture and the Charles Perkins Centre where she convenes the joint Charles Perkins Centre/Marie Bashir Institute Project Node on 鈥淗ealthy Food Systems: Nutrition 鈥� Diversity 鈥� Safety鈥�. For over 20 years, she has worked closely with smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia as a veterinarian, researcher and colleague. Her major research interests include domestic and global food and nutrition security and systems, Planetary Health, gender equity and Science Communication.
聽is Head of the Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Discipline in the University of Sydney Business School.聽 Leanne鈥檚 research explores organizational strategy and discourse and how they impact on diversity, equity and inclusion for organizations, the people who work in them and the wider communities in which they are embedded. The not for profit sector has been the site for much of Leanne鈥檚 research.聽 Her research has been published widely in a range of journals including;聽Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Human Relations, Organization, Work Employment and Society聽and聽Gender Work and Organization.
Header image: by Jamie Williams.