Living with Climate Change in the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau

PLEASE NOTE: For non-Columbia guests, registration is required to access the Morningside campus 24 hours prior to the event. After registering you will receive an email with a QR code that must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event). Please register using a unique email address (one email address per registrant) by Friday, May 15 for campus access.

This international hybrid conference, supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, brings together scholars, community leaders, and practitioners from the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to discuss global warming, environmental transformations, community priorities, and the role of Indigenous traditions and creativity in addressing complex and interconnected changes in the Asian Highlands. The conference is open to the public, with attendance in-person or by Zoom webinar. Registration is required.

May 26 (Tu), 5-7pm: Pre-conference film screening, Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth  (documentary film), followed by a panel discussion with Zoe Fess (University of Wisconsin–Madison; member of the Hoocąk tribe) and Yanenowi Logan (Columbia Climate School). Moderated by Tashi Dekyid Monet.

May 27 (W), 8:30am-4:45pm: Day 1 will focus on “Ways of Knowing Climate Change” in the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau. Dr. Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia’s keynote will ground this theme in relation to Indigenous traditions of the regions. Two panels will then explore how and what we know about climate and intersecting changes affecting the regions. A roundtable discussion will explore how a framework of “living with climate change” would bring more diverse, nuanced, and meaningful ways of knowing and researching local climate change effects.

May 27 (W), 5:15-7:15pm: Film screening, A Green Trip (2023) (documentary film) and Measuring the Glacial Line (གངས་རི་ཚད་ལེན།) (short documentary by herders in Golok, northeastern Tibet), followed by a discussion with the director, Khashem Gyal. Moderated by Eveline Washul.

May 28 (Th), 8:30am-5:00pm: Day 2 will focus on “Ways of Living with Climate Change.” We will begin the day with a keynote talk on grassland restoration work in Amdo (northeastern Tibetan Plateau), followed by two panels on community work and adaptation strategies, and a roundtable discussion on how to prioritize community needs, and on models of community-led environmental observation, analysis, and application.

Click here for conference details, schedule, speaker bios, and related materials

Register Here.