Chinese scientists on May 28 began another expedition to Mount Qomolangma for scientific research.

It is another scientific inspection after last year's monitor to the Mount Qomolangma and Himalayan Mountains and the expedition will continue till June 15.

Mount Qomolangma is the highest peak in the world, it is far away from human activity. By monitoring changes in the atmospheric environment on the mountain, scientists can get useful information on major global environmental events and their influence on the global environment.

In 1992, Chinese scientists observed the pollution to the mountain caused by the Kuwait big oil fire, it indicates that human activities have severely affected the natural environment of the mountain.

As China is launching its western development strategy, The Himalayan area will experience extraordinarily violent impacts from urbanization and agricultural modernization. Urban population, energy consumption, industrial pollution, and the amount of agricultural fertilizer and chemicals used would see a rapid increase. Monitoring of the urbanization and agricultural modernization process in the Himalayan Mountains will provide important data for study of the relationship between human development and natural environment, and can offer rational suggestions for the solution of the environmental problem arising from the western development.

Professor Zou Han said on behalf of the research team that this time they will pay more attention to the matter that is closely related to human's living environment.

(People's Daily 05/29/2001)