The paleoclimate of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during the Middle to Late Miocene may have been controlled by tectonic uplift in the northeastern plateau and global cooling. To investigate the impact of global climate change and tectonic activity on regional climate, as well as to enhance understanding of the interactions among Earth's spheres, this study focuses on the Miocene sediments from the Gonghe Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. By integrating existing stratigraphic paleomagnetic age data with comprehensive analyses of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), total organic carbon isotopes, total organic carbon content (TOC) and heavy mineral composition, we reconstructed the environmental evolution history of the Gonghe Basin during this period. The results show that from 14.5 to 8.7 Ma, the paleotemperature reconstructed by brGDGTs steadily decreased (by about 2.3 ℃), the total organic carbon isotopes increased from -25.23‰ to -24.88‰, pH value increased from 8.1 to 8.7, and TOC decreased by ~0.05%, indicating an intensification of aridification. From 8.7 to 6.8 Ma, the total organic carbon isotope decreased from -24.88‰ to -25.23‰, and the pH decreased from 8.7 to 8.2, indicating that the aridification was alleviated. Compared with the previous period, the cooling rate accelerated (increased from 0.4 ℃/Ma to 1.7 ℃/Ma), and the content of unstable heavy minerals increased. It is inferred that during this period, the significant uplift of the Elashan and Qinghai Nan Shan around the Gonghe Basin formed a topographic barrier to the southeast monsoon, leading to opposite trends in temperature and humidity within the basin. By integrating the tectonic and climatic records from the northern Tibetan Plateau, we believe that the alleviation of aridification in the study area and regions to its east during 9~7 Ma primarily responded to the orographic rainfall effect caused by tectonic uplift. In contrast, the continued aridification since the Middle Miocene in areas to the west of the study area, such as the Qaidam Basin and Tarim Basin, was controlled by both global cooling and tectonic uplift.