The
Dalai Lama is not known as an environmentalist. He is the religious and political leader of the Tibetan people, an activist, a teacher, and the latest incarnation of a long line of Buddhist Masters. But is he an environmentalist now as well?
In a
recent AFP report, the Dalai Lama has gone on record stating that we urgently need action on the climate crisis, in the context of the UN climate talks in Poland.
"...global warming is really, really very serious." In the Tibetan plateau area "warming is higher than global rate so if present trend will go continuously without serious protection some of these major rivers covering Asia will dry... billions of human beings for life depend very much on these rivers."
So as benevolent and prophetic as the Dalai Lama may be, he is advocating for action on global warming mainly because it is a practical thing to do. For years it has been known that glaciers have been receding at a rapid pace, that the arctic has been warming faster than other areas, and that water supplies all over the world are threatened by global warming. As the Dalai Lama has articulated, global warming will certainly affect a lot of people.
But what the Dalai Lama's statement really says to me is that global warming is not an environmental issue, it is a global issue. It doesn't matter what you do, where you are, or what your political or religious affiliations are -- global warming is real and we all must take individual responsibility for it.
(Photo Courtesy ofAFP)Carbonfund.org makes it easy and affordable for any individual or business to reduce and offset their carbon footprint. www.carbonfund.org
The Dalai Lama is not known as an environmentalist. He is the religious and political leader of the Tibetan people, an activist, a teacher, and the latest incarnation of a long line of Buddhist Masters. But is he an environmentalist now as well?
In a recent AFP report, the Dalai Lama has gone on record stating that we urgently need action on the climate crisis, in the context of the UN climate talks in Poland.
So as benevolent and prophetic as the Dalai Lama may be, he is advocating for action on global warming mainly because it is a practical thing to do. For years it has been known that glaciers have been receding at a rapid pace, that the arctic has been warming faster than other areas, and that water supplies all over the world are threatened by global warming. As the Dalai Lama has articulated, global warming will certainly affect a lot of people.
But what the Dalai Lama's statement really says to me is that global warming is not an environmental issue, it is a global issue. It doesn't matter what you do, where you are, or what your political or religious affiliations are -- global warming is real and we all must take individual responsibility for it.
(Photo Courtesy ofAFP)