Dalai Lama Says Strong Action on Climate Change is a Human Responsibility

Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader says humans caused global warming so must now take action to protect fragile environments including Himalayan glaciers

The Dalai Lama on Tuesday urged strong global action to limit global warming and to protect fragile environments, including the Himalayan glaciers and Tibetan plateau.

Calling climate change a “problem which human beings created,” the 80-year-old Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said all of humanity was now responsible for taking action. But instead, he said, “we are relying on praying to God or to Buddha. Sometimes I feel this is very illogical.”

He issued his plea in a pre-taped video released as part of a campaign launched by the Tibetan government-in-exile in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala, where the Dalai Lama has been based since fleeing a Chinese military crackdown in Tibet.

The government-in-exile said the campaign would continue through this year’s UN climate change talks, where nations hope to conclude a new treaty for limiting climate-warming gas emissions. The exiled government will also send its own delegate to the talks, which start 30 November in Paris, though it will not have a vote of its own.

“This is not a question of one nation or two nations. This is a question of humanity. Our world is our home,” the Dalai Lama said. “There’s no other planet where we may move or shift.”

Acknowledging his advanced years, the Dalai Lama appealed to younger generations to “take a more active role in protecting this planet, including the Tibetan plateau.”

Temperatures for Tibet’s high-altitude plateau — referred to as the Roof of the World — are rising about three times faster than the global average, and are 1.3C higher than they were 50 years ago. The Himalayas are also called the Third Pole, referring to the fact that they are covered in snow and ice and are particularly susceptible to climate change, like the North and South poles.

The government-in-exile also argued that Tibetans should be restored as the “true stewards” of the plateau, which has been under Chinese rule for decades and where Tibetans accuse Beijing of mining indiscriminately while forcing nomadic communities to move elsewhere.

“Tibetans must have a say on what happens on their land,” said the exiled government’s prime minister, Lobsang Sangay. “Tibetan nomads are the expert custodians of the alpine pastures, and their knowledge and experience must be recognized.”

China has long understood the plateau’s environmental importance and vulnerability, with some 40% of the world’s fresh water locked into the frozen Himalayan glaciers and feeding seven major rivers that run through China, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences studies environmental and climate change from its Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research in the region — a 2.5m sq km (966,000 sq m) area that includes the Tibetan Autonomous Region as well as most of China’s Qinghai province, parts of Sichuan and the southern Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang.

Up to 70% of the plateau is covered in permafrost, with large reserves of both carbon dioxide and methane trapped within the ice. Scientists say thawing could release long-stored emissions of both greenhouse gases. Methane can be 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping Earth’s heat.

Original link with video and photos http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/20/dalai-lama-says-strong-action-on-climate-change-is-a-human-responsibility

Update on the 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake in Nepal

The initial report of 3,700 confirmed dead has now increased to more than 5,000. Many survivors in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, as well as those within remote regions, are without food and water -- their shelter having been leveled by the 'quake. Aftershocks are expected, which will bring more damage.

May 5th Update: The death toll is now over 7200. To read more about the earthquake, here's a CNN link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/03/asia/nepal-earthquake

If you would like to help, please read more from the Tibet Fund's website.

On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Nepal, taking a huge toll on human life and property. With over 3,700 confirmed dead, and the number continuing to rise, rescue efforts are still under way. According to The Guardian, more than half the houses in the city of Bhaktapur, just outside the city of Kathmandu, have been destroyed. Hundreds of homes in Patan, Kathmandu and neighboring towns have also been lost. Thousands more in the Buddhist regions of Northern Nepal are now leveled, leaving tens of thousands homeless. The official death toll in these areas is unknown due to inadequate data, and sporadic reports from these rural areas are our only glimpses of this earthquake’s true devastation.

This disaster has devastated the Tibetan community in Nepal, especially in remote areas close to the quake’s epicenter.  Currently, there are more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees and hundreds of thousands of Tibetan Buddhist practitioners living along the Himalayan Buddhist Belt in Nepal. Reports state that the Tibetan Refugee Settlement at Syabru Bensi has been heavily damaged, with the majority of homes in the settlement having collapsed. Monasteries and centers of Buddhist learning in the remote areas of Bhagang and Liphing in Tatopani have also been leveled by the quake. The rebuilding process will be a monumental task requiring financial support for years to come.

The Tibet Fund has established an Emergency Earthquake Relief Fund and is working with credible and reliable partners in Nepal, such as the Snow Lion Foundation and The Himalayan Society for Youth and Women Empowerment (HSYWE) to ensure that resources reach those most affected by the quake. These organizations are bringing urgently needed supplies and assistance to survivors and coordinating long-term efforts to rebuild communities. Even a small contribution will make a huge difference in the lives of those who have been tragically affected by the natural disaster.

The Tibet Fund

The Tibet Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; as such all donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law.  You can contribute online below to donate or send a check made out to The Tibet Fund with a note "Emergency Earthquake Relief Fund" on the memo line and send it to The Tibet Fund, 241 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016.

A Message from The 14th Dalai Lama About The Tibet Fund

The Tibetan people are grateful for the place they hold in the hearts and minds of so many people around the world. Were it not for our community in exile, so generously supported by individuals, organizations and governments, our nation would be little more than a shattered remnant of a people…our culture, religion and national identity effectively eliminated.

Over the past 30 years, The Tibet Fund has worked closely with our Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala to meet the needs of the Tibetan community. The Tibet Fund has raised millions of dollars to help our people to build schools and provide housing and infrastructure, health care and education to the Tibetan community, in exile and in Tibet. The Tibet Fund has also provided resources to strengthen cultural institutions and projects that are essential for the preservation of our cultural heritage, the very seed of our civilization.

While Tibet needs the compassion of the world community to survive, we cannot hope through mere words to convince the world of Tibet's value. We must set an example by our own practice. We are hard at work creating a modern society and democratic institutions based on the values of compassion, nonviolence and justice. Our communities are striving for self-sufficiency and self-determination.

I would like to express my gratitude to all the friends who have generously contributed to The Tibet Fund over the years, with the hope that you will continue to support us until our difficulties have been finally and justly resolved.

Please Help the Victims of the 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake in Nepal

Dear Readers of the Eye on the Paranormal,

Every Tuesday I post a blog about the Dalai Lama and hope that it inspires you in some way. Yesterday, it was a joyous blog about the Dalai Lama meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. That meeting took place only two days before the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

The initial report of 3,700 confirmed dead has now increased to more than 5,000. Many survivors in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, as well as those within remote regions, are without food and water -- their shelter having been leveled by the 'quake. Aftershocks are expected, which will bring more damage.

May 5th Update: The death toll is now over 7200. To read more about the earthquake, here's a CNN link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/03/asia/nepal-earthquake

If you would like to help, please read more from the Tibet Fund's website.

On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Nepal, taking a huge toll on human life and property. With over 3,700 confirmed dead, and the number continuing to rise, rescue efforts are still under way. According to The Guardian, more than half the houses in the city of Bhaktapur, just outside the city of Kathmandu, have been destroyed. Hundreds of homes in Patan, Kathmandu and neighboring towns have also been lost. Thousands more in the Buddhist regions of Northern Nepal are now leveled, leaving tens of thousands homeless. The official death toll in these areas is unknown due to inadequate data, and sporadic reports from these rural areas are our only glimpses of this earthquake’s true devastation.

This disaster has devastated the Tibetan community in Nepal, especially in remote areas close to the quake’s epicenter.  Currently, there are more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees and hundreds of thousands of Tibetan Buddhist practitioners living along the Himalayan Buddhist Belt in Nepal. Reports state that the Tibetan Refugee Settlement at Syabru Bensi has been heavily damaged, with the majority of homes in the settlement having collapsed. Monasteries and centers of Buddhist learning in the remote areas of Bhagang and Liphing in Tatopani have also been leveled by the quake. The rebuilding process will be a monumental task requiring financial support for years to come.

The Tibet Fund has established an Emergency Earthquake Relief Fund and is working with credible and reliable partners in Nepal, such as the Snow Lion Foundation and The Himalayan Society for Youth and Women Empowerment (HSYWE) to ensure that resources reach those most affected by the quake. These organizations are bringing urgently needed supplies and assistance to survivors and coordinating long-term efforts to rebuild communities. Even a small contribution will make a huge difference in the lives of those who have been tragically affected by the natural disaster.

The Tibet Fund

The Tibet Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; as such all donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law.  You can contribute online below to donate or send a check made out to The Tibet Fund with a note "Emergency Earthquake Relief Fund" on the memo line and send it to The Tibet Fund, 241 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016.

A Message from The 14th Dalai Lama About The Tibet Fund

The Tibetan people are grateful for the place they hold in the hearts and minds of so many people around the world. Were it not for our community in exile, so generously supported by individuals, organizations and governments, our nation would be little more than a shattered remnant of a people…our culture, religion and national identity effectively eliminated.

Over the past 30 years, The Tibet Fund has worked closely with our Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala to meet the needs of the Tibetan community. The Tibet Fund has raised millions of dollars to help our people to build schools and provide housing and infrastructure, health care and education to the Tibetan community, in exile and in Tibet. The Tibet Fund has also provided resources to strengthen cultural institutions and projects that are essential for the preservation of our cultural heritage, the very seed of our civilization.

While Tibet needs the compassion of the world community to survive, we cannot hope through mere words to convince the world of Tibet's value. We must set an example by our own practice. We are hard at work creating a modern society and democratic institutions based on the values of compassion, nonviolence and justice. Our communities are striving for self-sufficiency and self-determination.

I would like to express my gratitude to all the friends who have generously contributed to The Tibet Fund over the years, with the hope that you will continue to support us until our difficulties have been finally and justly resolved.