London: 6 July 2021 marks the 86th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. To celebrate the auspicious 86th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Office of Tibet London hosted a virtual panel discussion titled “His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Environment and Climate Appeal to the world”. Under normal circumstances, the Office of Tibet in London would celebrate the auspicious birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with friends and supporters of His Holiness and Tibet in the UK on 6 July. But today, for the second consecutive year, we are forced to celebrate the day virtually due to the continuation of restrictions imposed because of the Covid pandemic.
The event started with a visual presentation of a short video message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Representative Sonam Tsering Frasi then welcomed the two panellists Dr Franz Alt, German Environmental Journalist, and Michael Buckley, an award-winning Canadian journalist. In addition to journalism, the two panellists have also written many books, including the new book written by Dr. Alt with His Holiness the Dalai Lama “Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World” in 2020.
Representative Frasi in his opening remarks mentioned that we are going global in our celebration and paying tribute to His Holiness on his 86th birthday by remembering one of his core concerns and contributions to humanity, which is the urgent environmental issues facing our planet. His Holiness has become one of the great world leaders of our time, a universal figure of great spiritual and moral authority, champion of human values, a spokesperson for peace, and a fervent campaigner for the environment with universal responsibility, who commands the respect of people everywhere—including heads of states, religious leaders, fellow Nobel Laurates, scientists, scholars, philosophers, environmentalists as well as ordinary men and women all over the world.
He further mentioned that this year the United Nations climate change conference COP26 will be held in the United Kingdom and as there is much expectation that politicians, diplomats, and heads of states will concentrate on achieving agreement on net-zero emission rates and targeted global climate temperature. The Office of Tibet, London is also concentrating and highlighting the deteriorating impacts of climate change impacts on the Tibetan plateau.
Dr Franz Alt began by wishing His Holiness the Dalai Lama a very happy 86th birthday, good health and a long life. He spoke on a new ethical approach-the solar Energy Revolution and the Green Economy. He said our economic program is a suicidal program. In one day, we consume as much coal, gas, and oil as nature created in one million days. Today we consume the future of our children and grandchildren.
He said: “During my last TV program, I asked the Dalai Lama: What is religion today? His answer was: Only those who take an active part in realizing the true nature of creation can call themselves religious. Therefore, I published together with the Dalai Lama this book titled ‘Ethics are more important than religion’ in eight languages. A remarkable statement by one of the most charismatic religious leaders of the world. And that means we have an ecological ethics.”
He said that only with a solar and a wind-energy economy or with a solar world economy we can solve the problems of the 21st century. The change in energy is possible. With the help of Renewable Energies, we can make poverty history. Sun, wind, water, biomass, and so on are our elementary future.
The second speaker Michael Buckley also began by wishing His Holiness a very happy 86th birthday and wished him long life. He spoke about His Holiness’s new book “This Fragile Planet” (to be published in September). He said the title of the book comes from a quote by His Holiness, which he read:
“Over the years, since our first arriving in exile, I have taken a close interest in environmental issues. The Tibetan government in exile has paid particular attention to introducing our children to their responsibilities as residents of this fragile planet.”
He said His Holiness often talks fragile in the context of Tibet’s fragile eco-systems, under siege from the Chinese occupiers of Tibet. These high-altitude eco-systems – the glaciers, the grasslands, and the mighty rivers once damaged, take a long time to recover. But His Holiness doesn’t stop there. He looks way beyond Tibet, into Asia, and across the globe, in terms of our responsibilities to Mother Earth.
He further talked about His Holiness’s four life-long commitments particularly the third which is is to preserve Tibetan culture and Tibetan environment. So, in the cause of protecting the environment, His Holiness promotes the values of secular ethics, universal responsibility, respect for all living beings, the notion of interdependence—that all species play a role on our planet—which we might better recognize as the concept of biodiversity. And, above all, compassion for Mother Earth.
Michael Buckley visited Tibet first in 1985 and then again in 2010. He was asked questions about changes in Tibet’s environment/destruction in an environment based on his experience from those two visits. He answered that changes are quite alarming. Initially, when he visited Tibet in 1985, there were no mega-dams, there were a few mining activities but not on a large scale. What really changed the situation, he thinks, was the train. The train arrived in 2006 and since then everything has gone. He explained that all minerals and natural resources are exported to China. China is the biggest polluter on the planet with the highest consumption of fossil fuels.
Report filed by Office of Tibet, London