Tibet’s spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, published a letter on October 31 to coincide with the opening of COP26, the United Nation’s annual climate conference happening from November 1. His Holiness says that the issue of climate change must be addressed on a cooperative global level. He underlines the importance of the Tibetan plateau, as the source of Asia’s major rivers, to sustain the livelihood of over two billion people in downstream areas.
“Global warming is an urgent reality. None of us is able to change the past. But we are all in a position to contribute to a better future. Indeed, we have a responsibility to ourselves and to the more than seven billion human beings alive today to ensure that all of us can continue to live in peace and safety. With hope and determination, we must take care of both our own lives and those of all our neighbours,” said His Holiness in the letter which is published on his official website, dalailama.com.
The Tibetan plateau, being the largest reservoir of snow and ice outside the North and the South Pole, is referred to as the “Third Pole”. Tibet is the source of major rivers in the world, including the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, the Indus, the Mekong, the Salween, the Yellow River and the Yangtze. These rivers are a source of drinking water, irrigation for agriculture and hydropower, for nearly two billion people across Asia, says His Holiness. The melting of Tibet’s glaciers, the damming and diversion of rivers and widespread deforestation currently being undertaken, will affect the whole of this population whose livelihood depends on this ecology.
His Holiness emphasised that these issues should be addressed “taking realistic action founded on scientific understanding.” He continued, “The inhabitants of our planet are interdependent as never before. Everything we do affects our human companions, as well as innumerable animal and plant species.” He said that the participation of younger generations in the climate change movement gives hope for the future.
His Holiness reiterated the importance of maintaining a sense of the one-ness of the humanity,saying that the threat of global warming and climate change is not limited by national boundaries: it affects us all.
He concludes the letter by saying, “I hope and pray that our leaders will gather the strength to take collective action to address this emergency, and set a timetable for change. We have to act to make this a safer, greener, happier world.”
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