Protect planet, our only home, says Dalai Lama

Dharamsala, April 22

Delivering a message on World Earth Day on Friday, the Dalai Lama said the threat of climate change was not limited by national boundaries but affects us all. “We must protect nature and the planet, which is our only home,” he said.

Earlier in the morning, the Dalai Lama granted a special audience to climate activists at his residence. The activists are here for a three-day dialogue on climate action titled ‘Dialogue for Our Future: A call to Climate Action’ in commemoration of Earth Day.

The conclave is being co-hosted by the Tibet Policy Institute, EURAC Research, Czechs Support Tibet, and the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).

The Dalai Lama said, “Our world is highly interdependent. New challenges, as well as our participation in the global economy, mean that we must take the whole of humanity into account. We have to put the global interest first. We need to take urgent steps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and adopt renewable sources of energy such as those that rely on the wind and the power of the sun.”

He urged people to pay attention to deforestation and protect the environment.