His Holiness the Dalai Lama Talks Climate Change with Parliament

2015 Parliament

Dalai Lama's Three Key Points on Climate Change to the Parliament

In September, 2015, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Parliament Board Chair Malik Mujahid recorded nearly an hour of exclusive interview for the 2015 Parliament.  

In this first clip, the Dalai Lama explains how climate change and poverty are interrelated, and why it's necessary to understand the overlapping of these challenges. He offers three points of focus: 

1. The poor are the first to feel the devastating effects of climate change.

"...suffering first is poor people, who suffer most because of climate conditions, change, warming, all these things. So richer people, to some extent, they can manage; but poor people, I think... due to global warming last summer in India, several thousand people died because of heat. Most of these poor people, even cannot manage [to] drink water."

2. We must think in terms of the future, rather than what is most convenient in the present.

"...we have to think long-term, wider perspective, our once-a-day impact on the planet and humanity. Sometimes we are too much focusing on immediate necessity or usefulness like that."

3. Both Education and Awareness are crucial.

"I myself recalling my own experience; when we were in Tibet, there was no concept of the importance of ecology. Then I come to India, and as a result of meeting with ecologists, some specialists in these field, then I notice it is very very important, actually, I think ultimately, to the survival of humanity.."