By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 11: His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg along with noted scientists urged climate action by discussing the impact of ‘feedback loops’ on Sunday from his residence in Dharamshala, India. The global visionaries urged immediate action and discussed new possibilities. Noted scientists Susan Natali and William Moomaw detailed the science behind the accelerating loops of warming that is “spiralling out of control”. The activists launched the website feedbackloopsclimate.com to create awareness among the public.
The Nobel laureate Dalai Lama lauded young climate activists like Thunberg who have forged a new meaning around climate justice. The 18-year-old global icon thanked His Holiness for his advocacy, “There may be differences of age between us, but our shared goal is to protect the planet.” The two discussed ravaging climate consequences that have claimed unprecedented lives in the last decades.
He compared the decreasing percentage of snowfall at his previous residence in Tibet’s capital Lhasa as well as his current exile home in Dharamshala. His Holiness also spoke about protecting Tibet’s ecology, “Some scientists have told me that there is a risk of places like Tibet eventually becoming deserts. That’s why I’m committed to speaking out for the protection of Tibet’s environment.”
The first clip featured in the discussion showed Greta Thunberg addressing a UN meeting, “The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in ten years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees… but those numbers do not include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution.” The activists warned the global community against carbon emissions and encouraged pro-forestation, preserving the forests that exist, to ultimately help save the Arctic.
“We have to be very progressive in our transition away from fossil fuels and into a new, green world. But it takes imagination,” said the scientist and Nobel laureate Moomaw. He further said that human ingenuity could reverse the direction by protecting and expanding forests, preserving marshes, grasslands, and all-natural habitats.
