An
Ethical Approach to Environmental Protection
Peace and the survival
of life on earth as we know it are threatened by human activities which lack a
commitment to humanitarian values. Destruction of nature and nature resources
results from ignorance, greed and lack of respect for the earth’s living things. This lack of respect extends even to earth’s human descendants, the future
generations who will inherit a vastly degraded planet if world peace does not
become a reality, and destruction of the natural environment continues at the
present rate.
Our ancestors viewed the earth as rich and bountiful, which it
is. Many people in the past also saw nature as inexhaustibly sustainable, which
we now know is the case only if we care for it. It is not difficult to forgive
destruction in the past, which resulted from ignorance. Today, however, we have
access to more information, and it is essential that we re-examine ethically
what we have inherited, what we are responsible for, and what we will pass on
to coming generations. Clearly this is a pivotal generation. Global
communication is possible, yet confrontations take place more often than
meaningful dialogues for peace. Our marvels of science and technology are
matched if not outweighed by many current tragedies, including human starvation
in some parts of the world, and extinction of other life forms.
Exploration of
outer space takes place at the same time as the earth’s own oceans, seas, and
freshwater areas grow increasingly polluted, and their life forms are largely
unknown or misunderstood. Many of the earth’s habitats, animals, plants,
insects, and even micro-organisms that we know of as rare or endangered,
may not be known at all by future
generations. We have the capacity, and the responsibility. We must act before it
is too late.
This message from His Holiness the 14th
Dalai Lama of Tibet was issued on June 5, 1986 to mark the World Environment
Day on the theme Peace and the Environment.
Source: Dalai Lama on Environment:
Collected Statements 1987-2017, Published by Environment & Development
Desk, Tibet Policy Institute, India
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