Dalai Lama backs early move against warming

AFTER arriving in Australia yesterday, the Dalai Lama called for countries to cut greenhouse gases urgently, without waiting for other nations to act first.

Governments needed to act on the global interest, he said, rather than an outmoded definition of the national interest.

The Copenhagen climate summit failed to solve the looming problem of global warming, he said, because for individual nations, their top priority is for their own national interest, rather than global interest. AFTER arriving in Australia yesterday, the Dalai Lama called for countries to cut greenhouse gases urgently, without waiting for other nations to act first.

Governments needed to act on the global interest, he said, rather than an outmoded definition of the national interest.

The Copenhagen climate summit failed to solve the looming problem of global warming, he said, because for individual nations, their top priority is for their own national interest, rather than global interest. ‘‘Beyond control of individual nations’’ ... the Dalai Lama in Melbourne yesterday as part of an Australian visit.

That, I think, is wrong. After all, every nation belongs to the world. If [a] global crisis happens … everybody suffers, he told the Herald in an interview.

The spiritual leader of the world's Tibetan Buddhists adds his voice to those of leaders from every major religion in Australia in supporting the Gillard government's proposed carbon policy.

In previous times, maybe, I think national interest is top priority, OK. Nowadays, [the] whole world is heavily interdependent and global warming is beyond control of individual nations.

But the Dalai Lama, who successfully sought asylum in India after China invaded Tibet in 1950, did not want to offer the government any advice on its contentious asylum seeker policy.

Acknowledging it was complex and a case-by-case matter, he said it was not my business.

The Dalai Lama, whose name is Tenzin Gyatso, is in Australia on his first visit since standing down as the political leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

He happily brandished his new status when asked if he was disappointed that the Prime Minister had not yet committed to a meeting with him.

No, he replied unhesitatingly, to laughter in his Melbourne press conference.

If I had some agenda to discuss with the Prime Minister, I would be disappointed. But I have nothing. He said this modern Dalai Lama voluntarily, happily, proudly had relinquished his political responsibilities.

This had ended a 400-year tradition of Dalai Lamas combining functions of church and state, he said, and he was very happy. His main purpose in visiting Australia was to promote human values over material ones.

He plans to speak to audiences in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane about Buddhism, and will meet MPs and senators in Canberra.

A backbench member of the Gillard government, Michael Danby, a standard-bearer for the Dalai Lama and human rights in China, said that 64 parliamentarians had attended a reception for the Dalai Lama during his last visit to Australia.

He expected that more would attend this time. Showing public support for the Dalai Lama is also a defiance of China's government, which considers him a criminal and splittist for advocating Tibetan independence, although he has long advocated autonomy, not independence.

Mr Danby said that he hoped Ms Gillard would agree to meet the Dalai Lama in Canberra next week: My guide is that if the US President can meet the Dalai Lama, then I think any Western leader should be able to.

He said that if Ms Gillard were too busy, then the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, should meet him. The former prime minister was used to meeting incarnations, he quipped.

Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th incarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Source

www.smh.com.au