Headlines
Modi for collective action against climate change
New Delhi, Sep 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Thursday said climate change is a "pressing global challenge" that
calls for "collective human action and a comprehensive response".
Addressing
a gathering of spiritual leaders, scholars and leaders from several
countries at a conference on conflict avoidance and environment
consciousness, the prime minister said it was the poor people of the
world who were most directly hit due to climate change.
"In my
view, the most adversely affected by climate change are the poor and the
downtrodden. When a natural disaster strikes, they are hit the hardest.
"When there are floods, they are rendered homeless. During a
quake, their homes are destroyed. During droughts, they are affected.
And during extreme cold too, the homeless suffer the most," he said.
"We
can't let climate change keep affecting people in this manner. Which is
why I believe the discourse must shift focus from climate change to
climate justice."
Talking about Buddhism, the prime minister said
Buddhist tradition, in all its historical and cultural manifestations,
encouraged greater identification with the natural world because from a
Buddhist perspective nothing has a separate existence.
Stating
that the impurities in the environment affect the mind, and the
impurities of mind also pollute the environment, he said: "In order to
purify the environment, we have to purify the mind."
Modi said
the eco crisis was a reflection of imbalance of mind. Lord Buddha,
therefore, accorded importance to the need for preserving natural
resources, and created tools related to water conservation and forbid
the monks from polluting water resources.
The nature, forests, trees and the well-being of all beings play a great role in the teachings of Lord Buddha, he said.
"Personally,
it is my reading of Vedic literature that educated me about the strong
bond between humans and mother nature. We are all aware of Mahatma
Gandhi's doctrine of trusteeship."
"In this context, the present
generation has the responsibility to act as a trustee of the rich
natural wealth for the future generations."
He said the issue was not merely about climate change. "It is about climate justice."
Modi
said the teachings of Gautama Buddha resonate clearly with the major
themes chosen for the symposium - avoiding conflicts, moving towards
environmental consciousness and free and frank dialogue.
"Without proper dialogue, neither of the two themes of conflict avoidance is possible or workable."