His Holiness the Dalai Lama has praised the Mirror’s Million Trees campaign, saying planting trees is one of the things people can do in the bid to avert climate disaster.
We are calling on our readers to get as involved as they can – and we have 20,000 trees to give away.
The Dalai Lama said: “I very much appreciate the Daily Mirror’s initiative to encourage its readers.
“We need to work together to meet the climate challenge that affects us all, and one of the ways we can do that is to plant trees.
“Whenever I do so, I make the following wish ‘when the tree is fully grown, may the world have become a happier more peaceful place’.”
He added: “Right now, when population growth and climate crisis present a challenge to the whole of humanity, we need to... protect our environment.
“This planet is our only home. If it becomes too hot for us to survive, we have nowhere else to go. Trees purify the air for living beings to breathe.
“They... serve as a place for insects and birds to live. The time has come for us to take a non-violent stance, not only towards each other, but towards the natural world, which means planting, not cutting, trees.”
He has also thanked 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg for campaigning about the environment.
The Dalai Lama, 84, said: “We cannot simply exploit this planet...
“Scientists have been warning us for some time of the dangers we face with regard to our changing climate.
“I really appreciate Greta Thunberg’s efforts to raise awareness of the need to take appropriate action.”
The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
His praise for the Mirror comes as Friends of the Earth has found the governments of England, Wales and Scotland spend less than £1 per person on trees annually. It is 20p in England. The environmental group says yearly investment in Britain must rise by 10 times to get the right amount of tree coverage.
A special climate edition of the Daily Mirror last week was backed by stars including Sir Paul McCartney.
- We’ve teamed up with the Woodland Trust to give 20,000 trees to readers to plant. Go to mirror.co.uk/treegiveaway for details.
