Buddhist statements before 2015 Paris climate talks

Statement of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils, 5 November, 2015

For the benefit of all beings the Australian Buddhist community urges world leaders meeting in Paris this year to reduce the mining and use of coal and other fossil fuels. Instead of increased coal production we encourage the Australian government to actively pursue the development of renewable energy technologies and help developing countries toward the same end. In the face of overwhelming scientific consensus, urgent action is needed to avoid the catastrophic damage to the earth that climate change will bring if not halted. 

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. Besides contributing to carbon dioxide production it causes enormous damage to human health and local ecosystems. The leadership of every nation of the world is needed now more than ever to help transition the world from coal power to renewable clean energy.

The Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils encourages practical changes at the personal, national and global levels to tackle climate change. Personal awareness and action is encouraged to reduce one's personal contribution to climate change, while government and industry should take responsibility to lead our society to a sustainable future. In addition to reducing the human carbon footprint, we should address human over-population and animal farming to further manage the degradation of the environment. 

As Buddhists we place a special importance on the health of the world’s natural environment. It was in the forest that the Buddha was born, had his awakening experience and passed away. The Buddha respected all forms of life and the sanctity of nature, and hence we should protect against the deforestation that is threatening to remove an important natural producer of oxygen and consumer of carbon dioxide.

Global Buddhist Climate Change Collective

Statement to World Leaders 2015, 29 October, 2015

Quoting from this document:

“We call on world leaders to recognize and address our universal responsibility to protect the web of life for the benefit of all, now and for the future.

… we call on all Parties in Paris:

1. To be guided by the moral dimensions of climate change as indicated in Article 3 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
2. To agree to phase out fossil fuels and move towards 100 percent renewables and clean energy.
3. To create the political will to close the emissions gap left by country climate pledges so as to ensure that the global temperature increase remains below 1.5 degrees Celsius, relative to pre-industrial levels.
4. To make a common commitment to increase finance above the US$100 billion agreed in Copenhagen in 2009, including through the Green Climate Fund (GCF), to help vulnerable developing countries prepare for climate impacts and transition towards a low-carbon economy.

The time to act is now.”

See also:

http://fore.yale.edu/climate-change/statements-from-world-religions/buddhism/