Tibetans Holds a workshop on Himalayan Climate Change
Dharamshala: The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) with the Himlayan Climate Change Yatra group held a workshop this morning at CTA,Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala.
Himalayan Climate change yatra is a tour by the Dr. Vandana Shiva and her group to educate people about the climate change and its effect on our lives. The tour is for nine days during which the group will carry out awareness programs in the nine cities of Himachal Predesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand states.
The Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche said, “If the roof is damaged, the house cannot be kept in order” lighting on the subject.
Dr. Vandana Shiva and the Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche facilitated the workshop for the local Tibetan environmental groups including the Environment and Development Desk of the CTA, and TESI Environmental Awareness Movement. The workshop was chaired by Prof. P.N. Sharma.
The workshop began with an address by the Kalon Tripa and was followed by presentations by Dr. Vinod Bhatt of the Yatra group who presented the goals of Navdanya and their Yatra.
Navdanya is a movement for biodiversity conservation founded by Dr. Vandana Shiva. The goal of the movement is to create seed banks, promote organic farming, develop composting techniques and provide education for sustainable learning.
Dr. Bhatt talked about the climate changes in Ladakh and presented the mission and goals of Navdanya movement. “Local people’s perception, experience and knowledge about climate change, will help in and developing and implementation of any governmental plan and in making any policy decisions. Incorporating inigenous knowledge can add value in developing the sustainable climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies”, Dr Bhatt said.
Mr. Tenzin Norbu, Head of the Environment and Development Desk of the Central Tibetan Administration, presented a brief overview of the Tibetan Plateau and the effects that Chinese deforestation methods. Mr. Norbu presented on the subject “Tibet: The Third Pole” and the effects that the Tibetan Plateau has on the rest of Asia.
Mrs. Tsering Yangkyi, founder and director of the TESI Environmental Awareness Movement based in Dharamshala, India, briefed about the organisation. The goal of TESI is to revive the ecological consciousness of Tibetans. Mrs. Yangkyi presented the mission and goals of TESI and its accomplishments in the past years and recommendations for the Central Tibetan Administration.
Dr. Shiva talked about the effects of climate change here in India and worldwide. She also talked about the effects of greenhouse gases and fossil fuels and how the industrial economy has become heavily reliant on machinery. “The West is outsourcing its pollution to developing countries” said Dr. Shiva. She stated that international resolutions such as the Kyoto Protocol are simply allowing industrialized countries to outsource their pollution”.
Dr. Shiva stated national governments are allowing private industries to pollute, essentially ‘privatizing’ the atmosphere. “The problem is that Geo-engineers are dividing the world into different parts, thinking of it as a machine, but in order to preserve the world we must think of universal responsibility we have” Dr. Shiva added.
In her closing remark, Dr. Shiva stated, “the disaster in the Himalayas is an opportunity to change to create a shift in the way we live. It is also a chance to tell the stories of the Himalayas to the world and put it in the hands of public responsibility”.
Dr. Shiva and her team stopped here in Dharamshala to carry on the awareness movement. The Dharamsala leg of Yatra was hosted by the Kashag, Central Tibetan Administration.
Dr. Shiva and her group’s next destination for the yatra is the Himachal Pradesh University of Palampur.
