Urgency

"Our ancestors viewed the earth as rich and bountiful, which it is. Many people in the past also nature as inexhaustibly sustainable, which we now know is the case only if we care for it. It is not difficult to forgive destruction in the past which resulted from ignorance. Today, however, we have access to more information, and it is essential that we re-examine ethically what we have inherited, what we are responsible for, and what we will pass on to future generations. Our marvels of science and technology are matched if not outweighed by many current tragedies, including human starvation in some parts of the world, and extinction of other life forms. The exploration of space takes place at the same time as the Earth's own oceans, seas and fresh water areas grow increasingly polluted. Many of the Earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects and even micro-organisms that we know as rare may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability, and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late."

-The Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet