Issues to do with the rise in population and the advancement of technology are affecting the nature. He says that the environmental disasters being witnessed are due to our irresponsible behavior. Lama gives a case example of Tibet where he grew up and the changes in environment that have undergone in the past years and its consequences (Gyatso 1).
According to Lama, Tibet was once a wildlife paradise. The wildlife in Tibet was rarely hunted and hunting only occurred in the remote areas where crops could not be planted. It was a custom for the government officials to make a proclamation on protecting wildlife. He claims that there were no provisions to harm the animals whether on land or in water, in fact, the only animals allowed to do so were the wolves and rats. However, the contribution of hunting in the loss of wildlife is not significant (Gyatso 1).
He offers a vivid picture of Tibet when he was young. During his travelling at that time, he used to see a number of species on the way. These species range from mammals to birds. He recalls how he interacted with the animals and other forms of nature (Gyatso 1).
The wildlife is long gone and this is due to the loss of habitat and partly due to hunting. Only a small fraction of the habitat remains in Tibet. The forests in Tibet are also gone. he compares the present state of Tibet forest with a clean shaven monk’s head. He says that the solutions lie within us and there is need to fix our behaviors not the environment. technology does not offer most of the solutions (Gyatso 1).
The argument of Dalai Lama is valid to some extent. The source of environmental destruction is from the human beings. This is true because most of the activities done by human beings including industrialization affect the environment negatively. Most of the environmental disasters like floods are due to deforestation and the destruction of habitats.