18. Nov 2009
Dalai Lama appeals to China on drying Tibet rivers
(Reuters) The Dalai Lama has appealed to China to take action to act against Tibet's glaciers melting, saying the environmental crisis was more urgent than a political solution over Tibet's future. Attending a U.N. summit on global hunger in Rome, the Dalai Lama warned that rivers from Tibet's glaciers and snow-covered mountains may dry up in 15 to 20 years and asked Beijing to study the problem together with Tibetan experts. "A political solution (for Tibet) may take time, but that's okay, we can wait", the Dalai Lama told reporters. "But damaging the ecology, year by year, is happening, so we really need serious studies and to make a plan to protect the environment. That is very, very important".