Allegedly reincarnated guy takes fossil-fueled trip to California, claims that CO2 may affect "billions and billions" of Earth's 8.7 million species; audience members wipe away tears

Dalai Lama Talks Global Warming - Lemon Grove, CA Patch

The audience was soon hushed, however, as the Dalai Lama began to talk about the perils of global warming, including rising sea levels and poor air quality. Using a simple but powerful metaphor, the Dalai Lama illustrated just how critical he feels the issues are.

“Look at birds: Even they respect their nests because they know their survival depends on it," he said. "This small blue planet is our only home. If we do not respect it, the entire planet and billions and billions of species will be affected. This is a question of life, a question of survival for the entire planet.”

As he spoke, audience members sat captivated, some wiping away tears or closing their eyes to better absorb what he was saying.

How many species on Earth? About 8.7 million, new estimate says

ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2011) — Eight million, seven hundred thousand species (give or take 1.3 million).

During UCSD visit April 18, Dalai Lama says science and religion not incompatible in curbing global warming | La Jolla Light | La Jolla Light

During his opening remarks, Somerville said the Earth’s climate has always changed from natural causes. What is different today, he said, is that human activities have become the dominant factor.

“Our generation today now controls what the climate will be for our children and grandchildren,” Somerville said. “We did not seek this power but we have it because we have long used the atmosphere as a free dump for the side effects and waste products of human activities.

...Climate change, said the Dalai Lama, “is a question of our life, our survival. … This is something, very, very serious.”

14th Dalai Lama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tibetans traditionally believe Dalai Lamas to be the reincarnation of their predecessors, each of whom is believed to be a human emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. A search party was sent to locate the new incarnation when the boy who was to become the 14th was about two years old.^[8] It is said that, amongst other omens, the head of the embalmed body of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, at first facing south-east, had mysteriously turned to face the northeast—indicating the direction in which his successor would be found. The Regent, Reting Rinpoche, shortly afterwards had a vision at the sacred lake of Lhamo La-tso indicating Amdo as the region to search—specifically a one-story house with distinctive guttering and tiling. After extensive searching, the Thondup house, with its features resembling those in Reting's vision, was finally found.

Thondup was presented with various relics, including toys, some of which had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama and some of which had not. It was reported that he had correctly identified all the items owned by the previous Dalai Lama, exclaiming, "That's mine! That's mine!"^[9]