HOLLYWOOD STAR
Richard Gere backs our trees campaign
RICHARD Gere urged Mirror readers to join him in planting trees around the world to fight climate change.
The Hollywood A-lister warned how the environment crisis will be more “catastrophic than any war or disaster ever known”.
The An Officer and a Gentleman star told how action has never been needed more “in the urgent quest to limit carbon emissions”.
Planting a tree for us in Grabnik, outside Warsaw, Poland, the 70-year-old actor said: “I am so delighted to plant a beautiful tree here at the Benchen Karma Kamtsang Buddhist Centre. Together with our friends here we wholeheartedly support the Mirror’s campaign for everyone to do the same in communities across Britain and the world.”
Richard, who is chair of the International Campaign for Tibet, added: “We are all interdependent, and dependent upon this planet, our home. The Dalai Lama’s home, Tibet – the roof of the world – is warming nearly three times as fast as the rest of the earth.
“This matters to all of us. Tibet has the biggest reserves of freshwater outside the Arctic and Antarctic, and is the source of most of Asia’s major rivers. Its changing climate affects not only the monsoon in Asia but weather patterns in Europe and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.
“Tibet may be the canary in the coal mine.” As we reported yeasterday, the Dalai Lama has praised the Mirror’s campaign, saying planting trees is one thing people can do in a bid to avert climate disaster. Lama Rinchen, who heads up the Buddhist Centre in Grabnik, added: “The Mirror campaign has inspired us here to plant more trees.”
This week, monk Geshe Tenzin Namdak and teacher Tenzin Osel Hita planted trees at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, South London.
Today marks the start of our fundraising with Trillion Trees, a joint venture of the world’s largest conservation charities – WWF, BirdLife International and Wildlife Conservation Society who are fighting deforestation.
Stuart Dainton, WWF UK, Head of Trillion Trees, said: “The Mirror and its readers’ support is key to restoring trees and forests.”