Environmentalism is the act of a bodhisattva

"Preserving the biodiversity and the ecosystems of our region should be like the effortless practice of dharma for us. Our basic motivation to protect the environment should come from the pure desire to benefit all sentient beings on earth since without the environment, there can be no life."
-His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa

 Ecospirituality is grounded in the principle of interconnectedness of all spiritual traditions, of all beings, and the interdependence of all life on Earth with the planet itself. Spiritual leadership is increasingly understood as being synonymous with environmental leadership.

Buddhist leaders, in concert with leaders across a broad spectrum of other faith traditions, are challenging their community members to fully engage with the reality of climate change, fossil fuel dependency, and the suffering that results. There is a growing recognition among faith and spiritual communities that their core teachings on extending compassion apply to actively safeguarding the endangered planet that we share. Further, faith leaders are recognizing the need to prepare themselves for the inevitability that people will turn to them for guidance as climate shifts accelerate the rate of change in their lifestyles.