His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is speaking out on environmental issues. The Karmapa is the 22-year-old head of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.

In an essay translated into English, His Holiness discusses the connection between Buddhism and taking care of the Earth. He wants environmental issues to be taught in Kagyu monasteries, and he has called for increasing environmental activism among Kagyu monastics.

Development in Tibet in particular is causing environmental damage. Many ancient Tibetan Buddhist practices that protected the environment have been put aside. For example, once people would not wash or introduce soaps or chemicals into streams for fear of angering the nagas. Now nagas are considered a silly myth, and the streams are being polluted. "The traditional way of seeing things is gone, but has not been replaced by contemporary education about environmental protection," His Holiness said.