“This is not a question of one nation or two nations. This is a question of humanity. Our world is our home,” the Dalai Lama said. “There’s no other planet where we may move or shift.”

Toward the end of 2015, a dedicated volunteer group worked diligently behind the scenes worldwide to facilitate a global Buddhist contribution to COP21. This involved many calls across time zones, negotiations, with numerous discussions back and forth. The resulting declaration has not been widely noted or commented on in Buddhist circles, but nevertheless, it was a significant contribution and achievement, given how difficult it can be to bring Buddhist groups together across traditions and continents. The groups and individuals who collaborated together on this are listed below. Great credit goes to Ciara Shannon of Our Voices, who coordinated the process. Read a report from Buddhist Door.

Participating organisations and individuals involved include:

• Buddhist Climate Action Network (BCAN) – Ayya Santussika and Bob Kolodny
• Buddhistdoor Global – Raymond Lam
• Buddhist Global Relief – Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
• Dharmagiri – Thanissara Mary Weinberg
• Ecobuddhism – John Stanley
• Eco Friendly Volunteers (Eco-V) – Kanchana Weerakoon
• GreenFaith – Rev. Fletcher Harper
• International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) – Dr. Barbara Maas
• International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) – Dr. Nigel Crawhall, Somboon Chungprampree, Junghee Min, Prashant Varma and Jonathan Watts
• Inter-Religious Climate & Ecology (ICE) Network – Emilie Parry
• Plum Village – Sister True Dedication
• One Earth Sangha– Kristin Barker and Lou Leonard
• OurVoices – Ciara Shannon and Vanya Walker-Leigh
• Shambhala – Acharya Adam Lobel,  Richard Reoch and Irene Woodard
• Sokka Gakkai International – William Aiken

It is of great note that the statement was signed by most of the highest-ranking Buddhist leaders in the East, as well as many dharma teachers in the West. The statement was translated into 12 languages.