Leading Buddhists call for agreement on climate change

Top Buddhist figures, including the Dalai Lama, have called on world leaders to axe fossil fuels and tackle global warming at climate talks in Paris starting next month.

Fifteen Buddhist leaders from around the world signed the statement, saying that "our survival and that of other species is at stake".

"Together, humanity must act on the root causes of this environmental crisis, which is driven by our use of fossil fuels, unsustainable consumption patterns, lack of awareness, and lack of concern about the consequences of our actions," it said Thursday.

The urgently worded statement comes ahead of the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, from November 30.

"This is the first time so many Buddhist luminaries have come together on a global issue to speak with one voice," the GBCCC -- a coalition of Buddhist and interfaith organisations -- said of the statement, which it called "unprecedented".

The Buddhist leaders said representatives at the Paris climate change conference must "put us on a path" to phase out fossil fuels and move towards 100 percent renewable, clean energy.

They also called on the conference to ensure global temperatures do not rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, adding that it was "technologically and economically feasible".

The Buddhist leaders who signed the statement come from across Asia, France and the United States.

It is hoped that the conference will produce a new pact to stop the Earth from warming too much.

At least 80 world leaders including US President Barack Obama, Xi Jinping of China and Indian PM Narendra Modi will attend the Paris talks.

The conference aims to deliver an agreement on tackling climate change, with the goal of capping warming at two degrees Celsius (3.6 Farenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.