This item is part of our special edition:”Buddhism, Ecology and Climate Change”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of scientists that advises the UN and whose findings are supported by the world's governments, announced in August 2021 the first part of its first review of the science of climate change since 2013. In this document, entitled “Climate Change 2021: Physical Bases”, and issued three months before the climate summit in Glasgow (COP26), the IPCC reported that global warming is taking place at a faster rate than expected. The technological and analytical improvements in climate science that have taken place since the last report (in 2014) have made it possible to observe that, unless we reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to zero over the next few decades, the projections announce disastrous consequences for life on Earth.
With current global warming of 1.1 °C above pre-industrial temperature, caused by the emission of GHGs in unprecedented amounts in three million years—undoubtedly coming from the burning of fossil fuels, exacerbated by overpopulation, deforestation and large scale farming—there is an alarming increase in extreme weather events: records in high and low temperatures; global changes in precipitation patterns that have caused droughts and floods; devastating forest fires, greater frequency and intensity of typhoons; accelerated loss of Arctic ice and glaciers, and the slowdown of the Atlantic Ocean conveyor belt. These disastrous effects will persist for hundreds and even thousands of years.
A dystopian future
For the scientific and political communities, this news is alarming, as are the projections that derive from it. In previous reports, the IPCC has already warned of the risks of inaction. Unless we reduce current emissions, the rise in temperatures will reach 2°C, in which case climate models anticipate deadly heat waves, desertification, even more powerful hurricanes and a rise in sea levels that will affect coastal communities and island countries around the world. These conditions threaten the stable production and distribution of food and access to drinking water, which will cause economic crises and forced migrations, with millions of environmental refugees, which can trigger political, social and even military conflicts. All of this will contribute to a vicious cycle that will exacerbate these effects on the entire planet. Thus, the catastrophic consequences of climate change paint a dystopian future that will affect everyone. The hope of a happy life for our descendants is disappearing with every fire in the Amazon. If we don't take radical measures now, it will be much more difficult to combat these effects in the future.
We tend to project these catastrophic events into a distant time horizon, but some of the consequences of our actions have already happened, or are happening right now, such as the 30% increase in the degree of acidity of the oceans, with its pernicious effect on marine life, the great increase in the number of fires, or the extinction of thousands of species. The loss of biodiversity is such that we speak of our era as that of the first extinction caused by a species: the Homo sapiens (no one will escape the irony). The survival of all species is at stake!
The 26th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP26)
Much was expected from the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), which was held between October 31 and November 12, 2021 in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. This forum provided a unique opportunity for the future of humanity and the survival of millions of species with which we share the planet. Some agreements were reached (e.g., reducing methane emissions, reversing deforestation, the commitment of 40 countries to phase out coal). But the general view is that these are not enough. After this intergovernmental meeting and the big headlines, and after the dust it raised, the twin climate and ecological crises continue, and it is up to each of us to act, starting with going to the root of the problem.
Who is to blame?
In an exercise in simplicity, there is a tendency to isolate and emphasize some particular causes of the crisis. But the origin of the crisis is complex and affects us all. Our civilization, and a world population of 7500 million (and growing), is based on a socio-economic system based on oil, coal and consumption, and on a constant economic growth that leads to the commodification of nature and animals. We must reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy, avoid deforestation, reduce consumption and, at best, adopt a vegetarian diet. But perhaps all this will not be enough. The origin of the crisis lies in a worldview that dates back to the beginning of Western civilization and to a particular way of understanding human nature.
The need to change
Urgent calls to reverse the current course don't work. Just look at how hard it is to change even the smallest details of our own lives. There are few who believe that the increase in temperature can be limited to between 1.5 and 2 ºC until 2100, as set out in the Paris agreement, unless there are drastic changes at the planetary level, because it is increasingly clear that the problem is systemic. And the truth is that emissions continue to grow, and this is because the necessary changes are of such magnitude that it would be necessary to react collectively through a global transformation of our socio-economic and cultural system. This is only possible through a shared change in the collective imaginary, a change of order in intersubjective consciousness based on a deep understanding of our own nature and of our relationship with the Earth.
Buddhism and Climate Change
The resounding words of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg ”Our house is still on fire and you are fanning the fire”, evoke the parable about the burning house that appears in The Fire Speech (Adittapariyaya sutta 35.28 of Samyutta Nikaya): ”Everything is burning... with the fire of greed,... of aversion,... of confusion; burning with birth, old age and death; with sorrow, regret and pain, with anguish and despair.” This simile takes on a material dimension in the current context: the world is getting warmer, due to our behavior linked to the three fires.
Great contemporary Buddhist leaders have emphasized that Buddhism has much to contribute to the dialogue on climate change. Voices such as that of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, * the recently deceased teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh, or Bhikkhu Bodhi, to give examples from three Buddhist traditions, have analyzed the causes of the crisis and made calls for action. An example of Buddhist activism is the pliego ”The Time to Act Is Now: A Buddhist Statement on Climate Change”, ** ratified by numerous signatories. The Buddhist statement on climate change to world leaders urged participants to act with wisdom and compassion, and to reach an agreement to phase out fossil fuels and move towards a renewable energy system.
Analysis of causes from Buddhism
The Venerable Lama Lobzang, Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation, stated that ”Humanity must act on the root causes of this crisis, which is driven by greed, thoughtlessness and lack of concern for the consequences of our actions”. *** Several authors have analyzed the causes of the crisis from the perspective of the four noble truths. Bhikkhu Bodhi, in”The Four Noble Truths of the Climate Crisis”, explains in an ideal way what is happening. And Elías Capriles in”The Four Noble Truths of Ecology” explains the crisis as a manifestation of the essential ignorance of our time, and observes the possibility of regeneration from wisdom.
The ecological crisis has been induced by the human being, and is rooted in an erroneous vision of reality that seems to be endemic to our species, and is based on a vehement desire or desire for pleasure and on an essential ignorance about our true nature. This inopia has been increasing in modernity to the degree of suffering of which the ecological crisis is a consequence. Outdoor pollution is therefore a reflection of indoor pollution.
Ecology, Buddhism and Wisdom
For His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the seriousness of the climate crisis must move us to compassionate action: “more and more people understand that the survival of humanity is at stake. It's not enough to meditate or pray for change. There must be action.” **** Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi also concludes his “The Ecological Truth of the Cessation of Suffering,” by making a call to action. But this action must come from a model of life consistent with wisdom.
The meaning of ”Western “me” and the Buddhist teaching of no-self
There is a growing recognition that the ultimate cause of the climate crisis and, in fact, of all the essential problems of our time, is of a spiritual nature, and focuses on the conception that the Western human being has of himself, and of his relationship with reality since modernity*****. It is a vision of the person as an individual separated from nature and from other human beings, which exacerbates egoic functions in the human constitution and causes powerful distress. This deaf malaise, so prevalent in our culture, generates a need for satisfaction that drives consumption, and the exploitation of the natural environment and of people in our relationships. As Barbosa rightly says, “there is no hope of solving the environmental crisis without profoundly reviewing that way of thinking” ***** In the face of this, Buddhism promotes deconstructive practices of “self”, and of cultivating compassion, so that human beings can discover their authentic nature.
Special Edition “Buddhism, Ecology and Climate Change”
In the special edition “Buddhism, Ecology and Climate Change” we offer a Buddhist perspective to the various ecological problems that plague us. We will analyze how the teachings of the Dharma can contribute to resolving or mitigating the climate emergency. We will provide a vision of ecology from the various Buddhist traditions. We will consider a new way of understanding existence. And we will hear the voices of Buddhist women who provide their wisdom so that we learn to live in a more responsible way to the Earth and to all the species with which we share the planet.
* https://www.rae.es/dpd/dal%C3%A1i%20lama
* The Time to Act is Now: A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change
***https://www.naturalpress.ca/dalai-lama-pide-tomar-acciónes-por-cambio-climatico/
**** Montse Castellà Olivé, “Emerging Paradigms and Spiritual Traditions.”
*****Barbosa Cepeda, Carlos. “Ecology, Buddhism and Philosophy” Horizon Independent Magazine. Ed. Nicolas Orozco M., Feb. 07, 2021 Accessed on February 20, 2022.
Bibliography
Badiner, Allen, Dharma Gaia: A Harvest of Essays in Buddhism and Ecology. Berkeley: Parallax, 1990.
Kaza, Stephanie, and Kenneth Kraft, eds. Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism. Boston and London: Shambhala, 2000.
Loy, D.R. Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. Wisdom Publications, 2019.
Sandell, Klas, ed. Buddhist Perspectives on the Ecocrisis. Buddhist Publication Society: Sri Lanka, 1987
de Silva, L. The Buddhist attitude towards nature. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), retrieved from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/desilva/attitude.html 2013
Related articles published on Buddhistdoor in Spanish
Special Edition: “Buddhism, Ecology and Climate Change”
”Buddhism and the climate crisis”
”An Ecosophical Interpretation of the Buddhist Experience of Ganying”
”Paṣiccasamuppāda: from karmic shackle to ecological interconnection”
”DHARMA-GAIA Research Group: Buddhism, Women and the Climate Emergency”
”Global Systemic Crisis and Buddhism: Towards a Paradigm Shift”
”The awakening of the snows, the flowers and the trees”
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Daniel Millet Gil has a law degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, a master's degree in Buddhist Studies (with distinction) from the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong, and a doctorate (with distinction) in Buddhist Studies from the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong. He received the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Award for Excellence in Buddhist Studies (2018-2019). He obtained his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies with a comparative study between The Inner Castle of Saint Teresa of Avila and The Way of Purification from Buddhaghosa. He is a regular contributor and executive editor of the Buddhistdoor web platform in Spanish. He is also the founder president of the Dharma-Gaia Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching and dissemination of Buddhism in Spanish-speaking countries. He has published numerous titles in academic and educational journals that can be found at: https://hku-hk.academia.edu/DanielMillet
