Scientific and Spiritual Dimensions of Climate Change
A Study Course
Class 5
Practical and Spiritual Solutions –
The Role of the Individual
Section 1: Actions of Individuals
“Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.” i Baha'u'llah
These are simple steps everyone can take to mitigate climate change. Many drops will make an ocean!
Measure up – Take your footprint quiz. You can search on the internet for a site
where you can calculate your own carbon footprint or your general ecological footprint, for example: http://www.earthday.net/footprint
Power smart – Choose green, carbon-free power.
In many parts of the world electricity providers offer green power at a
slightly higher price than regular power.
Turn it off
- when not in use: turn off computer, lights, TV,
heating and AC. Don't let your car idle. Unplug chargers when not in
use.
Use less, live better – Conserve and save.
Buy only what you really need.
Turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.
Hang up your laundry instead of using the dryer.
Wait with doing laundry until you have enough clothes to fill your washing machine.
Take short showers. Heating water uses energy.
Move outside the box – Go car-free: cycle, walk, bus or carpool and car-share.
Buy local – Buy locally grown and produced food.
Grow some of your own food.
Participate in a community garden.
Shop at your local farmers' marketplace.
Rethink garbage – Resist and reduce: Generate less household garbage.
Use cloth shopping bags.
Reuse water containers; purify tap water instead of buying bottled water.
Compost your kitchen scraps with your yard leaves and lawn clippings.
Reuse, then recycle – teach your children the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Make your lawn colorful – naturalize your lawn and replace chemicals with alternatives.
Many lawn chemicals are carcinogens. Children are particularly
vulnerable and the most likely to be exposed to lawn chemicals.
Children living in homes using pesticides are at higher risk for
developing brain cancer, childhood leukemia, lymphoma, and asthma. Lawn
chemicals pollute drinking water and have numerous other detrimental
effects on the environment.
Lawn mowers and fertilizers also emit a lot of greenhouse gases.
Reducing the size of your lawn and growing your own food in its place
is a win - win situation!
Be enlightened – phase out your incandescent light bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent ones or LEDs.
Fluorescent light bulbs use only about ¼ to 1/5 of the energy as
incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times as long. If every household
in the United States replaced one regular light bulb with an
energy-saving model, we could reduce global warming pollution the same
as taking 6.3 million cars off the road. ii
It is necessary to recycle CFLs properly (bring them to a collection
center), as they contain a small amount of mercury, and to follow
directions if a bulb breaks. The amount of mercury in a CFL bulb is small, roughly one fifth the
amount in a watch battery, and it is contained in the bulb. Much of the
energy in China, the United States, and some other countries comes from
coal fired power plants which are not only the energy source releasing
most greenhouse gases but they also emit a lot of mercury into the
atmosphere. This mercury comes down in the form of rain and pollutes
our waters. That's why many fish contain dangerous levels of mercury.
iii As CFL bulbs use significantly less mercury than incandescent ones,
their use also helps to reduce mercury pollution in those countries.
Buy energy efficient – appliances and fuel-efficient car.
Eat lower on the food chain – reduce meat consumption, especially beef.
Generally eat lower on the food chain, which means less animal products.
Plant trees – they soak up CO2, make shade, block wind and prevent soil erosion.
Educate yourself and others –
- Read some of the many books on climate change.
- Discuss climate change with your family and friends to help them become more aware of these issues.
- Teach a sustainable lifestyle by example.
Imagine – the positive effect for the planet when millions of people simply conserve
energy and water, recycle, and generally adopt a more simple and sustainable lifestyle.
Encourage action – Be an advocate for environmentally responsible actions in your
family, at your workplace, in your religious community and social
circle. Support and vote for new laws and policies that help mitigate
climate change.
Individual Activity:
Think about actions that you can undertake to mitigate climate
change and to help the Earth heal. You may like to write down a few
actions that you will be able to carry out now, some that you are
planning to implement within the next weeks, and some that you would
like to consider for the future. Then share some of your ideas with the
group at your next meeting. And most importantly: follow through!
Read the spiritual text below and think about the following question:
To what kind of application in every day life do these words inspire
us? Or put in a different way: How can we express them in practical
actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions? You may like to
write down some ideas to share with your group.
“Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy
of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and
friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an
answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy
pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust
to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them
that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a
haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of
oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts.
Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of
strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light
unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of
truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of
righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of
the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to
the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in
the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in
the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of
humility.” iv
Baha’u’llah
Section 2: Stewardship of the Earth
All religions and many traditions teach that the Earth is God's creation and that it is our responsibility to preserve it:
American Indian Tradition: The most sacred force in 1700 Quapaw
religious practice was called Wakondah or Wakontah. Wakontah was an
energy or force that permeated everything that existed and kept
everything in balance. Since the Quapaw revered this force and the
force was in everything, the Quapaw respected everything. Because they
revered both nature and animals, they were in a sense the first
environmentalists in North America. They felt obligated to honor
animals they had killed in a hunt with ceremonies. v
Judaism:
“When God created the first human beings, God led them around all
the trees of the Garden of Eden and said: “See my works how
beautiful and praiseworthy they are! Think of this, and do not corrupt
or destroy My world.” vi
Christianity:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” vii
“And God created humankind in God's image... having dominion over
the earth.” viii
Some theologians and religious leaders say the word 'dominion' should
not be understood as a license to dominate and exploit nature, but
rather as an obligation of stewardship of the Earth.
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” ix
Another translation says:
"The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and take care of it."
Islam:
"If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal
eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in
charity." x Hadith
Sikhism:
“Air is the guru, water is the father, and Earth is the mother of all.” xi
Buddhism:
“Water flows over these hands. May I use them skillfully to
preserve our precious planet.” xii
Thich Nhat Hanh
Jainism:
“Nonviolence is the supreme religion. One who looks on the
creatures of the Earth, big and small, as one's own self, comprehends
this immense world.” xiii
Baha'i Faith:
“Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the revelation
of God.” xiv Baha’u’llah
“Religions can help us to recapture a sense of the sacredness of
creation, for nature mirrors the beauty and love of God.” xv
Stefan Edman
Religion also warns us what can happen when we transgress against its teachings:
“The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and
fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth
also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have
transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting
covenant.” xvi
Isaiah 24:4-5
"... ye walk on My earth complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that
My earth is weary of you and everything within it shunneth you." xvii
“This is the Day whereon the earth shall tell out her
tidings. The workers of iniquity are her burdens, could ye but
perceive it.” xviii
Baha'u'llah
Discussion: What will change in our personal lives and in society when we act with the intention of stewardship of the Earth?
Section 3: Spirituality as Opposed to Materialism
Let’s stop for a moment and think about how we allowed this
environmental crisis to reach the critical point of endangering our
very survival. There may be two main factors: In the past, we honestly
didn’t know the unintended consequences of industrialization, and
now, we are in the grip of materialism. Let’s examine these two
reasons a little closer:
Scientific and technological advances have allowed our cultures to
progress in numerous positive ways. Just think about the means of
communication like the telephone or the Internet, or about the
unprecedented fast means of transportation that allowed the coming
together of cultures. Since the industrial revolution, machines have
been doing much of our work connected to our everyday needs freeing up
a large part of humanity to have some free time to pursue other
activities such as art, literature and music. Instead of gathering wood
and tending to a fire we just turn on the stove or the heat. Instead of
walking or riding, we save much time with a car and therefore can get
much more done. Electrical appliances have made our lives much easier.
There is nothing inherently evil in all of that:
“Should a man wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of the
earth, to wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it can bestow,
no harm can befall him, if he alloweth nothing whatever to intervene
between him and God, for God hath ordained every good thing, whether
created in the heavens or in the earth, for such of His servants as
truly believe in Him. Eat ye, O people, of the good things which God
hath allowed you, and deprive not yourselves from His wondrous
bounties. Render thanks and praise unto Him, and be of them that are
truly thankful.” xix
Baha'u'llah
Before the 1980s there was no strong evidence of global warming yet. We
just didn’t know that the burning of fossil fuels would have
these unintended consequences.
The currently more important reason is materialism. Many people are not
connected to a higher purpose in life and therefore fill their inner
emptiness with material things. This all-pervasive materialism results
in excessive consumption. “Millions of people try to find meaning
in their lives by shopping and owning. One scholar even called
consumerism the first global religion.” xx However, several
scientific studies indicate that, once basic needs are met, human
beings don’t increase their life satisfaction or happiness by
accumulating greater wealth. Religion confirms that point:
“Man is, in reality, a spiritual being, and only when he lives in
the spirit is he truly happy.” xxi
Abdu’l-Baha
Materialism is the root cause of greed, over-consumption, injustice and the destruction of the environment.
“Consider the peoples of the West. Witness how, in their
pursuit of that which is vain and trivial, they have sacrificed, and
are still sacrificing, countless lives for the sake of its
establishment and promotion.” xxii
“Why, then, exhibit such greed in amassing the treasures of the
earth, when your days are numbered and your chance is well-nigh lost?
Will ye not, then, O heedless ones, shake off your
slumber?” xxiii
Baha'u'llah
Being slaves of our material desires and our self-interest prevents us
to grow as human beings. We can rise beyond that to attain our true
human station of nobility.
“Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise
then unto that for which thou wast created.” xxiv
Baha'u'llah
Spirituality is the antidote for materialism and consumerism. All
religions teach that human beings are essentially spiritual beings. A
spiritual outlook can help us shift the emphasis from consumption to
well-being and a meaningful life. We cannot and don’t want to go
back to the kind of life people led 200 years ago. However, science
tells us that we do need to lower our greenhouse gas emissions
significantly, not just a little bit. Scientists estimate that in
industrialized countries we need to lower them by 80-90% by
mid-century. This is huge and will require major changes and some
sacrifice.
Discussion:
What is consumerism? How does it manifest itself in our lives?
What are some practical outcomes of a spiritual life? How can a spiritual attitude help mitigate climate change?
Section 4: Moderation
All religions teach us to be satisfied with little and to live a simple life.
Buddhism teaches restraint and moderation in all things:
“The one I call holy, letting go of attachment to humans, rises
above attachment to gods, and is independent from all attachments.
The one I call holy calls nothing one's own, whether it be in front,
behind, or between, is poor and free from attachment.” xxv
From “Sayings of the Buddha”
Islam condemns wasting natural resources:
“Eat and drink, but waste not by excess: He loves not the
excessive.” xxvi The Qu'ran
“And give thy kinsman his due and the poor and the son of the
road; and waste not wastefully, for the wasteful were ever the devil's
brothers; and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” xxvii
The Qu'ran
The Baha'i Faith teaches,
“Fear ye God, and take heed not to outstrip the bounds of
moderation, and be numbered among the extravagant.” xxviii
Baha'u'llah
“Content thyself with but little of this world's goods!”
xxix ‘ Abdu’l-Baha
Being satisfied with little is not only a social and environmental
imperative, but also a prerequisite for our spiritual growth and hence
for the fulfillment of our potential as a human being.
Baha'u'llah said:
“O my brother, when a true seeker determineth to take the step of
search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he
must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat
of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring
dust of all acquired knowledge. …That seeker should ... be
content with little, and be freed from all inordinate desire.”
xxx
Religion warns us to avoid over-consumption and injustice:
“Take from this world only to the measure of your needs, and
forgo that which exceedeth them. Observe equity in all your judgments,
and transgress not the bounds of justice, nor be of them that stray
from its path.” xxxi
“Take heed, ... that ye hunt not to excess. Tread ye the path of
justice and equity in all things.” xxxii
Baha’u’llah
Gandhi warns us in a similar way:
“The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
“God forbid that India should ever take to industrialism after
the manner of the West. ... If [our nation (India)] took to similar
economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like
locusts.” xxxiii
We can evaluate our impact on the planet with the help of the
ecological footprint. “The ecological footprint is a tool that
measures how much land
and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it
consumes and to absorb its wastes. When resources are consumed faster
than they are produced or renewed, the resource is depleted and
eventually used up.” “Today humanity uses the equivalent of
1.3 planets to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste. This
means it now takes the Earth one year and four months to regenerate
what we use in a year. Moderate UN scenarios suggest that if current
population and
consumption trends continue, by the mid 2030s we will need the
equivalent of two Earths to support us. And of course, we only have
one.” xxxiv
We can observe the depletion of our resources in the loss of
groundwater in much of the world, in collapsing fisheries, and
deforestation. Carbon-induced climate change is another example. The
carbon footprint measures the demand on biocapacity that results from
burning fossil fuels in terms of the amount of forest area required to
sequester these carbon dioxide emissions. Note that this does not
suggest planting forests is ‘the solution' to climate change; on
the contrary, it shows that the biosphere does not have sufficient
capacity to sequester all the carbon we are currently emitting.
In many countries, people are living beyond the
means of our Earth. If everyone lived like the average North American,
for example, we would need 5 planets. Society and individuals made the
assumption that more was better. It is necessary that we learn to live
within the limits of one planet. In a sustainable world, society's
demand on nature is in balance with nature's capacity to meet that
demand. xxxv
Mahatma Gandhi made the point very clear with his famous statement:
"Live simply so that others may simply live."
Already in the 19th century, Baha'u'llah appealed to society to observe
moderation in everything, and specifically moderation in civilization:
“Whoso cleaveth to justice, can, under no circumstances,
transgress the limits of moderation. The civilization, so often vaunted
by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to
overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men.
… If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a
source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the
restraints of moderation. … The day is approaching
when its flame will devour the cities. …“ xxxvi
Baha'u'llah
Scientists now repeat this call for moderation. They say we need to
reduce the amount of CO2 we are releasing into the atmosphere. That
means to stop all the waste that is going on, to develop more energy
efficiency, to conserve our resources, to significantly reduce our
burning of fossil fuels, to eat lower on the food chain, to buy less
stuff, and generally to adopt a simpler lifestyle.
This doesn't mean that we should lead a life of asceticism. Even when
observing moderation it is possible to enjoy life on this beautiful
Earth including its material joys. Knowing that we are not harming the
Earth and other people will increase our happiness. In addition,
increasing our capacity for contentment will bring us a step further in
our personal spiritual development.
It takes great courage to live a simple lifestyle today when society,
the media and the all-pervasive commercials advocate a philosophy,
which says, "more and bigger is always better".
Discussion:
How much are we personally affected by consumerism?
What can we do in practice to take less from the Earth and away from future generations?
How can we teach this concept to our children?
Section 5: Fostering Unity - Avoiding Judgmental Attitudes
It is necessary to speak up for the truth and the reality of the state
of the planet, to take decisive actions as individuals and communities.
At the same time we must avoid criticism or fundamentalist attitudes,
and nurture sincere tolerance towards each other.
It is impossible to live a life without generating greenhouse gas
emissions. We are all breathing out CO2. We all need to eat and have
shelter. Our goal is to substantially reduce our personal emissions.
How we do this is a personal decision. We all are in different life
situations; our levels of environmental awareness vary greatly; and we
have different priorities of what we think is important and of what we
are able and willing to do. Encouraging each other and sharing ideas on
how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can help us all along the path
of treading lighter on the Earth.
“Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another. Should
any one among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be
striving to comprehend it, show forth, when conversing with him, a
spirit of extreme kindliness and good-will. Help him to see and
recognize the truth, without esteeming yourself to be, in the least,
superior to him, or to be possessed of greater endowments.” xxxvii
“The heaven of true understanding shineth resplendent with the
light of two luminaries: tolerance and righteousness.” xxxviii
Bahá’u’lláh
Discussion: How could different levels of environmental awareness cause disunity, and what could be done to avoid that?
Community Service Project: As participants of this study course you are
encouraged to take some action to help mitigate climate change. This
service project can be very simple. You may confine it to just your
group or invite others to participate in it. You may choose an
educational project reaching out to a community of your choice (faith
community, youth group, school, neighborhood), or a project to promote
energy efficiency and conservation, or any other idea you may have. An
important objective of this group project is to create unity while
planning and implementing it. Today, just brainstorm about what you
would like to do. Write down some of your ideas. Think about these
ideas until you get together next time.
REFERENCES
i Baha'u'llah (The Persian Hidden Words)
ii Union of Concerned Scientists,
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/what_you_can_do/ten-personal-solutions-to.html
iii for more information: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2007/Update66_printable.htm
iv Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.CXXX
v Info from: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/1388/rel.html
vi Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7
vii King James Bible, Genesis 1:1
viii µ Genesis 1
ix King James Bible, Genesis 2:15
x Hadith, Bukhari Vol 8
xi from The Green Rule: http://www.faith-commongood.net
xii Earth Prayers from around the World, p. 154, edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, 1991
xiii from The Green Rule: http://www.faith-commongood.net
xiv Baha'u'llah (Gleanings p. 177)
xv Stefan Edman (Swedish delegate to the World Council of Churches)
xvi King James Bible, Isaiah 24: 4-5
xvii Baha'u'llah (Persian Hidden Words, No. 20)
xviii Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 99
xix Baha'u'llah (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 276)
xx “Inspiring Progress: Religions' Contributions to
Sustainable Development” by Gary T. Gardner, p. 117
xxi `Abdu'l-Baha: Paris Talks, p. 72
xxii Baha'u'llah (Gleanings, p.196)
xxiii Baha'u'llah (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 127)
xxiv Baha'u'llah (The Hidden Words, p. 9)
xxv Buddhist, Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards)
xxvi Qu'ran (Surah 7.31)
xxvii The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 17 - The Night Journey
xxviii Baha'u'llah (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 250)
xxix 'Abdu'l-Baha (Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 97)
xxx Baha'u'llah (The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 193)
xxxi Baha’u’llah (Suriy-i-Muluk, Summons p. 193)
xxxii Baha'u'llah (The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 40-41)
xxxiii Mohandas K. Gandhi, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/nyregion/30towns.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
xxxiv Info from http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=global_footprint
and http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=app_carbon_footprint
xxxv http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=footprint_overview
xxxvi Baha'u'llah (Gleanings, Pages: 342-343)
xxxvii Baha'u'llah (Gleanings, p. 8)
xxxviii Bahá’u’lláh
LAWH-I-MAQSÚD (Tablet of Maqsúd), Tablets of
Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas p. 169-170
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Last updated 9 November 2009
© Christine Muller and International Environment Forum