Climate Crisis Series - Part 1 of 3: What is Climate Crisis?

This is the first in a series of 3 questions and answers about climate change. We will begin by describing what is climate change and what is causing it. Subsequent blog articles will address why we should care about climate change, and what we can do about it.

 

Q17. What is climate change / climate crisis? And what are the reasons for climate crisis?

Climate crisis refers to a long-term change in the Earth’s climate patterns

The term “climate crisis” commonly refers to the long-lasting changes in the planet’s global climate over the past 50-100 years, including changes to temperatures, precipitation, and wind patterns. The dangerous effects of climate change are reflected in many ways, most serious of which include:

1.     Global warming - rising average temperatures (+1.5°F over the past century).

2.     Increases in intense rainfall, flooding, droughts, and more frequent and severe heat waves and forest fires. 

3.     Increasingly acidic and warming oceans, melting polar ice caps, and rising sea levels.

Humans are primarily responsible for recent climate change

The acceleration of climate change has been widely and objectively attributed by nearly all scientists to the activities of a growing population of humans. Over the past century, a rapidly growing human population has shifted into increasingly industrialized societies. Humans have gradually demanded greater amounts of energy to support materially rich lifestyles. Through the burning of fossil fuels to generate this energy, humans have released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Climate change is directly linked to the increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The effects are further worsened by deforestation, industrial processes using fossil fuels, and some agricultural practices such as factory farming and monoculture (the destructive practice of growing only one crop on giant farms). These greenhouse gases trap energy in the atmosphere and cause the Earth to heat up to levels that are dangerous to the health of the planet’s ecosystems.

Some scientists refer to this geological age as the Anthropocene epoch, in which humans, rather than geological or natural climate processes, are the dominant force shaping the planet and affecting the environment.

What are the effects of this climate change?

The effects of global warming / climate change have been widely publicized by many respected scientific, environmental, academic, and government institutions. In summary, one can say that it is having major effects on the planet and its inhabitants. The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases is causing warming temperatures in the atmosphere and oceans, melting of Arctic sea ice and glaciers, rising sea levels, increasing humidity, diminishing snow cover, and other related effects. Small changes in the average temperature of the planet are translating into large and potentially dangerous shifts in climate and weather. These changes are leading to extreme volatility in weather, more intense flooding and droughts, intense summer heat, more violent storms, loss of ecosystems and rich natural habitats, extinctions of animals, soil erosion, worsening air quality, increased disease and pestilence, freshwater shortages, food shortages, and other problems. Climate change is even considered responsible for causing forced migrations of people and heightened risks of wars. 

Why are individuals and families not doing more to stop climate change?

There are many reasons for the lack of meaningful action to stop climate change. Let’s begin with the human psychological basis for inaction. For many people, the impact of climate change may not be as top of mind or seem so gravely serious as something like the recent Covid-19 pandemic. This is because the effects of climate change are not as obviously visible or disruptive in our day-to-day lives. Unlike other very urgent and disruptive emergencies, the effects of climate change are different in three fundamental aspects:

1.     A perceived lack of timing urgency: When we are confronted with an immediate danger or mortal threat, we will react quickly. For example, when faced with an earthquake, hurricane, forest fire, flooding, or pandemics, we recognize the danger and seek shelter immediately. Ironically, some of these disasters that happen with increasing frequency are caused by climate change itself. However, we do not clearly connect climate change as a cause of such disasters. By not making this vital connection, we fail to address the root cause.

Root causes are often more difficult to perceive and treat than the resulting symptoms. Climate change is manifesting cumulatively over the past few centuries since the industrial revolution, and accelerating in the recent few decades. The human brain did not evolve to respond quickly and decisively to such a seemingly slow pace of change. When we do not perceive something as an urgent matter of life or death, our bias is to discount the threat, to “deal with it later,” and to compromise for the sake of instant gratification or short-sighted benefits.

2.     The lack of personal disruption. Climate change has a diffuse impact across geographies and socio-economic groups. The effects happen in many different and sometimes remote parts of the planet, so it may not always be visible in one’s own backyard, and it may not affect people that we know or identify with. Those who are in power and in a position to effect change may often be economically privileged and hence less impacted by climate change. Our cognitive tendency discounts things that happen far away and to people outside our immediate circles. Even when species go extinct, giant glaciers melt, or indigenous peoples are erased, it can be subconsciously dismissed as something abstract happening to someone else far away.

3.     The sense of hopelessness. Climate change is a function of the global actions of centuries of industrialization and population growth. Individuals may feel that the problem of climate change is too big to address by oneself, and that our actions will not have any meaningful impact, or that the personal and short-term sacrifices required are too great. When faced with such a seemingly impossible problem, we may feel paralyzed and resigned to inaction.

In addition to these individual factors, there are very powerful population, cultural, geo-political, and economic dynamics that make change difficult. Countries have taken different positions, but the global scale of the problem has not been met with effective global leadership and commitment to address it. Consider the following:

·        The population of humans is very large, approaching 8 billion and increasing by 74 million annually. Among mammals, humans are second only to mice and rats (but human beings have far greater adverse impact on the environment than all other species).

·        To date, politicians have been more motivated by party and national self-interests over global preservation. Political actions on climate change are often more symbolic than substantive, or considered voluntary, and rarely enforced. Furthermore, political strategies are invariably focused on winning the next election, a dynamic which causes politicians to sacrifice the distant future to gain near term advantage.

·        In the currently prevailing system of unconstrained capitalism, businesses are rewarded for short-term profit over long-term sustainability, even when it results in the exploitation of natural environment. The relentless quest for profit and growth disregards the true costs to people and environment.

·        Consumers are increasingly driven by the greed and desire for a life of comfort and pleasure. Humans are estimated to have consumed more resources in the last 50 years than the whole of humanity before us.

·        Last but not least, the age of internet technology has helped make mass communication possible and accessible. This has helped drive awareness and education about climate change. However, the technology has also enabled the spread of false information on media and online resources. This causes people to misunderstand facts. Some organizations and institutions even harness the power of the internet to purposefully spread wrong information and sabotage efforts to protect the environment.

Together, these forces have made it very challenging to address climate change with the unity, urgency, and magnitude of action that it deserves.

Despite these challenges, the good news is that that people globally are gradually becoming more aware of climate change, more accepting of human causes, and more motivated than ever before to address it.

For more information on a Jain perspective about climate change, the JAINA Ahimsak Eco-Vegan Committee has prepared a detailed statement. We encourage everyone to click on this link to read the Jain Declaration on the Climate Crisis that has been endorsed by JAINA and also sign the declaration on Climate Change to make a public commitment to action. 

In the next installment of this series, we will discuss why climate change matters for any person, and in particular from a Jain perspective. The final article will explain what we can do to stop climate change and protect the environment.

Is Ignorance Acceptable / Justifiable in Jainism...

Q12. There is so much violence in the preparation of commercial food items and products used on daily basis. Is it better to just remain ignorant about such violence or is it better to have knowledge/awareness about it?

This is an important overarching question. With so much violence around us, whether it is in the food items we eat, products we use, what we buy, where we buy from, environmental footprint or things we accumulate. All the choices we make have an impact.

There are situations in which violence is very apparent, for example using leather/wool/silk vs. cotton or eating meat vs. vegetables. And then there are situations when the violence is not very apparent but there is a high possibility of violence. For example,

• Goods made in countries where ethical standards, labor laws, environmental laws are lax or non-existent

• Food products, beauty products, cleaning products involving unethical or cruel treatment towards animals

• Dairy products (milk, butter, ghee, ice cream, sweets and so on) that inflicts highest cruelty on cows – every milk producing cows are slaughtered after about 5 years and almost every male calf is slaughtered immediately after birth.  

The intent of this question is to address the situations where violence is not apparently visible. So, under this context:

Is it better to make our choices while remaining ignorant about such violence or have knowledge about it and do the best that we can by following the Jain principle of minimum violence?

Nonviolence is the highest principle of Jain Religion. If our principle/value is nonviolence towards all living beings, then remaining ignorant is not an option.

Jainism Perspective on Knowledge vs. Ignorance

The core principle of Jainism is the path of knowledge. Spiritual growth means continuous learning, seeking for information and then changing our actions based on that.

If we conduct our action keeping ourselves in a state of ignorance (in Mithyatva or wrong belief) then we cannot make spiritual progress.  In fact, the Jain principle firmly states that any action performed in a state of ignorance is always wrong from spiritual point of view even if the action may have helped many other people.

Let’s explore few examples:

-     We are aware of potential violence in food we consume or product we use, yet we choose to remain ignorant and not make the effort to gain or verify the information. In this case, we are conducting our action in ignorance, there is no hope for our spiritual growth or change, and we continue to acquire more bad karma.

-     The impact of our tax dollars by the government which we may not have bothered to learn about or tried to influence through our obligation to participate in civic affairs.

-     The impact of our 401K (retirement) and other stock market investments which may be encouraging and enabling corporations to commit violence to improve our returns. How many of us have made a conscious effect to divest?

-     We donate some funds to charity and then we make sure that we receive good recognition for our donation, and we take pride in it. In this case, there is subtle ignorance at bhav / intention level. Our “Ego” is satisfied which indicates that our action has increased our vices (Kashayas) and hence we acquire more bad karma even though many people are being helped.

If we are conducting actions in wrong belief, delusion or by choosing to remain ignorant then it is inexcusable (unjustifiable) from Jainism perspective. In fact, willfully ignoring the knowledge of suffering caused by our actions is not only inexcusable, but we have an obligation to understand the consequences of every action we take. Jainism considers conducting actions under Mithyatva (delusion or wrong belief) as of the highest forms of sin. Without knowledge and awareness, we are in either in false belief or blindly following someone else and that invariable results in higher form karma bondage and stagnates spiritual growth.

Proper knowledge is required before any action is carried out. Jain Agam scripture Das-vaikalik Sutra states that “Padhamam Jnanam Tao Daya” (First knowledge then Conduct or non-violent action).

Once we have any new information, we must also test it with our own reasoning and verify with our experience and only then, it becomes our own. We can then use that wisdom for our future actions.  

Depending on our circumstances, we might not be able to act on information right away but with proper knowledge and awareness, there is hope!

Following Path of Minimum Violence for Our Healthy Survival

Human life cannot exist without violence. For our existence we need food, clothing, and shelter. Hence Jain principle states that for our survival, we must follow the path of minimum violence.

It is important for us to understand the guidelines of practicing minimum violence.

Muni Shree Nyayvijaji (the undisputed scholar of Jain Logic) explains how to practice minimum violence in his book Jain Darshan. Here are the links to his article on “The Principle of Minimum Violence for Human's Survival” in Hindi, English and Gujarati.

The Jain principle states that the degree of violence inflicted to any living being is proportional to the number of senses a living being possesses.

A living being who possesses more senses equate to more development of its faculty of knowledge.  Therefore, hurting or exploiting one five sense living being is worse than hurting many four sense living beings and three senses living beings and so on. Please refer to this blog post for details about five senses and their role from Ahimsa point of view.

The Order of Degree of Violence (highest to lowest) as per soul classification defined in Jiv-vichar book:

1.    Human Beings

2.    Five sensed Animals

3.    Four sensed Movable Beings such as flies, bees

4.    Three sensed Movable Beings such as ants, lice

5.    Two sensed Living Beings such as insects

6.    One sense Beings - vegetables, water, air, earth, and fire

Violence can be in any form such as killing, exploiting, verbal abuse, physical violence, emotional or mental abuse etc.

Since human life can healthily survive by consuming only one sense beings (fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, water etc.) we should not kill, hurt or exploit two to five senses living beings.  Hence Jainism propagates consuming only one sense being for healthy survival and no wastage. Any food we waste, or any clothing and shelter we do not use is also considered violence because we have killed more one sense beings than we need for our healthy survival.

In the past 100-200 years, our lifestyle has become part of a very complex and interconnected world of advanced technology, global economics, extreme specialization of labor, complex corporate and political dynamics, all of which lead to a disconnectedness between our personal actions and the resulting effects on the rest of the humanity and on the planet’s ecosystem. Hence, as conscious individuals we have an important moral obligation to become aware of these cause and effect dynamics, and to act in ways to reduce our role in it.

If our action cause the environmental degradation (such as using plastics plates, water bottles, bags, foams cups and glasses etc..) it should be considered the highest form of violence as it affects all of us living beings on the planet, causing death, displacement, disease, and other types of suffering. Also, our non-biodegradable waste (plastic, styrofoam etc.) destroys sea life significantly.

We must also make sure that we don't micro-manage our approach of minimizing violence to one sense so much that we lose the sight of the bigger picture of not hurting five sense living being. We need to always keep the highest goals of non-violence towards humans, other five sensed living beings and strive to minimize violence towards other four, three, and two sense movable living beings.

What can we do?

It seems like in our consumerist society, there is increasing amount of violence for companies to succeed and make money, and for consumers to get what they want and when they want it. In such situation, we must ensure that our actions are in in-sync with our values and principles.

When we buy something, we have a responsibility to understand how that product was produced and what violence may have been committed for it to be acquired. Similarly, when we throw something in the trash, we should understand the complete chain of events and set of consequences of the action. With the awareness, we can consciously avoid / limit actions that causes harm and we have an opportunity to choose an option with less violence rather than being ignorant and choosing the one that is most convenient / pleasurable in worldly sense.

We need to understand the principles and then apply them in current situation. We have been programmed certain way but when it comes to making our choices, we need to do the due diligence of gaining as much information as we can. Plus, nowadays given technology/internet, we can do the required research very efficiently to ensure that we have the knowledge and awareness.

Since life cannot exists without violence, we must strive towards minimizing violence. We are our own judge and jury when it comes to making our choices and determining our acceptable level of violence while simultaneously nurturing our spiritual growth.