A Buddhist Response to Climate Change, Part 5
April 11, 2008 Hurdles to Overcome
We have to view the whole picture. Climate change, peak energy, aquifer depletion, soil degradation, and overpopulation—everything—is interrelated. In nature, if you tinker with one aspect, all the others are also impacted. We cannot ignore any of these other “elephants,” for to do so will put at risk whatever good we might do regarding the others.
If we are going to have any positive influence on climate change and peak energy, we have to recognize these other eventual crises as well and incorporate solutions for all of them as we quickly adapt to our new reality. As the Buddha said, everything is interconnected; nothing exists on its own.
Cognitive dissonance
When faced with information that is drastically different from what one believes to be true, the tension has to be resolved through choosing either the familiar belief or the proposed new one. Most people will go with the belief they are familiar with.
When people, hearing about global warming and peak oil, look around and see that everything looks normal and feel that their lives are not that much affected, they tend to dismiss the new perspective. Yes, the price of gas and food has increased but surely that’s just due to increased demand and corporate price gouging. Yes, the weather is unusual but that is normal. Yes, the ice is melting in Greenland, the Arctic, and in high-mountain glaciers but that could just be a temporary occurrence.
It is like putting a frog in an uncovered pot of water, placing the pot on the stove, and turning up the heat. Because the temperature increase is gradual, the frog keeps adapting to the increasing heat until it is too late, and the frog is boiled to death.
Economic Decline and Citizen Panic
When governments see their financial markets falling and imminent economic downturn, they will want to give in to corporate special interests and panicked voters. Shortsighted leaders will do as they have done for several decades: look for the quick fix. They will divert money from long-range plans to combat global warming and spend it on short-term economic injections of capital into the economy. But appeasing immediate demands to stop the pain will only insure even more terrible pain in the future.
Special Interest Groups
There are special interest groups who have funded organizations specifically set up to convince people that climate change is a hoax. Throughout history business has had close ties to those in power and today is no different. There are companies and individuals who are caught up in their craving for power and wealth. To onlookers, it seems amazing that these corporate giants and government officials seem to be completely disconnected from reality. Their children and grandchildren will have to live in the world they create. What on earth are they thinking? Whatever their reasons, these special interest groups make it difficult for people to learn the truth about global warming and deny them the time to make necessary changes.
Reader Comments (2)
Quick question of clarification:
If we file all experiences into impermanent, unsatisfactory and empty then try to keep all things calm establishing and reestablishing our attention and getting to know the visitors that wants to distract us how do we keep up with the daily activities of life? It seems to me to be a very internal save yourself process well who gets to do the laundry, create friendships, write papers or study for a test? It is almost like you have to turn it off-the internal save yourself process/ purification whichever words anyone is comfortable using to express the experience. Just pondering...
anybody
So far, I've had two quiet Sundays. The Internet is a wonderful tool but it's good to take a break from it!
I can't speak for other practices, but in our practice of chanting "Amituofo", ideally we do so even when doing other activities. It's a bit like breathing. We do it all the time but are not always focussed on it. With "Amituofo" it's always there, even when we're doing other things. Then when we're able, it's the foremost thing in our mind.