Don’t deny the responsibility for climate change

‘The earth is our common home, and that house is on fire,’ reminded His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
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In the midst of a pandemic, we now always hope to see good lights at the end of the tunnel. One of the issues that people are most concerned about is when will we be able to return to normal life. However, many scientists, medical officials and spiritual leaders have determined that this will not be the case. Our house is on fire. Vaccines that are and will save lives will not be able to put out this potential fire in the future. They can only be of help for a short time. What we have experienced over the past year is only a little taste of the suffering that humanity will suffer if we don’t change our own consciousness and actions. In a recent interview, Bill Gates commented that pandemic is the number one dangerous threat to humanity; Therefore, we must be prepared to respond carefully. He said his biggest worry now is climate change and the threat of man-made viruses that lead to bioterrorism. When asked about ways to respond to the pandemic now and in the future, he proposed significant investment in research, training highly specialized groups of people who can respond quickly to diseases. New emerging worldwide, at the same time, research and develop tools to accurately and quickly diagnose symptoms of the disease. Moreover, vaccine manufacturing technology should be focused on development. The world cannot return to normal. The way forward must be a new one, which begins with a deep understanding of our relationships with other species and the entire planet, thereby changing our own behavior and habits. ourselves quickly aiming to improve the world. Without this, we would see bigger fires, even bigger fires than the catastrophic fires in Australia a year ago and the fires in the Amazon and California before. Many places will face extremely cold weather similar to the people of Texas and neighboring states are suffering at this time. These types of weather changes are the hallmarks of a climate crisis that scientists have predicted for decades. However, so far, the vast majority of us have chosen to bury our heads in the sand, ignoring the impending disaster by using goods and products imported from around the world, enjoying Luxury vacations, live in temperature-controlled homes and easy access to the latest gadgets, computers, cars and more. One aspect where we can see the most obvious effects is transportation. Globally, emissions from transport account for about 14% of total annual emissions and especially about 25% of CO2. What is even more remarkable is that traffic emissions are on the rise, while more and more people around the world are getting richer, able to afford their own vehicle and travel frequently. According to traditional capitalist ideology, we can buy, sell, produce and innovate on our own. However, most psychologists and Buddhists today believe that: human desires never end. Electric cars are good, but there are potential problems such as speeding that many people still have. As the number of cars increases, there will be more demand, for example we will need more roads, more parking garages, more natural resources to meet our energy needs. , etc. Six years ago, Bhikkhu Bodhi was the signature of the “Call for leaders of the United States and the world to take action to address the adverse social and psychological impacts of climate change”. In 2019, he again participated in solving the United Nations climate change issues in New York City: The Buddha taught about the causes and roots of suffering mainly directed towards the goal of individual liberation. These teachings show how mental defilements have harmed our personal lives, and now, how they can be overcome. However, because the world is intimately interrelated and unified, we must consider the process of cause and effect that works; Then, based on the results of this research to guide the way change is appropriate for society, at the same time, to propose political institutions and global policies to avoid the disadvantages we face. face. We can call this global application sati sampajañnã, which means mindfulness and correct, clear understanding of all the dangers we face in the present. The most dangerous, which covers the entire world and threatens everyone is often referred to as climate change, but perhaps we should more accurately call climate instability or disorientation. Queen. Buddhism promotes a life in harmony with nature Although travel may, to some extent, be essential for a better life, we should reconsider for ourselves how much travel is appropriate. Just like protein or water is essential, but overusing them will quickly make the body sick. Likewise, the Earth cannot absorb all the travel we take today and so we are making the Earth’s condition worse and worse. In the present age, we travel internationally more and more, so we become distracted, disoriented and insecure with our present life. According to Buddhism, the essence of practice is to let go of the need to change, operate, and control the world. The life of the Buddha made this very clear, sometimes the only thing to do is to focus your energies and sit down. Sit quietly to see the disturbing emotions arising in your mind. Sit firmly to overcome the urge to do something somewhere else, with others. It may be a paradox, but really just sitting down can we hold our heads up from the sand, while at the same time realizing our connection and the need to care more about each other.