Global Warming and Spirituality
In comments to the last couple posts, many of you stressed how important contact with the natural world has been to your spiritual lives. This brought the environment to mind, particularly the problem of global warming.
Decades of Inaction
Recently I learned that the term was coined back in 1975. I first heard global warming discussed in the mid eighties, when the attitude of big oil spokespersons on the Sunday news programs consistently amounted to, “As long as we don’t know with 100% certainty that we’re messing up the planet, let’s keep doing what we’re doing just in case we’re not” – which, of course, makes absolutely no sense unless you finish the sentence with what was always left unstated: “…and as long as we’re getting rich from it.”
Scientists say that if the planet heats up two more degrees it will reach a tipping point that will bring major disasters. We can’t even foresee exactly how bad things will get: for example, we don’t know how much additional carbon dioxide will be released if the Arctic permafrost starts melting, only that it will be huge.
More Hot Air
The other day the G8 nations resolved not to let the planet heat up those two additional degrees. The resolution is silent about how to reach its purported goal and isn’t legally binding. And its failure to include India and China would seem to pose a bit of a problem. Meanwhile, some of these same G8 nations are involved with haggling over oil drilling rights to the Arctic Ocean as the ice cap recedes from global warming.
It’s not a pretty picture. We have entrenched energy interests clearly determined to burn every bit of fossil fuel on the planet who perpetually lobby and finance the campaigns of politicians; politicians who, as a group, focus mainly on the problem of getting reelected; and a public that doesn’t apply its voting power to the situation, let alone engage in public protest. The environment always makes the list of public concerns, but it’s always much further down than…
The Economy
For decades “It’s the economy, stupid” has been our collective basis for political behavior – but from a short-term, short-sighted perspective. It has begun to look inevitable that our great grandchildren are going to have to learn the hard way that the foundation of all economies is an environment that includes such goods as sufficient fresh water supplies, arable land, and stable sea levels.
Individually, many of us are genuinely concerned about the environment. Yet the massive environmental degradation whose pace is constantly increasing can’t be solved by individuals “going green.”
It’s hard to reconcile our collective failure to provide for those who will inherit the earth from us with ideas about humanity’s spirituality or even our basic morality. “Human depravity,” anyone?? Or does our inaction on this front simply reflect our inability to figure out how to organize ourselves on a scale large enough to address the problem? Effective action on global warming would take worldwide, long term cooperation – cooperation on a scale that's never been seen.
“It’s the planet, stupid.” Maybe somebody will run for higher office on that slogan. And they’d better hurry up about it.
Decades of Inaction
Recently I learned that the term was coined back in 1975. I first heard global warming discussed in the mid eighties, when the attitude of big oil spokespersons on the Sunday news programs consistently amounted to, “As long as we don’t know with 100% certainty that we’re messing up the planet, let’s keep doing what we’re doing just in case we’re not” – which, of course, makes absolutely no sense unless you finish the sentence with what was always left unstated: “…and as long as we’re getting rich from it.”
Scientists say that if the planet heats up two more degrees it will reach a tipping point that will bring major disasters. We can’t even foresee exactly how bad things will get: for example, we don’t know how much additional carbon dioxide will be released if the Arctic permafrost starts melting, only that it will be huge.
More Hot Air
The other day the G8 nations resolved not to let the planet heat up those two additional degrees. The resolution is silent about how to reach its purported goal and isn’t legally binding. And its failure to include India and China would seem to pose a bit of a problem. Meanwhile, some of these same G8 nations are involved with haggling over oil drilling rights to the Arctic Ocean as the ice cap recedes from global warming.
It’s not a pretty picture. We have entrenched energy interests clearly determined to burn every bit of fossil fuel on the planet who perpetually lobby and finance the campaigns of politicians; politicians who, as a group, focus mainly on the problem of getting reelected; and a public that doesn’t apply its voting power to the situation, let alone engage in public protest. The environment always makes the list of public concerns, but it’s always much further down than…
The Economy
For decades “It’s the economy, stupid” has been our collective basis for political behavior – but from a short-term, short-sighted perspective. It has begun to look inevitable that our great grandchildren are going to have to learn the hard way that the foundation of all economies is an environment that includes such goods as sufficient fresh water supplies, arable land, and stable sea levels.
Individually, many of us are genuinely concerned about the environment. Yet the massive environmental degradation whose pace is constantly increasing can’t be solved by individuals “going green.”
It’s hard to reconcile our collective failure to provide for those who will inherit the earth from us with ideas about humanity’s spirituality or even our basic morality. “Human depravity,” anyone?? Or does our inaction on this front simply reflect our inability to figure out how to organize ourselves on a scale large enough to address the problem? Effective action on global warming would take worldwide, long term cooperation – cooperation on a scale that's never been seen.
“It’s the planet, stupid.” Maybe somebody will run for higher office on that slogan. And they’d better hurry up about it.
Posted by Paul at 9:39 AM Permalink
16 Comments:
It is a major concern and I'd want to get behind someone running the 'It's the Planet, stupid' campaign. Needs a critical mass doesn't it.
I guess in a way it's one critical mass vs. another...
Poverty is a big problem in China in the outlying areas especially. The only way out of poverty is for China to continue to develop its industrial base. The young people move to the cities, where they live dormatory style, so that they can work in the factories. They send money back home to their families (extended family and any children they may have) who remain living in the outlying areas.
Even if we cut back on our use of coal and oil for energy purposes here in the U.S., the developing countries of India and China do not plan to cut back. Any good we might do otherwise will be cancelled out.
It is no longer called Global Warming. The preferred term now is Climate Change. This is because here in the Midwest, for instance, we have been experiencing cooling.
I think this whole environmental issue has been politicized too much. I am suspicious of almost everything I hear or read regardless of which side of the issue the information comes from.
a month ago, it was really bad. i was sweating like a pig when out. the airconditioning in my room only helped a little.
The answers to questions like that give us a good idea of our chances...
Unless I greatly misunderstand, today there is a clear, strong consensus among respectable scientists and scientific organizations that climate change due to human activity is occurring.
I believe that the politicization of whether to take action that’s clearly in the public interest is entirely deliberate – that the confusion that remains in your mind and that of millions of others has come about as the energy lobby pressured government to first suppress and then minimize the scientific findings. The fossil fuel industry is using the tobacco industry’s playbook, which managed to extend strong tobacco sales in the US market for decades with the same formula of suppression of evidence followed by minimization.
About India and China... they cited the obvious lack of seriousness in that recent G8 agreement as their reason for not signing on. It’s understandable to me that they'd expect Europe and the US to lead on this, since we caused the current problem. Why should they deny their own growing economies cheap fuel when the major polluters show every sign of continuing?
Misti - I heard a report on NPR maybe a year ago where ordinary people around the world were commenting on the changes they'd observed in their environments in their own lifetimes...
Pauline - It’s hard to see anything but a rough road ahead on this.
Simply true and brilliant. I was just telling someone this weekend that if we sent someone to the moon, we should be able to figure out how to work together to save our planet.
I love this post and appreciate your candor and the kick in the pants you give us. I concur. We must be part of the shift. My husband and I have been watching the movie, "Home," and it is all about what you are saying here. It is moving, deeply spiritual, scientific, saddening and empowering all at the same time. You might enjoy it.... Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU B
blessings to you this day...
Jan – Thanks for the link, hope people will check it out. (I can’t handle audio on my computer anymore but always appreciate relevant links on my threads.)
I know of nothing on this planet that has ever been solved by government action, while 'prevailing culture' changes governments routinely. It is culture... all of those individuals going green... that are demanding responses from governments.
The challenge is our collective failure of imagination and courage.
I love Stacy's comment: perhaps this crises is there to finally bring us all together. As I see it we have little choice. We learn to work together for common good, or everything crumbles and we die together.
Evolve or Die. simple, really.
Industry, far more than all individual households combined, is the greatest emitter of greenhouse gases.
Most individuals around the world are much poorer than Europeans or Americans. They go with whatever fuel is made cheapest and most readily available to them.
And don't forget farting cows! Everyone likes to talk about cow farts and methane. But even cow farts are a fixable problem. The poor cows are farting because they can't digest corn, which is the major feed stock they're given. Why? Because the government makes it cheap by subsidizing it. NOT because it is effective or efficient, as they big producers like to pretend.
Poor people? Humm. I'm thinking it isn't the deeply poor, but those who are climbing the ladder that are the bigger issue. And again... it's a solvable problem.
If it's worth it to us as a species to survive, we'll develop appropriate technology. There are a lot of technologies available that would help the poor... but they aren't "commercial."
Perhaps when folks realize that it is a survival issue, it will be worthwhile to provide the necessary help.
I'm not saying we'll do it. I'm saying it's possible we'll decide to meet this evolutionary challenge. If not... well... Gaia will go on without our species. We will have failed the survival of the fittest test.
It seems to me to be completely normal for species to destroy their own habitat - it's happened many times, (but more usually with germs, bacteria, insects.) Then again, some think we are behaving like germs.
Don't get me wrong, I'm deeply in love with this beautiful, green planet and I really hope we don't muck it up and our species doesn't die off.
Still - it does seem to be a rather stark evolutionary challenge.
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