First, a call to all those who aren’t convinced by the science or the evidence from people living and dying on the front lines of this crisis: I want to challenge you to reassess your ideas about this situation, to reconsider the available data, and to act in accordance with Buddhist ethics.
I hear your concerns, and I understand that there are many competing views on this subject. I’d like to invite you to consider the information to come and to take some time to reflect and engage emotionally and rationally with what’s there, in the hope that we can discuss this in mutual good faith, and on common ground. I am not trying to convince you or sell you on anything, only to share with you what I have found and what has led me to take action.
Of relevance to this issue is the life and work of Thich Nhat Hanh, an engaged Buddhist who recognizes the reality of the climate crisis and advocates direct action to ensure we are mitigating the worst of its effects.
https://plumvillage.org/letters-from-thay/thich-nhat-hanhs-statement-on-climate-change-for-unfccc/
It is easy to feel like there couldn’t possibly be a crises on the scale of what we are now facing. But the sad truth is that those responsible for creating such a crisis have been instrumental in denying its very existence, and have profited enormously from their refusal to tell the truth. Now, they are actively working to sow misinformation among us, and to use the laws of our countries to prevent us from challenging their power.
We know that large corporations have been funding misinformation campaigns to discredit legitimate science for at least two decades, in many cases for far longer:
https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2019/04/25/global-climate-coalition-gcc-un-climate-change-ipcc/
We also know that they understood the risks of their actions, yet continued to suppress our attempts to ensure appropriate safety measures were taken in time to prevent the worst of the crises:
The powerful people responsible for our current crises are now working to make it illegal for us to challenge their control in this space by lobbying for legislation which criminalizes protest and democratic action against polluters:
And hiring private militaries in the anticipation that they’ll need to shoot and kill us when the collapse, in their minds inevitably, occurs:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/10/magazine/climate-change-pinkertons.html
They are paying for this using our tax money:
https://www.vox.com/2019/5/17/18624740/fossil-fuel-subsidies-climate-imf
And while they’re using our money to harm us, they’re blaming us for their actions:
We know those same companies are making record profits while cutting our wages, our job security, our benefits and our rights as working people:
We know that they know the system is broken:
And that it couldn’t have existed without our tax money propping it up:
https://www.vox.com/2019/5/17/18624740/fossil-fuel-subsidies-climate-imf
The effects of all this are devastating.
We know that soil loss is happening at 10–100 times the typical rate, which is causing the loss of our ability to feed ourselves. We know that the background rates of extinction are in places 1000 times the usual, a situation unseen outside of the fossil record; and one that has already triggered die-offs up and down the food chain from directly affected species. We know arctic permafrost is melting; it’s called perma-frost because it isn’t supposed to melt. Situations of drought and watery scarcity are becoming more common by the month.
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2018/07/sr15_headline_statements.pdf
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/
We need to take action on this while we can. This position is supported by tens of thousands of relevant experts.
https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming
https://www.who.int/heli/risks/climate/climatechange/en/
Inaction is action. There are no neutral positions on a moving train. By spreading the propaganda of these large corporates and by discrediting legitimate democratic movements seeking to safeguard our future from corporate predation, pollution and the extreme environmental crises which arise from such behaviour; you are creating a more dangerous world for yourself, for your loved ones, your family and friends, and all of us trying to get by on this earth.
Your actions have consequences. I urge you, sincerely, please reconsider your views on this matter, please come and join us and help us act for truth, for justice, for peace and for unity in a time of increasing suffering and division. Help us create the more beautiful world we know is possible.
From Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism” :
“Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth. Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.”
Here are some resources I’ve put together in article form which should provide some more information related to any questions or criticisms you may have regarding this issue. I urge you to have a flick over these articles before responding, so that we can engage in good faith discussion on common ground.
https://medium.com/@robmarsh_92449/gdp-is-not-great-how-capitalism-poisons-everything-22fca98799a2
https://medium.com/@robmarsh_92449/a-new-kind-of-conversation-5530f7b7ed16