Author Topic: Global Warming and Karma  (Read 25526 times)

Positive Change

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1008
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #15 on: March 24, 2012, 08:39:58 AM »
Quote
Demand for meat - Particularly in affluent societies (especially where there is strong fast food culture) where consumption of meat is very high, this inevitably results in mass breeding of livestock.  Moreover a lot goes wasted due to meat being easily obtainable and affordable.

The statement shared by Negra above is something not a lot of us know. It is actually quite a scary number/contributor to the global warming effect. The methane (flatulence) produced by animal agriculture is one of the major contributors to the greenhouse effect. Read more about it:

Methane and Vegetarianism
By far the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas is methane, and the number one source of methane worldwide is animal agriculture.

Methane is responsible for nearly as much global warming as all other non-CO2 greenhouse gases put together. Methane is 21 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2. While atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have risen by about 31% since pre-industrial times, methane concentrations have more than doubled. Whereas human sources of CO2 amount to just 3% of natural emissions, human sources produce one and a half times as much methane as all natural sources. In fact, the effect of our methane emissions may be compounded as methane-induced warming in turn stimulates microbial decay of organic matter in wetlands—the primary natural source of methane.

With methane emissions causing nearly half of the planet’s human-induced warming, methane reduction must be a priority. Methane is produced by a number of sources, including coal mining and landfills—but the number one source worldwide is animal agriculture. Animal agriculture produces more than 100 million tons of methane a year. And this source is on the rise: global meat consumption has increased fivefold in the past fifty years, and shows little sign of abating. About 85% of this methane is produced in the digestive processes of livestock, and while a single cow releases a relatively small amount of methane, the collective effect on the environment of the hundreds of millions of livestock animals worldwide is enormous. An additional 15% of animal agricultural methane emissions are released from the massive “lagoons” used to store untreated farm animal waste, and already a target of environmentalists’ for their role as the number one source of water pollution in the U.S.

The conclusion is simple: arguably the best way to reduce global warming in our lifetimes is to reduce or eliminate our consumption of animal products. Simply by going vegetarian (or, strictly speaking, vegan), , , we can eliminate one of the major sources of emissions of methane, the greenhouse gas responsible for almost half of the global warming impacting the planet today.

Advantages of Vegetarianism over CO2 Reduction
In addition to having the advantage of immediately reducing global warming, a shift away from methane-emitting food sources is much easier than cutting carbon dioxide.

First, there is no limit to reductions in this source of greenhouse gas that can be achieved through vegetarian diet. In principle, even 100% reduction could be achieved with little negative impact. In contrast, similar cuts in carbon dioxide are impossible without devastating effects on the economy. Even the most ambitious carbon dioxide reduction strategies fall short of cutting emissions by half.

Second, shifts in diet lower greenhouse gas emissions much more quickly than shifts away from the fossil fuel burning technologies that emit carbon dioxide. The turnover rate for most ruminant farm animals is one or two years, so that decreases in meat consumption would result in almost immediate drops in methane emissions. The turnover rate for cars and power plants, on the other hand, can be decades. Even if cheap, zero-emission fuel sources were available today, they would take many years to build and slowly replace the massive infrastructure our economy depends upon today.

Similarly, unlike carbon dioxide which can remain in the air for more than a century, methane cycles out of the atmosphere in just eight years, so that lower methane emissions quickly translate to cooling of the earth.

Third, efforts to cut carbon dioxide involve fighting powerful and wealthy business interests like the auto and oil industries. Environmental groups have been lobbying for years to make fuel-efficient SUVs available or phase out power plants that don’t meet modern environmental standards without success. At the same time, vegetarian foods are readily available, and cuts in agricultural methane emissions are achievable at every meal.

Also, polls show that concern about global warming is widespread, and environmental activists often feel helpless to do anything about it. Unless they happen to be buying a car or major appliance, most people wanting to make a difference are given little to do aside from writing their legislators and turning off their lights. Reducing or eliminating meat consumption is something concerned citizens can do every day to help the planet.

Finally, it is worth noting that reductions in this source of greenhouse gas have many beneficial side effects for the environment. Less methane results in less tropospheric ozone, a pollutant damaging to human health and agriculture. Moreover, the same factory farms responsible for these methane emissions also use up most of the country’s water supply, and denude most of its wilderness for rangeland and growing feed. Creating rangeland to feed western nations’ growing appetite for meat has been a major source of deforestation and desertification in third world countries. Factory farm waste lagoons are a leading source of water pollution in the U.S. Indeed, because of animal agriculture’s high demand for fossil fuels, the average American diet is far more CO2-polluting than a plant-based one.

SCARY THOUGHT HUH... Well... if we all became vegetarians the problem will be solved very quickly but seeing as the human race cant seem to stop killing, we may not have a planet to come back to even if we did have the merits to return to this opportune human condition... How is that for karma!

Reena Searl

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 70
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #16 on: March 24, 2012, 03:40:11 PM »
Here are some shocking data about the global warming :
- 5 warmest years since 1890 are in this order: 2005, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004 – only a coincidence?
-global warming is caused by gases like: CO2, CH4, N2O, O3. Trees help reduce the gases, but if we cut them down and burn them, CO2 is released back in the atmosphere;
-1/3 of global warming caused by humans is due to electricity and heating, 1/3 due to traffic and 1/3 due to our activities at home, work, farms, industry, waste etc.
- prior to industrial revolution concentration of CO2 in the air was 280 ppm (parts per million).
Today it is 380 ppm, scientists warn that concentration of 500 ppm could cause a disastrous instability of the climate system.
- in the last decade of the previous century the number of natural disasters tripled compared to the decade of 1960-70.
-scientists forecast that the average global temperature will raise for 1,4 C to 5,8 C in the period from 1990 to 2100. This is from two times to ten times more than the average raise in temperature in the 20th century.
- warming will be more severe in north and south pole and in the continental climate zone; it will be less severe at equator and at the coastal areas; until 2035 half of the existing glaciers in the Alps could disappear, until the middle of the century 3/4 will be gone. Due to the melting of the ice sea level will raise. In the 20th century this process was a millimeter or two each year, which is already much faster than in the 19th century; in the middle term the level of sea will raise for 5 cm each 10 years.
More than half of the world's human population will be hurt by natural disasters, weather extremes like storms and droughts will occur more frequently.
Climate zones will change – Siberia might grow cereals, some places now fertile but a bit dry, might turn into deserts.

Timing of seasons might change in the agriculture as well as growth levels of the plants.

From the above shocking data and seriously think about THE MOTHER EARTH right now,  all the natural disasters that happened to the earth, definitely causing by HUMAN COLLECTIVE KARMA.

negra orquida

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 205
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #17 on: March 24, 2012, 04:37:16 PM »
The Dalai Lama's website has a section on Environment. 

http://www.dalailama.com/messages/environment

One of the earlier messages he said about the environment:

Quote
It is not difficult to forgive destruction in the past, which resulted from ignorance. Today, however, we have access to more information, and it is essential that we re-examine ethically what we have inherited, what we are responsible for, and what we will pass on to coming generations. Clearly this is a pivotal generation. Global communication is possible, yet confrontations take place more often than meaningful dialogues for peace...  Many of the earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects, and even microorganisms that we know of as rare or endangered, may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capacity, and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late.


I feel quite heart broken to know that this message was delivered on June 5, 1986 when I was not even 1 years old.  The things we are all talking about today, he had already spoken of it almost 30 years ago, and obviously hardly anyone at that time paid any heed.  Now my generation and the generations after me will have to deal with this mess which our predecessors have left for us. 

If it weren't for dharma, I would've been really angry and feel that the blame is on the developed countries, the politicians, everyone else, oh poor me and future generations.  But from a Buddhist perspective, I am and everyone are jointly responsible.  It is good to know that a lot of people realise this too and are taking action to counter the causes of global warming/climate change, starting with themselves.

Being a vegetarian, my conscience feels much lighter =p

Klein

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 502
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #18 on: March 24, 2012, 04:59:51 PM »
Yes I agree that global warming is a result of karma. This is our collective karma manifesting. All the answers are available to turn around global warming. Unfortunately, we choose to ignore them because of our selfish attachments. When do we all accept the fact that global warming will lead to more sufferings in the future? Do we not have enough natural calamities to wake us up?

Must we lose someone first due to global warming before we do something right? Are we so deluded that we don't even see danger coming our way?

It is our social responsibility to protect our environment. We only have 1 planet to live on. When we destroy it, where else can we go? Perhaps the 3 lower realms. 

lotus1

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 557
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #19 on: March 24, 2012, 09:25:56 PM »
Whatever we do, the karma will come back.

If we abuse our nature, we chop down tree, we waste water, we waste food, etc, it will come back.

If we take care of our nature, we use what we need, we save water, etc, it will come back.

I felt that reincarnation is a very good way to "warn" people about saving resources on this planet earth, because YOU WILL COME BACK and don't think it will not affect you :) [Most of the people never believe that they will "come back" after death, so they just don't care about how they use the resources]


It’s so true. Global warming is all due to karma. [Most of the people never believe that they will "come back" after death, so they just don't care about how they use the resources] We are selfish, greedy to get what we want and abused and neglected the world. It’s our collective karma that causes the world falls sick, tsunami, earthquakes, floods, extreme weather conditions etc.
Luckily with the law of Karma, we can do something to create the positive causes to reduce global warming too.
1.   Reduce the wastage of the resources, paper, water, electricity, etc. Save energy and go green!
2.   Vegetarianism! As shared by Positive Change on Negra’s statement “The methane (flatulence) produced by animal agriculture is one of the major contributors to the greenhouse effect.”, we should all go vegetarian. Actually, this is the initial cause for me to go vegetarian other than religious reasons for not killing.
3.   Reuse and Recycle.

If we believe we have future lives, we should even do more for our world. All of us play a part and let’s work towards a beautiful world for our next generation... actually, for ourselves too!

Manjushri

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 442
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #20 on: March 25, 2012, 07:25:57 AM »
Contributing to Global Warming would be a form of negative karma, because you are acting out of selfishness and causing suffering to others. Why would you litter, pollute, contribute to greenhouse gases etc otherwise if it does not benefit you somehow or for personal gain? The Earth does not belong to us, so therefore, depleting something that is shared amongst everyone and not owned by us, at the cost of others would incur negative karma, no?

I like what Kris said and how Kris tied it back to reincarnation. We act the way we do, because we ignorantly think that whatever we do, we will not have to suffer the consequences later eg. in this case, adding to global warming. We think that after we pass on, that's it. We won't have to come back to experience what we had a part to play in...but little do we know that what goes around comes around. :)

brian

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 503
    • Email
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #21 on: March 27, 2012, 10:55:15 AM »
definitely gotta be our collective negative karma! We humans did too many "too unnatural" things to the earth that caused polution and the vanishing of the supposedly thick ozone layer. that also does not include our killings on animals everyday, did everyone here realise that killing an animal for food or fun (!) is also considered as "unnatural". i read it somewhere in an article that says killing is not natural to all beings that lives on earth. imagine how many chickens, boars, cows etc were slaughtered everyday just to satisfy our humans' desire for food and good taste. and anyone here actually realised the amount of polution we have contributed to the society including the vehicle, garbage, winter heaters and air conditionings plus many other machines that can cause polution to the mother earth. now we realised. so Global warming is just another result of our wrongdoings actually. we created the cause for the pollution to happen everyday because either anyone device or any catergory we name, we are guilty of it too....

Positive Change

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1008
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #22 on: March 29, 2012, 02:19:15 PM »
definitely gotta be our collective negative karma! We humans did too many "too unnatural" things to the earth that caused polution and the vanishing of the supposedly thick ozone layer. that also does not include our killings on animals everyday, did everyone here realise that killing an animal for food or fun (!) is also considered as "unnatural". i read it somewhere in an article that says killing is not natural to all beings that lives on earth. imagine how many chickens, boars, cows etc were slaughtered everyday just to satisfy our humans' desire for food and good taste. and anyone here actually realised the amount of polution we have contributed to the society including the vehicle, garbage, winter heaters and air conditionings plus many other machines that can cause polution to the mother earth. now we realised. so Global warming is just another result of our wrongdoings actually. we created the cause for the pollution to happen everyday because either anyone device or any catergory we name, we are guilty of it too....

It is interesting and true what you say here... It is indeed unnatural. What is more unnatural is that we do not even "kill" per se. We leave it up to someone to do the killing and we buy the body parts packed in further environmentally unfriendly materials! The human race has become desensitized to this heinous daily act. We do not even bat an eyelid as to where and how our so called food comes from!

Moreover, we have gone completely away from organic farming which was the norm before and everyone eused to cultivate or plant what they needed according to the seasons. Nowadays, the food is flown halfway across the world to satisfy our so called needs... sad if you ask me. It was not so long ago when I recall that we could only get seasonal vegetables or fruits but now, we can get anything and everything we want the moment we walk into a supermarket...

And has anyone wondered what happens to the expired goods? Which I am sure amounts to A LOT! There must be tons of food wasted while half the planet is starving... is this karma or what? Sigh!

buddhalovely

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 341
    • Email
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #23 on: April 06, 2012, 12:42:32 PM »
I believe that karma is what of a persons own individual doing that they choose to inflict upon themselves. Global Warming is a huge issue going on at the moment, I believe yes, that each and everyone of us plays a huge part in keeping our environment a clean yet safe place for all of us, sentient beings to feel secure. What each of us individuals do reflects us, humans as a whole. By being a part of any Go Green committee we are changing our karma for the better. The more we don't care about the global issues around us, the more inconsiderate we grow which also leads to a lack of compassion. Compassion is crucial in collect good merits. As we litter we may dirty what seem to us is a street or a bus stop but to some others it is their home. As a child I've always wished when I grew up I would solve a theory on the reversing the causes of global warming that causes the imbalance weather and natural disasters that have been occurring around the world, such as the recent Earthquake in Japan. This maybe a difficult opinion to base on as I intertwine my thoughts of religion with science, but in my opinion both science and religion would not exist without each other.

Midakpa

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 624
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #24 on: April 13, 2012, 03:58:13 AM »
Recently I read in the Newsweek magazine that an island in the pacific is sinking due to the melting of the ice and the resultant rise of the sea level. This means that the inhabitants of the island will have to move to another place and thus lose their homes. How sad...

If the glaciers continue to melt, a lot of precious land will be lost and humans will suffer lack of habitable land. Efforts have been made but they are still not enough to stop global warming due to lack of cooperation from certain nations. I think it is necessary to educate the younger generations to care for the environment more. If we take care of the environment, it will take care of us. Very simple but not easy to implement at a global level.

Tammy

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 319
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #25 on: April 14, 2012, 03:35:38 AM »
I appreciate the concern global warming and what it does to our next generations..

Let's take a step back and look at the situation from a longer time frame (across lifetimes) and the entire universe and beyond. Planet earth is only ONE of the abode for beings which exist in physical forms, there are countless places in the entire universe that we can take rebirth ! Do we still need to place so much emphasis on environmental issues of planet earth? Would I be wrong to say that we are making such big fuss over One sand when we know we are standing on a beach?

Don't get me wrong, I am just trying to look at this issue from another angle, i will ddefinitely send used cans, bottle and papers for recycling (just in case I am taking rebirth in this same planet again!)
Down with the BAN!!!

ilikeshugden

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 181
    • Email
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #26 on: April 14, 2012, 07:53:48 AM »
I think that global warming is a direct cause of our collective karma even if it is not from this life. Ever since the industrial revolution, pollution has been consuming this planet. It is mostly the selfishness of some people on Earth who think that if they pollute, then the new generations suffer, not them. They do not understand the concept of reincarnation. They could actually be reborn on Earth when environmental damage is at it's peak. I agree with SonamDhargey, vegetarianism is very important right now because slaughterhouses produce a lot of smoke and the fishing industry pollutes the oceans with tons of fish guts, there are may other examples about how eating meat contributes to environmental damages. Also, there is a compassionate aspect to vegetarianism. When you feel compassionate towards the animals that are dying for the sake of people's stomachs, you would create the causes for attainting a mind of bodhicitta which is a mind of compassion. Humans require this form of compassion because it will make them better people.

Klein

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 502
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #27 on: May 10, 2012, 05:50:18 PM »
Global warming are cause by green house gases that comes from heavy industry such as the meat production industry.

Fight Global Warming by Going Vegetarian.

Science shows that going vegan is one of the most effective ways to fight global warming.

A recent United Nations report concluded that a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change. Senior U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization official Henning Steinfeld reported that the meat industry is "one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems." The official handbook for Live Earth, the anti-global warming concerts that Al Gore helped organize, says that not eating meat is the 'single most effective thing you can do' to reduce your climate change impact.

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide together cause the vast majority of global warming. Raising animals for food is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

Soure from: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/global-warming.aspx


Definitely global warming is a result of our collective karma. Even without believing in karma, if we look at the ways we exploit our planet, it all makes sense. There must be a change in our attitudes from extreme selfishness to being more caring to others and our environment.

Sonamdhargey pointed out that meat production is the main contributor to the greenhouse effect. There are also other factors that contribute. If all us do our part consistently to reduce harm to our environment this will require a change in our attitudes. In Buddhism, we call it a mind transformation.

My Lama says that the most effective way to purify our karma is to transform our mind. It will also generate the most merits. In a nutshell, there is hope in saving ourselves.

Positive Change

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1008
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #28 on: May 11, 2012, 06:53:39 AM »
The stark truth of the matter is we are going past a precipice of change already... to a point where there is no turning back, that is if we have not already past that point.

We all know the saying, "this is not our planet but the planet we have borrowed from our children!". It may ring true before or perhaps now but no so true in the very near future if we did nothing. Why? Well, when we borrow something, we give it back... but in the case of out planet, we may not have anything to give back!!!

A truer statement would be "Sorry I stole the planet from you my children!!!"

And this drastic change (which we need) could well come from just refraining from eating meat... a simple solution yet we hold on to our selfish wants and needs... And we call ourselves human? Which by the way, the word humane kinda stems from... go figure!

ratanasutra

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 345
Re: Global Warming and Karma
« Reply #29 on: May 11, 2012, 06:07:20 PM »
Definitely our collection of negative karma cause the global warming.

Human are very intelligent to create so many wonderful thing to make ourselves more convenience but human never think how to pay back to nature, or at least how to save it or use it less, most of us do not think about that.

Why there are so many diseases that very difficult to heal, why so many disasters happen in different area very often. its because we destroy the system of nature so the climates are up side down, in some area can have cold, hot and rain in one day etc..

Now there are the hype to go more on natural environment and preserve the nature which hopefully we will be able to change the karma of it towards these good actions.