Stern Warning from the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
By K.Wong
Introduction
The Nobel Committee Chairman, Ole Danbolt Mjoes announced the winners the 2007 Nobel peace Prize of USD 1.5 million in Oslo,Norway. The winners are Al Gore of United States of America and the United Nations (U.N) Panel of Climate scientists.The award offered to the Al Glore, who has been campaigning on the issue of Climate change and Global warming since late 1980s, and the U.N network of Climate scientists, has issued a stern warning to the world thus :
Global warming is man-made. Change your behaviours
in order to save the planet Earth.
When Al Gore first championed the issue of Global Warming through his book ’Earth in the Balance’ and his award winning documentary ‘ An Inconvenient Truth’, he was ridiculed, and belittled in the press and by his political and scientisfic critics. Today, the Nobel Peace Prize has vindicated his position and proposition. Al Gore has even founded the Non-profit organization of ‘Alliance for Climate Protection’ to arouse the global consciousness on Global Warming and Climate Change which ought to be conquered in order to liberate future generations from disasters.
Greenhouse Gases
Global Warming which, causing Climate Change, is due to the greenhouse gases trapped in the lower atmosphere. The greenhouse gases are mainly man-made gases which comprise water vapour, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other man-made gases. Air pollutions from factories or industrial plants , motor-vehicles, deforestations or land utilities, open burnings, modern lifestyle of the utility of fossil fuels, aerosols, cement manufactures and so forth produce the greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are those which produce Greenhouse Effect – Global Warming.
Greenhouse Effect
When the sunlight strikes the earth surface, the heat energy is reflected and reradiated back to the earth surfaces. The greenhouse gases trap the heat energy and prevent its escape into the space. This results in increasing temperature of the earth known as Global Warming. Global Warming leads to the Climate Change. Global Warming refers to human induced warming of the earth’s surface. Therefore, Climate Change is anthropogenic in the sense that it is induced by irresponsible human activities motivated by selfishness and lack of awareness of the potential damage to the health and economic well-being of the current and future generations.
Ecology
The issue of Global Warming and Climate Change is closely related to the human ecology which is the interrelationship between human beings and the natural environment. The activities of human beings influence the natural environment and the natural environment also influences huma n beings. The message of Global Warming and Climate Change sends a stern warming to us that we must be friendly towards our natural environment. otherwise, we will be retributed with the corresponding vengeance.
Dependent Co-arising
The Buddhist principle of Insubstantiality (Anattā) and Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppāda) reveals that all phenomena, including all human beings and the natural environment, are interdependent ad interrelated. If human beings damaged the natural environment, human activities would then disturb the ecological balance or equilibrium between human species and natural environment. If we polluted the natural environment with greenhouse gaseous, the moral law of cause and effect would strike us back with Global Warming and Climate Change. The recent serious occurrences of floods in various portions of the globe have issued stern warnings to us not to abuse or damage the environment. The Hua-yen Buddhist exposition of the Infinite network of phenomena or elements of Interdependent-co-arising (Dharmadhātu-pratītyasamutpāda) also unveils the ultimate Truth of oneness or totality of the cosmos. No man is island. Every phenomenon is the harmony of a cause and conditions. If the harmony is disturbed, the ecological balance is upset. The human society could be the primary cause and the multiplicity of the natural environment could be the secondary conditions. They are dependently co-arising to constitute a complete eco-system. Disturbing any cause or conditions disturbs the wholeness of the eco-system. The cause and conditions of an eco-system are supporting and being supported as one totality. In fact, the infinite cosmos is an endless eco-system without any boundary.
Tawhid
The Islamic concept of Tawhid expounds the concept of the unity or totality of all myriad beings or things of the cosmos through the concept of Ocean of Unity (waḥdat al-Wujūd). The human beings and the natural environment are one and not two. They are dependently co-arisen. They are mutually inclusive. The concept of Ocean of Unity was first expounded by the highly celebrated Islamic Sufi, al-Ḥallāj (244/857-309/922 C.E). He designated it as the Muḥammadan light. It is this light which illuminates the mind of the Perfect Man (Insan Kamil) to discern intuitively the relationship between human beings or creatures and God. Those, who unfriendly towards the natural environment, the creation of God, will be retributed by God accordingly. God is not to be reified as a divine personality or figure but an ineffable Truth which differs not the ultimate Truth of Oneness expounded by Buddhism and other esoteric religions.
Conclusion
In the treating the natural environment, according to the Ambalaṭṭhikarahulovāda-sutta (MN), Gotama Buddha admonishes us that before one acts, one should consider one’s actions thus :
- If the action is harmful to oneself and others, it ought to be abandoned.
- If the action is beneficial to oneself but harmful to others, it ought to
be abandoned.
- If the action is beneficial to both oneself and others, it ought to be
encouraged.
In order to invigorates this advice of the Buddha, the four right efforts recommended by the Noble Eight Fold Path are recommended by the Blessed One. The four right efforts are the suppression of an unwholesome thought already arisen, prevention of an unwholesome thought which has not arisen, development of a wholesome thought which has not arisen and further expansion of a wholesome thought which has already arisen. These four right efforts ought to be applied in dealing the natural environment while one pursues one’s self-interests or interests of the society. |
