Moral Imperatives for Climate Action from a Bahá’í Perspective

1. Moral Imperatives for Climate Action from a Bahá’í Perspective Dedicated to the National Preach-In on Climate Change, 2014Presented by Stephen A. Fuqua

2. The Climate Crisis • Climate change is the worst threat facing humanity and natural systems we rely on. • Real disagreements exist – in the severity, not in the existence of, global climate change. [0]

3. Goals for this Presentation • Convey a brief overview of the future of climate change and its impacts on the planet. • Introduce Bahá’í teachings that help form an ethical framework for responding. • Discuss causes and solutions, from both physical and spiritual perspectives

4. Harmony of Science and Religion “Bahá'u'lláh has declared that religion must be in accord with science and reason. If it does not correspond with scientific principles and the processes of reason, it is superstition. For God has endowed us with faculties by which we may comprehend the realities of things, contemplate reality itself. If religion is opposed to reason and science, faith is impossible; and when faith and confidence in the divine religion are not manifest in the heart, there can be no spiritual attainment.” [1]

5. Global Mean Temperature [2]

6. Global Mean Temperature These charts from the IPCC show too much data for this presentation, but they are used because they represent the best international science on the subject. Each chart and caption are shown in full followed by a version that “highlights” some of the relevant information [2]

7. Global Mean Temperature Uncertainty, yes. But all upward. [2]

8. Making it Personal • This presentation is about looking outside the self – but this perspective might help: • The previous charts show global mean temperature changes of 1 – 4° C. • 96° F is the average high in July, in Dallas:

9. Realizing Equality “O children of men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.” –Bahá’u’lláh [3]

10. Service to All Peoples “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” –Bahá’u’lláh [4]

11. Impact: Sea Level [5]

12. Impact: Sea Level 30 cm is ∼1 ft. That is the high-end estimate just 16 years from now. [5]

13. Bangladesh at Risk

14. Impact: Temperature Change [8]

15. Impact: Temperature Change Winter A few pockets of colder temperatures, but warmer across most of the world – including many already warm places. Summer [8]

16. Death Toll from Heat Waves • Heat waves are not merely unconfortable– they can be incredibly deadly. And the numbers below represent merely the human toll: • The European heat wave in 2003 killed an estimate 70,000 people. [9] • The Russian heat weave of 2010 is estimated to have killed 55,000 people. [10] • A heat weave hit Chicago in 1995, with 465 heat-related deaths recorded. Other sources suggest > 700 deaths. [11]

17. Impact: Tropical Cyclones [13]

18. Impact: Tropical Cyclones Significant increase (15%) in number of Category 4- 5 TCs in the Southwest Pacific region. Significant increase (45%) in number of Category 4- 5 TCs in the North Atlantic region. [13]

19. Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda 6,155 dead 28,626injured 1,785 missing 1,140,332 houses damaged Cost 7% of GDP [14], [15] Also: recall aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, “Superstorm” Sandy Some rights reserved by mansunides, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mansunides/

20. Creation as Revelation “Look at the world and ponder a while upon it. It unveileth the book of its own self before thine eyes and revealeth that which the Pen of thy Lord, the Fashioner, the All-Informed, hath inscribed therein. It will acquaint thee with that which is within it and upon it and will give thee such clear explanations as to make thee independent of every eloquent expounder. Say: Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this diversity there are signs for men of discernment. Nature is God’s Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world. It is a dispensation of Providence ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise.” –Bahá’u’lláh [16]

21. Interdependence of All Creation “Were one to observe with an eye that discovereth the realities of all things, it would become clear that the greatest relationship that bindeth the world of being together lieth in the range of created things themselves, and that cooperation, mutual aid and reciprocity are essential characteristics in the unified body of the world of being, inasmuch as all created things are closely related together and each is influenced by the other or deriveth benefit therefrom, either directly or indirectly…. Hence it was stated that co-operation and reciprocity are essential properties which are inherent in the unified system of the world of existence, and without which the entire creation would be reduced to nothingness.” –Abdu’l-Bahá [17]

22. Impact: Ecosystems • The EPA describes the climate impacts on ecosystems by addressing these risks [18]: • Changes in the Timing of Seasonal Life-Cycle Events • Range Shifts • Food Web Disruptions • Threshold Effects • Pathogens, Parasites, and Disease • Extinction Risks Plants blooming before migrants arrive North and/or higher elevation Ex: emerald ash-borer, bark beetles

23. Ecosystem Changes [19]

24. Ecosystem Changes Forest decline East Texas, north central plains Grass/tree loss Iran, Afghanistan, Turkestan Uneven impact! Better conditions in green and blue. [19]

25. Be Anxiously Concerned “The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.” –Bahá’u’lláh [20]

26. Greenhouse Gas Projections [21]

27. Greenhouse Gas Projections Current projections show 3 of 4 key greenhouse gases – Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide – continuing to rise substantially if we do not change our behavior. The fourth –chloroflourocarbons – was already banned. [21]

28. Sources of Pollution in the U.S. • Carbon Dioxide: • 38% electricity generation • 31% transportation • Methane: • 30% natural gas/petroleum • 23% cow, sheep, etc. digestion • 17% from landfills • Nitrous Oxide: • 69% agricultural • 9% industry /chemical production [22] Some rights reservedby Ben Amstutz, http://www.flickr.com/photos/infinitewilderness/

29. Sources of Pollution in the U.S. • Carbon Dioxide: • 38% electricity generation • 31% transportation • Methane: • 30% natural gas/petroleum • 23% cow, sheep, etc. digestion • 17% from landfills • Nitrous Oxide: • 69% agricultural • 9% industry /chemical production Choice of fuels, efficiency, over-reliance on electric equipment Choice of fuels, foods, and wasteful consumption Choice of foods, cleaners, other products [22] Some rights reservedby Ben Amstutz, http://www.flickr.com/photos/infinitewilderness/

30. Dangers of Materialism “Whoso cleaveth to justice, can, under no circumstances, transgress the limits of moderation. He discerneth the truth in all things, through the guidance of Him Who is the All-Seeing. The civilization, so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing. If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation. Meditate on this, O people, and be not of them that wander distraught in the wilderness of error. The day is approaching when its flame will devour the cities, when the Tongue of Grandeur will proclaim: “The Kingdom is God’s, the Almighty, the All-Praised!” –Bahá’u’lláh [23]

31. Mitigation – Reducing the Risk • Renewable energy – better, still problematic (problems with footprint or scalability) • Nuclear – no emissions, and some environmentalists now support. Scary stuff. • Only one sure solution – use less energy • Through increasingly efficient equipment, and • Through reduced consumption. Distinctly Religious Response ↓Consumption

32. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on Materialism “I earnestly exhort you: let not your hearts be fettered by the material things of this world; I charge you not to lie contentedly on the beds of negligence, prisoners of matter, but to arise and free yourselves from its chains!” [24] “O ye loved ones of God! Know ye that the world is even as a mirage rising over the sands, that the thirsty mistaketh for water. The wine of this world is but a vapour in the desert, its pity and compassion but toil and trouble, the repose it proffereth only weariness and sorrow. Abandon it to those who belong to it...” [25]

33. Contingency Planning • We are running out of time to mitigate anything but the most extreme results. • Contingency planning: • Increased ecosystem management to support species survival. • Personal, local, regional, national, and international adaptation plans. • Building resilient communities.

34. Case Study: Social Cohesion • In a landmark study of that 1995 Chicago heat wave, Eric Klinenberg (Prof of Sociology, New York University), found that “vibrant, tight-knit neighborhoods could fare better in a disaster,” to quote NPR. • Death rate for adjacent, racially and economically similar neighborhoods: • Englewood 33/100,000 • Autumn Gresham’s 3/100,000 • Difference: an active, supportive community where people get out into the neighborhood. [26]

35. Core Activities • The core activities promoted by the Bahá’í community – Devotional Programs, Children’s Classes, Junior Youth Groups, and adult Study Circles – offer potent venues for • Building bonds of social cohesion / resiliency • Learning about environmental stewardship (particularly the junior youth groups) • Strengthening our awareness of spirituality rather than excess materialism and over consumption.

36. “Spirit of Sustainability Education” - from Bahá’í Junior Youth groups http://vimeo.com/63667441 “Gardening Across Generations” Some rights reserved by d-olwen-dee http://www.flickr.com/photos/d-olwen-dee

37. Summary • Climate change is occurring; its impacts are and will be diverse and disastrous. • Moral framework for action: • Harmony of science and religion • Practical realization of “oneness of humanity”, service to humanity, unity. • Creation as revealing the beauty of God • Interdependence of creation • Spirituality, not materialism and consumption

38. Take One Step “O SON OF LOVE! Thou art but one step away from the glorious heights above and from the celestial tree of love. Take thou one pace and with the next advance into the immortal realm and enter the pavilion of eternity. Give ear then to that which hath been revealed by the pen of glory.” –Bahá’u’lláh [27]

39. Sources [0] chart by James Lawrence Powell, from http://www.jamespowell.org/PieChart/piechart.html, accessed 2014-02-13. [1] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace. Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1922, 2nd edition 1982, p. 298-99. [2] Cubasch, U., D. Wuebbles, D. Chen, M.C. Facchini, D. Frame, N. Mahowald, and J.-G. Winther, 2013: Introduction. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. P141. [3] Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1985 reprint, p20. [4] Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1990 pocket-size edition, p250. [5] Cubasch, et al. p 137. [6] Goldberg, Jeffrey. “Drowning Kirbati”, in Bloomberg Business Week. November 21, 2013. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-21/kiribati-climate-change-destroys-pacific-island-nation accessed 2014-02-11. [7] Su, Reissa. “Kiribatian Man May Be World's First Climate Refugee in New Zealand”, in International Business Times. October 17, 2013. http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/514460/20131017/climate-change-global-warming-kiribati-pacific-new.htm accessed 2014-02-11. [8] Kirtman, B., S.B. Power, J.A. Adedoyin, G.J. Boer, R. Bojariu, I. Camilloni, F.J. Doblas-Reyes, A.M. Fiore, M. Kimoto, G.A. Meehl, M. Prather, A. Sarr, C. Schär, R. Sutton, G.J. van Oldenborgh, G. Vecchi and H.J. Wang, 2013: Near-term Climate Change: Projections and Predictability. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. P982.

40. Sources [9] Robine, Jean-Marie; Siu Lan K. Cheung, Sophie Le Roy, Herman Van Oyen, Clare Griffiths, Jean-Pierre Michel, François Richard Herrmann (2008). "Death toll exceeded 70,000 in Europe during the summer of 2003". ComptesRendusBiologies 331 (2): 171–178. [10] David Barriopedro, Erich M. Fischer, JürgLuterbacher, Ricardo M. Trigo, Ricardo García-Herrera. “The Hot Summer of 2010: Redrawing the Temperature Record Map of Europe”. Science 8 April 2011: Vol. 332 no. 6026 pp. 220-224 . [11]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Heat-Related Mortality — Chicago, July 1995." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 1995; 44:577-9. [12] Kirtman, et al. p985. [13] Kirtamn ,et al. p993. [14] National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. “NDRRMC Situation Report on the effects of typhoon Yolanda”, in the Official Gazette. December 30, 2013. http://www.gov.ph/2013/12/30/ndrrmc-situation-report-on-the-effects-of-typhoon-yolanda-december-30-2013-600-a-m/ Accessed 2014-02-11. [15] Philippine Statistics Authority. “Regional Profile: Eastern Visayas” http://countrystat.bas.gov.ph/?cont=16&r=8 accessed 2014-02-11. [16] Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1998 pocket-size edition, p141-2. [17] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Ḥuqúqu’lláh—The Right of God, Compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Bahá’í World Centre, April 2007. p7. [18] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/ecosystems.html accessed 2014-02-11.

41. Sources [19] Fischlin, A., G.F. Midgley, J.T. Price, R. Leemans, B. Gopal, C. Turley, M.D.A. Rounsevell, O.P. Dube, J. Tarazona, A.A. Velichko, 2007: "Ecosystems, their properties, goods, and services." Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p238. [20] Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p213. [21] Cubasch, et al., p148. [22] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2011. April 12, 2013. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions, accessed 2014-02-11. [23] Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p33-4. [24] 'Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, UK Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1972 eleventh edition reprint, p. 37. [25] 'Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Centre, 1982 lightweight edition, p. 186. [26] “Neighborhood Connections Key To Surviving A Crisis”, National Public Radio, January 3, 2013, transcript at http://www.npr.org/2013/01/03/168509385/neighborhood-connections-key-to-surving-a-crisis accessed on 2014-02-12. [27] Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1985 reprint, p24.

42. This photo taken at the “Bahá’í Gardens” on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel, shows a marvelous diversity of water and temperature appropriate plants. November 2010.