Encounter with the Increased Temperature of the Earth over the View of Buddhism

The environmental living requires for all beings include: air, soil, water etc., which covers the earth.

The density of all living things on earth is the basic foundation to create any monument from the basic to the complexity in the engineer field. It is just like the development of a cultural centre of an object or nor object. The resources of the earth is fully used to serve the beneficial to human life.

The ocean has its own important purpose for human living, besides providing minerals, water, sea products, under sea ground level, it also contains others valuable products to needs of relaxation, such as human beauty.

The ozone layer is the need to all living things because all living beings can not grow or develop quickly if it is polluted. Therefore, the process of global air exchange requires the least requirement of 0.03 % of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 28% of Oxygen with the moderate temperature from 25 - 30 C and 80 % humidity level in order to ensure ecological balancing and atmosphere.

The distance from the ground level to the ozone layer is 10 -20 Km. The atmosphere is covered by the ozone layer. Ozone (O3) is found as a chemical substance in 1840.

Ozone is a chemical agent which oxidization is much stronger than oxygen, but it is does not last long in high temperature. The higher temperature will create the stronger reaction especially the reaction of metal. The ozone layer filters all the long waves ray of deep velvet of the sun shorter than 320 M. These rays are bad for living beings in high temperature. In the atmosphere, ozone layer is the product of reaction of velvet rays and O2 which create the ozone benefit for greenhouse.

What is the effect of the greenhouse gas:

In the winter, it is quite cold in the North. There are no leaves on trees. However, it is quite warm in the greenhouse; therefore, vegetables grow nicely. All the livable views of spring appear. This is the effect in greenhouse which allows the rays of the sun pass through. But it also prevents the radiation from escaping out of the environment of the greenhouse; therefore the temperature inside the greenhouse is gradually increasing.

The energy from the sun produces the high heat by the short waves of the ray through the atmosphere, and they are absorbed by the thickness of the earth. The earth itself releases the energy of radiation back to the air with the low radiation and the majority of them are transferred and carried by long waves when they go through the atmosphere. The energy is stopped and absorbed by all the gases and humidity in the atmosphere. This causes the heat in the atmosphere to rise gradually, resulting in the rise in the earth’s temperature when the sun shines into the greenhouse. This is the effect of greenhouse gases.

The non polluted atmosphere is important; the effect of the greenhouse gases enhances the temperature of the earth raising it up to 35C which is the ideal temperature for life on earth. However, if the atmosphere is polluted, it causes the temperature of the greenhouse gases and the Earth to rise excessively over the year. This happens when the ozone absorbs the energy from the infra-red rays which escape from the earth.

The causes of greenhouse gases

First is humidity; second is the level of carbon dioxide; third is the volcano that burns all the fuel, fossils and trees causing the weather change. This is the reason for the increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere which reaches up to 24 billion ton per year (25%). It will double by the 21^st century.

Clorourflourocarbon: is a chemical which is used in the cold industry, cleaning the electronic circuit, in washing and bleaching solution, fire-extinguisher , etc. (CFC includes CFC11, CFC12, CFC13, CF2C12 which are compound chemicals and also commonly called Feron 12/ F12). When CFC rises up to the top level in the atmosphere, it is disintegrated by deep violet radiation. The color contributes to the reaction of the oxygen in the ozone (O3) layer leading to thinning the layer.

CFC is the major element of destroying the ozone layer ; it thins the ozone layer gradually and eventually pierces the layer to the point there is no layer to protect the earth from violet radiation. This affects human’s health and other living things on earth. Moreover, ozone is also affected by polymer, which is an element in rubber, motor Mobile tires, and other rubber products, that human used for burning. This contributes to piercing of the ozone layer in the atmosphere.

Scientists have found the pierce of the ozone layer in 1979, which appeared in the South pole region at 16 -23 Km height. On October 1987, the density of the ozone layer in the South pole decreased 50% which created a cavity with the area equivalent area of Europe continent. In the North pole, the ozone layer decreased from 3.5 - 5%. On October 1994 the scientist found another cavity with the area larger than 25 million Km2 which is spreading to South America.

Many researches prove that the ozone layer is polluted by the violet ray above ground level which effects the breathing system. According to International Journal (November 1991), the ozone layer reduced 10% which lead to many sickness such as cancer and cataract problems in the eye. The reduction density of ozone layer changes all the nature of food, imbalance ecosystem, reducing capacity of water chasm, influencing weather change because increasing ultra-violet ray which contributes to strengthening the effect of greenhouse are:

* Metar (CH4) is created by the process of bio-organic ferment

* Nitrogen oxide is created in the process of burning combustible petrify and used in organic or inorganic fertilizer in farming.

Now a days, the issue of protecting the ozone layer becomes part of protecting of the international
as so the “ozone protection convention” is formed.

3. The effects of environmental damages by humans resulted in the rising temperature of the Earth.

Carbon dioxide content at fixed level in the air allows proper temperature to maintained the earth. If there is a certain level of CO2 in the air, there is going to be moderate temperatures at 15C on earth. The earth becomes warmer. According to scientists, if the strength of CO2 in the atmosphere increases 420 ppm, the ice from Glacier Mountains in the North Pole will melt.

All because of human uses a large source of capacity of fossil such as coal, mineral oil, gas, which causes the CO2 content to rise quickly. The CO2 content rises 0.7pm, the anticipation in 30 years in 21 century the temperature of the earth will increase approximately at 1.5 - 4.5C compared to today moderate temperature. At that time, the ocean will be warmer, the sea level will rise and the residential area around the shore will sink. At that time, the natural environment and ecosystem will be seriously destroyed.

If the sea level rise up to 5 km, 16% VN land area will sink and move, 35% GDP will be affected. According to the World Bank, they announced on February 26^th/2007, the sea level raised due to increased temperature of the earth, and Viet Nam is one of the countries that the sea level increased, especially Mekong delta and Red River delta. Even the sea level rise up to 1 meter and it’s only 10.8% of total population of VN will be heavily lost.

VN and Bangladesh are the two countries which were heavily affected the most when the weather changed. If the sea level rises up 1 Meter, VN will loose 12% of land area and living areas of 23% of total population, (17 million people). The weather change will be harder to predict. The weather change will create frequent storms. The direction of the storm tends to move to the South. This creates many unfamiliar sicknesses and globalizing many uncommon sicknesses which used be seen in small local geographic areas.

According to Resource Department, based on the environment in VN, if the sea level rise up to 1 Meter, VN will loose 17 billion dollars and 17 billion citizens will suffer. About 14 Billion people from Melkong delta, 40000 Km2 around the delta will be flooded, 17000 km2 of land along beach area will sunk by sea water, areas affected the most that are Ca Mau, Kieng Giang, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Nam Dinh and Thai Binh, thank Hoa. The prediction that the temperature will rise proximately 0.1 - 0.7C in 2010 those provinces in the South from and 1.2 -4.5 C in 2070 (Bio-diversity and weather alteration: the bio-diversity and weather change: the poor association with strong development. TN & MT organization on May 22^nd, 07).

C40 organization: In the conference, the leaders of major cities in the world held in New York on May 14, 2007, was based on the innovation of Clinton’s initiative environmental fund (US ex-president - Bill Clinton): C40 has developed and carried out many programs that plans to cut down quickly the waste air that affects the greenhouse gas.

7The non-governmental Christian Aid Organization (the Head office in England) has warned: There is going be at least 1 million people homeless in 2050 due to the weather change. This is even worst than now a day’s emigrant crisis around the world. The weather expert group (IPCC) predicted that by the year of 2080, there will be a lack of water supply for 1.1 -3.2 million people and proximately 200-600 billion hungers.

4. How does the World deal with the increasing temperature of the earth?

On June 5, 1972, representatives of 113 countries in the world have attended the meeting at Stockholm (Switzerland). The meeting was about the “declaration of human environment” which recommended “with the increasing population, exhaustion of exploitative resources would lead to the continuity of polluted environment”. The convention aimed was to encourage “the government and citizens of all the countries, together to protect and improve the environment. This would bring the happiness to every one in the world for now and the future.” In the 27^th International Convention of the same year, The “Environmental Day of the world” has been formed. Every year on the day, all the countries in the world has developed activities to get everyone’s attention to environmental friendly issues, and other dangers due to the human deposition toward the environment. The Environmental Day has become a festival for everyone in the world.

On November, 18, 1992, there were 1575 world scientists and among them there were 99 of them had won Nobel price) presented document “the warning of scientist to the people in the world. It is about the antagonist of Human and nature.” This document presented a few issues such as the thinning of the ozone layer, polluted atmosphere, misused resources, poisoning the ocean, destroying cultivated land, gradual disappearing animal and vegetation and increasing population. All of these are the causing elements have threatened human lives on earth. There are 8 results caused by polluted environment:

1. Acidic rain

2. CO content increased in atomosphere

3. Ozone layer destroyed

4. The destroy be chemical substances includes the vegetation protective solution

5. Polluted water

6. Land transformed to desert

7. Forrest in tropical area continuing reducing

8. Threatening of nuclear

In December 1993 our nation has officially passed the law of environment protection.

On April 18, 94, the government has enforced the decree 175/CP of guiding the Environmental protection Law, and the decree 26/ Cp on April 26, 1996 has been applied for executing on violation of administration of environmental protection which has reported in People Development Magazine in 2007 -2008 of UNDP, with title “The Opposition of Weather Change; the separation of Human United in the world” has mentioned clearly.

Up to now, there are many scientific prove ahs shown the human deposition toward weather change which leaded the world to the ecosystem disaster, by the irreversible action and developed human waste

To the billions of people in the world, the weather change is no longer a future plan, it is destroying people’s effort of escaping from the poor and danger that has threaten then. The next generations have to face the same effects. They have to live with the threatening which we have created” Our future is not predestination. We can only win Mother Nature, but this defense requires contributions of everyone in the world, every nation government’s corporative solution” such as:

1. The basic justice freedom

2. Protection resources and ecological nature

3. The concrete danger to the environment such as, nuclear weapons, nuclear radiation which people indulge in sophism as Autonomic energy for serving peace.

4. Dumping waste to the ocean, rivers, and ground

5. Waste air expelled out by the mean of transportation, and forest burns creates a massive increase massive CO2 content which causes the temperature increase in the atmosphere.

5. What Buddhism can contribute to insolvable problem?

Buddhism has layout ethic about environmental protection in order to protect our lives and individual happiness. Everyone has to practice the immeasurable compassion toward all sentient beings and protect love them as our only child.

After enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, Buddha lay out the notion of Cause and Condition in 4 sentences

1. This thing arise will cause others things arise

2. This thing is not so other is not

3. This thing arises so other arises

4. This thing destroyed so other also destroyed

This theory contains a law of 12 Links of Conditions, Four Noble Truths, Cause and Karma Effect. According to writer Hanh Binh, “arised condition tenet illustrated as such

“When a person is born, he or she has an idea about parents, so this idea related closely together, this equal interrelation between this and others things. Besides, there are many cause and effect correlations: there is the element of parents therefore, there is element of children. Parents are the cause to form the effect. These two examples containing meanings of any tenet formed by causes and conditions. There is no such thing formed and existed from one cause and one condition. Therefore, the existence of things contain the impermanent features, the sentence “this thing is destroyed, the other will be destroyed.” refers to the process destroying of all things. For example, cooked rice is from rice, water, fire, and a rice-cooker. If missing one of any these elements, cooked rice will not be formed. Human and environment has the same system of formation.

Buddha preached the arising condition as a truth which means it applied to anything, any one, any where, any religion has to follow this tent in order to gain the joy and happiness.

According the fourteenth DaLai Lam a, in his preaching about the compassion and human being, the happiness the meaning of Human being and live on earth has responsibility to develop a happy lives. Then, what brings the happiness the most?

Human composes of psychological and physical body. There is no problem of growing physical body. However, our mind record all issue even from the unimportant to the important issues.

The ultimate happiness is the growth happiness is to grow our compassion so we can provide happiness to others in the mean time we also fully enjoy the happiness. Growth compassion naturally enhances our state of mind in peace. The calm state of mind has ability to deal with difficulty in life.

Therefore, when we counteract with any difficulties, it is a rare opportunity to enhance developing our won mentality. Our compassion can be shown through our love. Love is very necessary to human existence, and it is an interrelationship of human in any period of life.

However, not only the human interrelationship, even insects, or any beings such as bacteria have to depend to each other to exist. The existences on earth such as oceans, forests, flowers, leaves are inter-dependently constructed otherwise they will be destroyed.

Everyone needs loves. Many American Scientists has reported that 12% of the population is suffering mental illness and majority of them sick due to lack of human loves which is compassion. How do we make our compassion growth? There are many forms of compassion and usually was clanged and craved for. For instance, love from parents for their children is formed by the relationship between them, so it is compassionate. However, love between a couple bases on romance and passion. It is therefore is not considered compassion.

When hatred and animosity arises, we tend to be objective to them. We have to understand that hatred has excited human toward loosing balance between mentality and physical body leading us to being sick. When our state of mind is calm with full of healthy thoughts, there would be a chance of suffering form sickness attack. True compassion does not require the pay back and we have to treat everyone equally even to a bad person. However, the person’s action will lead them face the effect.

To conclude the above content, the following sentences in Compassion Sutra which enhances reader’s developing compassion (Thich Thien Chau translated from Sutta Nipata page 143 - 152)

Poor but pure heart, easily tolerated

Control the senses and the cautions

Provide happiness to all beins

Wishing all be happy

Not omit one sentient being

With form or formless

One is born or unborn

When resent and angry

Still, do not cause any suffer for each other

Provide love as a mother to a child

Be sacrifice and protective

Open arm with unlimited of love

With full of morality and eternity of wisdom

And with determine of ceasing greedy.

Our compassion can not be growth in one day, we have to remember that we always stores our “ego” in our mind. Our compassion can only be shown when our ego is not raised.

Next, we have to give up our hatred. It covers our rational part of our brain. It allows destroying and regretful actions. When anger rises, we become hysterical. Dealing with this situation, we have to be patiently affable and flexible, that is considered compassion. When countering with unwanted situations, at first, we have to be calm, being true and without any thoughts of getting even.

In order to succeed, we have to view the opponent person as our talented teacher who is giving us a few hard tests in our lives. This allows us to practice of being tolerant by our compassion

Individual’s happiness is part of elements of developing society. Everyone is our brother and sister. There are the differences in outfits, but everyone’s basic needs of life are common.

According to Buddha’s teaching, there is no reason of separate us each other, even we have different religion or nationality, we all co-integrate in the world, and individual of us is small universe. Our compassion spreads all over. It’s just like a tree that is living in a healthy land being bloom.

In a conclusion, in the issue of nurturing our nature and preventing increasing temperature of the Earth, Buddhism shows us a tenet of inter-dependence Condition. This means there is an inter-relation between human beings, and between human and environment. The co-existent of one thing and the other, there is cause and effect, the noble eight fold paths leading to ceasing of sufferings. In other words, being a real Buddhist is being a good citizen of the world, because we will face the same situation as other beings. Therefore, humans have to seek for a solution of reducing population.

Being realistic to the compassion, every Buddhist has to contribute to keeping the environment to be clean, balancing ecosystem, simple living, managing the high population and especially protecting environment around us, and not creating any conflict to our neighbor countries.

Thoughtfully, in the relation to Buddhist education program, we should develop basic courses in eco-scientology and green planet to increase our awareness of protecting lives on earth.

Thich Dat Dao

BAT NHA TEMPLE

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