There was a time that estimates were that Global climate change will happen by 2050. Then we heard that may be 2030. Now we know that by 2017 humankind has breached some of the earth's finely balanced feedback loops. One is Climate Change. Individually, we must act. We also must inform others to investigate this matter for themselves.
I personally felt that I was keeping up with the science of climate change. Taking the Wilmette Institute's course, I have learned SO MUCH. I feel that it is no longer 'a problem for the future'. It is a problem for now and the more we ignore it the deeper the problem will be.
Please visit www.globalclimatechangeweek.com
Dr. Davoodi
P.S. I also want to share a post with you that you'd find interesting:
The Worsening of Floods, Storms, and Other Extreme Weather Events
The science is clear: On average, the Earth has warmed by about 1°Celsius (1.8°F) since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. One may think that a 1°C warming may not be that much, however, it is a big deal. Just remember that the difference between the Earth's temperature before the Industrial Revolution and an Ice Age was only 4°C (7.2°F).
This 1°C warming has already caused more severe heat waves and droughts with devastating impacts on people in many parts of the world. One example is that wildfires are intensifying, as we could see in the extensive wildfires in the Western US and the deadly forest fires in Portugal this year.
Scientists have also warned for a long time that, in a warmer world, floods will become increasingly more frequent and more severe. There are three reasons for that:
• More moisture evaporates from warmer soils and oceans.
• Warmer air can hold more moisture. So when it rains (or snows) there is much more precipitation.
• Sea levels are rising because warmer water expands and melting glaciers add freshwater to the oceans.
So we shouldn't be surprised that the summer of 2017 brought devastating floods to many parts of the world. There is no need to expound on Hurricane Harvey which was extensively covered by the media. But it's less easy to get information about the disastrous floods in other parts of the world: Many central African countries experienced exceptionally heavy rains, floods, and mudslides. Nigeria had unprecedented flooding two years in a row, and in Sierra Leone as many as 1000 people died in a mudslide triggered by torrential rain.[1]
The flood in South East Asia was an unimaginable catastrophe. More than 1000 people died and at least 41 million people in Bangladesh, India and Nepal have been directly affected by flooding and landslides resulting from the monsoon rains. One third of all of Bangladesh was under water! The loss of lives, homes, livelihoods, and crops is unimaginable.[2] The people affected were among the most poor and vulnerable.
Global warming has also made storms more destructive, because winds pick up energy from warmer oceans, and because storm surges are becoming much more dangerous due to sea-level rise.
What Can We Do?
While we must help the victims of such natural disasters, as well as adapt to a changing climate and build more resilient communities, it is especially important to do whatever we can to reduce the further warming of the Earth. And that's where we all can play a part.
Global warming is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Deforestation, agricultural practices, and other economic activities are contributing factors. All these activities emit greenhouse gases that trap the sun's heat when it is reflected back into the atmosphere.
As individuals and communities, it is in our power to use less fossil fuels, and to avoid contributing to deforestation. There are numerous things we can do, for example drive less, fly less, eat less meat, especially beef, and buy much fewer consumer goods.
In other words, we can live a more simple life. Our perfect example of how to live was 'Abdu'l-Bahá who owned only one coat and generally lived very simply. The Universal House of Justice has repeatedly drawn our attention to the importance of turning away from materialism and consumerism. This is not only essential for our spiritual lives, but also for not contributing to human suffering, and for preserving the life support systems of the Earth for future generations. For the Earth is not only just one country, it is one ecosystem, and we are all interconnected with all living things, plants, animals and people.
Of course, mitigating climate change requires a fundamental transformation of society. George Monbiot, columnist for The Guardian and author of a number of books, boldly comments on the radical change required to save human civilization in this 16 min. video:
We also know that at the heart of the required change must be a spiritual transformation, and that's the enterprise of the global Bahá'í community. Bahá'ís are building spiritual communities as a foundation for a new world order. This spirit must also infuse our ways of life, so that we don't contribute to human suffering, but become, as 'Abdu'l-Bahá said, “a blessing to others”.[4]
We can also help raise awareness about climate change in our Bahá'í and wider community. That may be the most far-reaching action we can take, because many people are needed to bring about fundamental change. We can help people to wake up to the reality of the severe problem of climate disruption and to overcome their indifference and paralysis of will.
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the Faculty of the Wilmette Institute courses “Climate Change” and “Sustainable Development and the Prosperity of Humankind”
References:
[3] Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh / CXLIII