JAINA Convention 2015 07 Atlanta GA

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 85

Why should Jains lead on Climate Change?
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That would you do if you discovered that your actions were indirectly causing massive suffering and death of animals and humans? I imagine you would be eager to change. Well your actions are probably causing harm and you don't even realize it. It's your massive carbon footprint that is believed to be one of the main reason to blame.
I recently read Elizabeth Kolbert's book "The Sixth Extinction" in which she describes how the planet is currently experiencing its sixth mass extinction event in which 30-50% of all species will probably go extinct due to habitat loss and climate change. In fact, if current trends continue, the oceans will become so acidic that within the next 50 years or so "all coral reefs will cease to grow and start to dissolve" (Kolbert).
So what is a carbon footprint? We live in a very energy intensive geological time scale called the Anthropocene, defined as a period when human activities have had a significant global impact on Earth's ecosystem. In 2011 82% of the world's energy came from fossil fuels. The burning of those fossil fuels releases CO2 which is a greenhouse gas that traps energy from the sun just like the glass in a greenhouse does. The extra heat has caused the average surface temperature of Planet Earth to increase by 0.8 degrees Celsius which we call Global Warming or Climate Change. Your carbon footprint is the amount of CO2 that is released by your lifestyle - size of your house, transportation choices, purchasing decisions and, very importantly, food choices. Yearly vacations to Europe increase your carbon footprint.
2015 JAINA Convention
168
By: Shudanshu Jain
There are many online tools to calculate your carbon footprint and to purchase offsets.
Our vegetarian Jain lifestyle has a much lower carbon footprint than that of a meat eater. One pound of beef contributes 12.3 kg of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) greenhouse gases while one kg of tofu contributes only 0.9 kg CO2e which is only 7.4% of the CO2e of beef. But Jains could further reduce their footprints by becoming vegan because cheese, at 50% that of beef, still has a very large carbon footprint relative to tolu.
Other religions are stepping up to the challenge of climate change and we Jains must too. Pope Francis, is expected to release a very strong statement this summer about climate change and the moral obligation of all Catholics to fight it. Many churches are divesting their assets in fossil fuel companies much as the divestment campaigns helped end apartheid in South Africa. The Jain community needs to lead in this climate crisis. 97% of Climate scientists say that global warming is primarily caused by humans so there really is no doubt. Please educate yourself about climate change and on how to further reduce your carbon footprint. ......000...... ******000.............. ******000................ ................000................ ..............000.............. Nonviolence confronts systematic injustice with active love, but refuses to retaliate with further violence under any chica In order to let the ricinus opes of violence, it requires a willing acceptance of offering and death rather thanting suffering or death on anyone be Jolar Bear, Eng Race A Oprituality of Contemplation and Action
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