SYMPOSIUMS

LECTURE

No. 6 – LET US ACT ON GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming affects our entire planet, and the need to act is inescapable. After an introduction recalling one of the basic principles of the Aumist religion, the Evolutionary Pyramid of Nature, we will follow these three sections:
1) The recommendations of the IPCC
2) Education and research
3) The need to raise the awareness of leaders, and North-South sharing. Then we will conclude.

Introduction

For Aumists, minerals, plants, animals and humans are all part of the Evolutionary Pyramid of Nature. They all possess a consciousness, and over the course of successive incarnations this consciousness evolves from the mineral to the human, passing through the plant and the animal. This belief is not unique to Aumists; many religions share the same conception of Nature.
Humans, who stand at the top of the Pyramid, must watch over the lower kingdoms and pray for their evolution. This is recalled in the first principle of the Law of the Natural Contract, the 11th Law of the Golden Age: “Man who benefits from nature shall pray for the evolution of the lower spirits, in exchange for the blessings poured out each day.”^[1]
Global warming is due to the poor relationship that humans maintain with Nature. Humans have developed a way of life, an industrial civilisation, that is at the origin of rising temperatures on our planet Earth.

1. THE LATEST IPCC REPORT: WORKING OUT YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was set up by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. IPCC scientists study climate change, issue regular reports to alert policymakers and propose solutions to curb rising temperatures. They recommend that every citizen work out their carbon footprint and change their habits to reduce their impact on the climate.

It should be noted here that the IPCC has listed the drivers of global warming: industry, energy, transport, agriculture, food, digital technology, cities, etc.

As for the greenhouse gas emissions that raise temperatures: 34% come from the energy sector, 24% from industry, 22% from agriculture, 15% from transport and 5% from the rest.

Through our way of life we amplify the natural greenhouse effect. The main causes are energy production, the manufacture of goods, deforestation, the use of means of transport, food production, powering buildings, and overconsumption.

The Aumist religion calls for respect for the balance of Nature, as set out in the second principle of the Law of the Natural Contract: “Man shall refrain from unbalancing nature, the climate and the mineral, plant and animal species, on pain of seeing the earth tremble beneath his feet.”^[2]

For France, the Paris Agreement set the goal of cutting emissions by 40% by 2030 compared with 1990. In practical terms, this means going from 9.5 tCO2e (tonnes of CO2 equivalent) per person per year in 1990 to 5.7 tCO2e in less than ten years. By 2050, if warming is to be limited to +2°C in 2100, it will have to fall to 2 tCO2e, again per person per year.

Here are some orders of magnitude for transport^[3]:

Driving 20 km a day in a petrol or diesel car emits 1 tCO2e over a year.
The same journey by electric bicycle cuts annual emissions tenfold, to 0.1 tCO2e.
For a Paris-Toulouse return trip, one can choose to emit 0.25 tCO2e by plane, 0.26 tCO2e by petrol or diesel car, or 0.0072 tCO2e by Intercités train and 0.0024 tCO2e by TGV high-speed train.

Anyone can work out their carbon footprint on the website https://nosgestesclimat.fr.

Personally, I worked out my carbon footprint and was given three pieces of advice: 1) stop flying, 2) replace my gas boiler with an electric heat pump, and 3) become vegan, that is, stop consuming dairy products and cheese produced by livestock farming, because livestock farming is an aggravating factor in a country’s carbon footprint.
The advice is summarised in the table below, along with the reduction in tCO2e. By following this advice, my carbon footprint falls by 6.19 tCO2e compared with the current average of 9.5 tCO2e.

The diet of Aumists is vegetarian. In the tenth Law of the Golden Age, the Law of Healthy Eating, the first principle invites us to become vegetarian if we can:

“You shall abstain from animal meat and fish if you can.
If this is impossible, you shall bless the sacrificed group soul before eating it, so that you will not fall victim to its poisonous toxins.”^[4]

It is important that everyone does what they can; tolerance must prevail if we are all to succeed together in reducing climate change.
Halving meat consumption in France, down to a maximum of 450 grams per week, would make it possible to reach the climate targets set for the country^[5]. In France, 4% of people are vegetarian or vegan.

2. EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

The role of education is essential:
Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

The education of young people lies at the heart of the Aumist Teaching. Young people, who stand at the top of the Evolutionary Pyramid of Nature (see note 1), know that they must respect nature and pray for the evolution of minerals, plants and animals, which also possess a consciousness. Young people respect the Code of honour of man towards the kingdoms of Nature^[6]. This code has 15 articles, a few of which are quoted below:

“Man must:
No. 1) Know that he cannot survive without Nature.
No. 2) Protect Nature and the invisible beings who dwell in it.
No. 8) Firmly refuse to be the puppets of scientism and of a consumer society.
No. 9) Absolutely know how to manage waste, individually and collectively.
No. 10) In his heart and mind, replace the right he claims with the duty to be fulfilled.
No. 12) Show solidarity with all that lives on Earth and in the Universe.”

Here are a few ideas put forward by young people during a climate competition organised for teenagers. Some of the proposals below show how aware teenagers are of global warming:^[7]

Create a vegetable garden on the roof of a building to avoid all transport and so as not to pollute. Every resident of the building looks after the garden.
We need to use fewer pesticides, and bring in ladybirds and earthworms for the crops.
To absorb the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, everyone could plant a tree on each birthday.
Put solar panels on mobile phone cases so they can be charged in daylight.

Today, teenagers know that temperatures are rising too fast and that their increase must be kept to a minimum. The young Swede Greta Thunberg created a movement to defend the climate. A foundation bringing together 125 countries works “to support sustainability from a holistic perspective, promoting ecological, climate and social sustainability”. Many young people around the world take part in this foundation^[8].

The role of research is paramount:

Gandhi: “You cannot eliminate misery without the help of science and technology.”

Research enables a country to develop, but the question arises: what kind of development?

Research makes it possible to understand the changes now taking place in the climate through regular observation and analysis of climate parameters. Scientists are concerned about the accelerated warming of the poles. What happens at the poles does not stay at the poles: natural climate variations across the planet are connected through atmospheric and ocean currents (North Atlantic Oscillation, El Niño Southern Oscillation, etc.).

In the Arctic, the sea ice has lost nearly 3 million km². Its extent was 10.5 million km² in 1979, and in 2023 it is around 7.5 million km². The shrinking of the ice^[9] leads to rising sea levels and a loss of habitable land, which in turn increases the number of climate refugees.

Scientists are closely monitoring 9 tipping points (points of no return), 5 of which are located at the poles (3 in the Arctic and 2 in the Antarctic)^[10]. If a certain threshold is crossed at these tipping points, major and often irreversible changes will alter the climate. Scientists are monitoring: 1) the shrinking area of Arctic sea ice, 2) permafrost, 3) the accelerating loss of the Greenland ice sheet, 4) the accelerating loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet, 5) the accelerating loss of the East Antarctic ice sheet, 6) the slowing Atlantic circulation, 7) frequent droughts in the Amazon rainforest, 8) the increase in boreal forest fires and pests, 9) the large-scale die-off of coral reefs.

During the One Planet Polar Summit in Paris, from 8 to 10 November 2023, two important announcements were made: 1) France will devote one billion euros to climate research, and 2) France will acquire a new vessel able to carry out scientific missions in the Antarctic, the “Michel Rocard”, France’s first ice-capable ship^[11]. This research vessel is named after François Mitterrand’s former Prime Minister, who was also the first ambassador for the Arctic and Antarctic poles.

3. RAISING THE AWARENESS OF LEADERS, AND NORTH-SOUTH SHARING

The consequences of global warming are many, and we cannot list them all in this talk. Some consequences must be taken into account and addressed on a planetary scale:

Increased migration, due to changing temperatures, which cause sea levels to rise;
More civil wars;
Health problems for the population.

Since 1995, more than a hundred countries from all over the world have met every year at the COPs to discuss the climate and the fight against global warming. It is necessary for us all to work together.

“The Earth will only be able to survive through the efforts of all to balance science, knowledge and the pyramid of nature, to harmonise peoples and nations and to create the climate of Unity, fraternity and solidarity without which the Golden Age would remain in vain.”^[12]

At the last COP, the 28th, four important resolutions were adopted^[13]:
1. Accelerate the energy transition, with a drastic reduction in emissions: by 2030, go from 9.5 tCO2e per person to 5.7 tCO2e.
2. Keep the promises already made and draw up a new financing agreement.
“COP28 participants already know that emerging and developing nations will need more than USD 2,400 billion of investment a year by 2030.”
=> NORTH-SOUTH SHARING

“I will not build the GOLDEN AGE on a world of social and economic injustice, on an Earth where extreme wealth and extreme poverty live side by side. I will not build the GOLDEN AGE on an Earth subjected to the god of money and the goddess of profit, on a planet broken up into a jigsaw that tears peoples apart and inflames local particularisms.”^[14]

3. Put nature and human lives at the heart of climate action
4. Make the COP the most inclusive conference ever
“…so that women, Indigenous peoples, local communities, young people, subnational actors and faith-based organisations can contribute to the process.”
Too often, decisions are taken by those in power without regard for the population, and often under the influence of money lobbies.
“Rich countries teach the virtues of peace to peoples at war but are, behind the scenes, the biggest arms sellers to every country in crisis.”^[15]
According to the organisation Fight Climate Change, the world’s military activities account for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions.^[16]

CONCLUSION

Global warming is a priority for a balanced life on Earth. It has many consequences; in this talk we have mentioned only some of them and, above all, shown that everything is possible if we all act together for the planet:

The international IPCC network, for intelligent cooperation
Training young people
Scientific research
North-South sharing
Ending wars

For each of the points discussed, we have set alongside it the Teaching of His Holiness the Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, and have thus shown that this pragmatic teaching responds to the current problems caused by global warming and offers solutions. Humanity’s consciousness must evolve so that we act to reduce the impact of global warming, and we know what we must do.

Christine AMORY
State Doctorate in Physical Sciences,
President of the Association du Vajra Triomphant

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[1] La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 328

[2] Ibid., p. 329

[3] Source: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02549565v4

[4] La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 327

[5] Source: La Croix, 20/02/2024

[6] L’Aumisme, La Doctrine de l’Âge d’Or, p. 206

[7] https://www.milan-ecoles.com/actualites/resultats-concours-solutions-enfants-climat

[8] https://thegretathunbergfoundation.org/

[9] https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2023/08/an-odd-summer/

[10] Lenton et al., Nature, vol. 575, 28 November 2019