JPR – Earth Precepts Program 4
Host: This week, Pepper Trail continues our series on taking
responsibility for the Earth with the Earth Precept that states:
☼
Do not
destabilize the Earth’s atmospheric or aquatic systems
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“Do not destabilize the
Earth’s atmospheric or aquatic systems” – what does this precept even
mean?
It’s very important to recognize
that the atmosphere and the rivers and oceans are dynamic systems,
constantly cycling oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water around the planet and
creating the Earth’s climate. Under
natural conditions, these systems change only very slowly, thanks to their huge
scale and complex feedback patterns. The
entire period of 10,000 years or so during which we humans developed
agriculture, settled into towns, organized into nations, and came to dominate
the Earth, has occurred during stable, moderate conditions.
It’s not surprising, then,
that we usually think of the oceans and the atmosphere as eternal and
unchanging. Until recently, the very
idea that our activities could destabilize the atmosphere, the oceans, or the
climate would have seemed ridiculous. Sadly,
that is no longer true. We are awakening
to a new reality.
Virtually every human
biological, agricultural, and industrial activity releases chemicals into the
environment. Each of these
substances creates cascading effects as it passes through the biosphere. We are rarely able to anticipate these
effects; the interrelationships of all the world’s systems are just too
complicated.
Here are two examples of how humanity’s
activities have unintentionally destabilized the Earth’s atmospheric and
aquatic systems: the ozone hole and global warming.
Chlorofluorocarbons,
or CFCs, are man-made chemicals that were widely used as refrigerants and
propellants. Under most conditions,
these compounds are extremely stable, and they were thought to be
environmentally friendly. Unfortunately,
it turns out that when CFCs reach the frigid outer atmosphere, they break down,
releasing chlorine atoms. These chlorine atoms are highly destructive to the ozone
layer that shields the biosphere from intense ultraviolet rays. The resulting “ozone
hole” was first detected in 1985. In a
rare example of prompt international response to an environmental problem, most
CFC use was banned in 1987, but the ozone hole has still not decreased in size. United States skin
cancer rates have more than doubled in the past 20 years, and increased UV
exposure is considered the most likely cause.
And then there is global
warming. Everywhere on Earth is exposed
to sharply rising carbon dioxide levels due to our unceasing burning of fossil
fuels. Carbon dioxide is a “greenhouse
gas,” absorbing solar radiation and warming both the atmosphere and the oceans. Carbon dioxide levels are now 30% higher than
only a century ago. In fact, they are
higher today than at any time in the last 650,000 years, according to
measurements of the ancient air trapped in bubbles in the Antarctic ice. Human-caused global climate change promises
to be the greatest challenge that the biosphere – and thus, humanity – must
face in the next 100 years. It will
affect every species and ecological process on earth, causing changes at a rate
faster than many natural systems can adjust.
If we are to preserve a
healthy biosphere, we must preserve the stable, self-regulating
chemistry of its atmospheric and aquatic systems. An excellent way to honor this precept is to
limit our use of fossil fuels, which are responsible for so many of the
imbalances in the world today. We’ll
talk about that more next time.
Until then, this is Pepper
Trail.
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