WATER, ENVIRONMENT, AND

Dr. Sarah Bennett PhD

3/4/17 1 Background

Science and Religion • Information of science (hard data) • Teachings of the religion (influence heart, spirit and soul)

Time To Work Together As One

3/4/17 2 Scientists and religious leaders’ actions Examples: • Neuroscience, Mental health, Philosophy, Psychology… • Ven. Bodhi: (the founder/director of Buddhist Global Relief) addressed climate change at “gathering of Buddhists at the White House” May 2015 • The 14th Dalai : quantum physics and (中观） philosophy in India Nov. 2015 • The 17th : environmental issues in Europe 2016

Today, my presentation will bring water, environmental issues and Buddhism together. “Cast a Brick to Attract Jade” [拋磚引玉]

3/4/17 3 Outline

Part 1: Nature of Water Part 2: Water and Related Environmental Issues Part 3: Solutions From Buddhism

3/4/17 4 Part 1 Nature of Water • Water Is Life o Physical aspect o Spiritual aspect • Water on Earth o Water cycle movement o Freshwater usage facts

3/4/17 *5 Water Is Life

o Physical aspect § 70% human body (and 1 trillion other life forms) § food § cloth § healthy Environment o Spiritual aspect § symbolizing wisdom (八功德水） § purifying (浴佛） § blessings (觀音柳枝灑水） § to cultivate virtue (密宗七個水燈 Tibetan Buddhist shrines-seven bowls)

3/4/17 6 Water on Earth

Groundwater 0.74% (30.1%)

Freshwater Saltwater 2.50% 97.50%

Ice & Snow Lakes & Rivers 1.75% (68.7%) 0.01% (1.2%)

Saltwater Ice & Snow Groundwater Lakes & River • Total 71% water on earth o 1.75% permanent ice and snow • 2.5% freshwater： o 0.74% groundwater o 0.01% lakes and rivers

3/4/17 7 Water Cycle Movement

Physical processes: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, and subsurface flow

3/4/17 8 Precipitation (rainfall) = evaporation + condensation + infiltration + surface runoff + subsurface flow

§ Certain Total amount of freshwater: 10.22 million km3 (cubic kilometers) § Uneven distribution geographically: Canada, Africa… § Climate change: More uneven distribution (altered weather-patterns)

3/4/17 9 Freshwater Usage Fact

Globally: • Agriculture 70%: Irrigation • Industry 20%: hydropower generation, cooling water, process water, products water, as a medium for waste disposal • Domestic 10%: drinking, cooking, washing, and sanitation

3/4/17 10 Part 2: Water and related Environmental Issues

• Freshwater scarcity (quantity) • Freshwater pollution (quality) • Solutions from scientists

Source: World Business Council for Sustainable Development http://www.unwater.org/downloads/Water_facts_and_trends.pdf

3/4/17 11 Freshwater Scarcity

Data: *WHO/UNICEF 2014 • 1.8 billion people: Lack of safe drinking water • 2.4 billion people: Lack of sanitation • 3,900 children: die each day from dirty water or poor hygiene • 1.8 million people: die every year from diarrhea • 4 billion people: facing severe water scarcity (Science advance 2016)

*WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF(The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund)

3/4/17 12 Global Water Stress

Source: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) 2006

3/4/17 13 Freshwater Scarcity in China

Ø 20% of the world’s population Ø 7% of the world’s fresh water Ø 30% lakes and rivers are unfit for human use Ø 73% of the watersheds supply water to 30 fast-growing cities

(Source: World Resources Institute 2016)

3/4/17 14 Major Reasons • Freshwater resources limitation: only 0.007% accessibility, highly uneven distributed geographically • Overdraw groundwater (million years to recover): 90% irrigation water (UK) • Populations growth and global trading: freshwater demand increasing • Climate Change: more uneven water distribution • Freshwater pollutions: Agriculture, industry, and human activities

3/4/17 15 Freshwater Pollution

Contamination of Rivers, lakes and groundwater

• Agriculture: fertilizer, pesticide, livestock manure… • Industrial pollution: industrial chemical and waste, mining, acid rain caused by air pollution, petroleum leaking (400,000 tanks leaking reports EPA US in 2001) • Human activities: fecal waste (sewage)…

3/4/17 16 Water Pollution in China

Ø 33% industrial waste water Ø 90% household sewage Ø 80% cities (278) have no sewage treatment facilities • 70% rivers, lakes and waterways seriously polluted • 980 million partly, 600 million people drink water contaminated with human or animal waste

(Source: Different Chinese government resources)

3/4/17 17 Freshwater Scarcity By 2050

• Populations and urbanization increasing (9.3 billion, 2 million daily 2010-2015) • Agricultural water consumption: increase 17% • Industrial use: increase 20% • Climate Change: rain-dependent agriculture down by 50% • Pollution from above: human, agriculture and industry

3/4/17 18 (Source: IWMI 2000) 3/4/17 19 Freshwater Scarcity in China By 2050 ? ? ?

3/4/17 20 Solutions from Scientists

• Water integrated management: major rivers Water footprint, use *grey water for irrigation • Desalination, rainwater harvest • Waste water treatment (recycling) • Community: short shower or no water garden…

Possibility ?

* Clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines…

3/4/17 21 Truth of Freshwater Reality

Water Resource < Climate change + Pollution + Demand

Demanding (Populating growth)

Pollution

Climate Change

Freshwater resource

3/4/17 22 Scientist work Government duty (provide information) (Change policy and system) Demanding: Water resource, Population growth, Climate change (data), Economic system, Reducing pollution Global food product trading, Human over consumption Room for improvement limited Need to change mindset and behavior to reduce demanding

3/4/17 23 Part 3 Solution from Buddhism • Buddhist teachings 1. The concept of nature 2. The concept of suffering (the 四圣諦) 3. The way to stop suffering (Threefold Partition 三學, the Eightfold Path 八正道) • Diagnose the root causes of freshwater crisis through Buddhist lenses • Solutions from Buddhism: Change mindset and behaviors to reduce consumption at all levels ( individual and collective)

3/4/17 24 Buddhist Teaching

1. Buddhist concept of nature

1) The ultimate nature is emptiness: Things exist by dependence upon others 2) Environment (inhabited), inhabitants are composed of same basic elements (earth, wind, fire, water and space) 3) Interdependence or Interrelationship between the environment and the inhabitants

3/4/17 25 2. Buddhist concept of suffering Four Noble Truths (四圣諦) - the first teaching of the Buddha

1) Suffering or pain (苦): • suffering of pain (苦苦): physical and mental sufferings • suffering of change (壞苦): temporary pleasure • pervasive suffering (行苦，舍受): not recognised

3/4/17 26 2) Causes of suffering (集) The three poisons

§ Attachment, greed (貪): endless desire physical and emotional (suffering of change, suffering of pain) § Aversion, hatred (嗔): ill will, malicious (suffering of pain) § Delusion, ignorance (痴) (three sufferings)

3/4/17 27 3) Cessation of suffering (滅) Threefold Partition (三學): • Virtue, generosity (戒) • Mind, loving-kindness (定) • Wisdom (慧)

4) Path leading to cessation of suffering (道): Eightfold Path (八正道)

3/4/17 28 3. The way to stop suffering Threefold Partition （三學）- Eightfold Path （八正道）

VIRTUE （戒） Right Speech（正語） Generosity Right Action（正業） Right Livelihood（正命）

MIND（定） Right Effort（正精進） Loving-kindness Right （正念） Right Concentration （正定）

WISDOM （慧） Right View（正見） Right Intention（正思維）

3/4/17 29 Diagnosis through Buddhist lenses

Freshwater crisis and environmental issues Buddhist diagnosis

Freshwater scarcity Suffering of pain 苦苦 (physical Pollution suffering, recognized)

Economic system, Temporary pleasure 壞苦 Global trading, (suffering from keeping the pleasure) Over consuming Boundary (selfishness)

Climate Change (Ice melting in pole Not be able to see suffering in future, Areas) when does it is too late 行苦

3/4/17 30 The Solution from Buddhism

Freshwater crisis and Buddhist Buddhist environmental issues diagnosis Solution

Freshwater scarcity, Suffering of pain 苦苦 Virtue 戒 (right speech, Pollution (physical and emotional) right action, right livelihood) Economic system, Temporary pleasure 壞苦 Mind 定 (right effort, right Global trading, (suffering from keep the mindfulness, right Over consuming pleasure) concentration) Boundary (selfishness) Climate Change (Ice Not able to see, when does Wisdom 慧 (right view, melting on polar regions) it is too late 行苦 right intention)

3/4/17 31 Wisdom (慧)

1. Right View (正見) and Right Intention (正思維)

• Information of science (hard data): climate change • Teachings of religion (influence heart, spirit and soul): No denial, think about other countries most affected

To recognize the water crisis and environmental issues

3/4/17 32 Mind (定)

2. Right Effort (正精進), Right Mindfulness (正念), Right Concentration (正定)

Desire is infinite, can never be satisfied. • “Reduce desire" and "satisfaction” : corporate greed • Identify what is "need", what is "want”: individual To change mind set and culture

3/4/17 33 Virtue (戒)

3. Right Speech (正語), Right Action (正業), Right Livelihood (正命)

• Eexecutive power: change system and policy • People’s power: change lifestyles and government

To change the way of living, stop over consumption

3/4/17 34 Compare Our Food (Water Footprint)

Meat, Water footprint Percentage of total WF rice , cabbage (Liters/Kg) (%) (1996-2005) Beef 15400 67 Sheep Meat 10400 3

Pork 5990 19

Goat meat 5521 1

Chicken meat 4325 11

Paddy rice, Rice (milled) 1670, 2497 13

Cabbage 237

Source: Water Footprint Network (WFN) http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/

3/4/17 35 Less Meat to Vegetarian?

The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man (Charles Darwin) To become a vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to (Buddha)

Try to cut back on how much meat we eat. Not just for our health and animal welfare, but for the environment too! (You and me)

3/4/17 36 Ultimate Solution

YOU & ME Love and Compassion to each other and our planet

3/4/17 37 Thank You! 合十

3/4/17 38