Climate Change and the Increasing Frequency of World Disasters, Part 1 of 3

On August 9, 2021, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). Drawing on more than 14,000 scientific studies, the IPCC report provides a detailed picture of how climate change is altering our world. “The world is dangerously close to runaway warming, and greenhouse gas levels are high enough to guarantee climate disruption for decades. Here are some of the report's main takeaways: Humans are to blame: full stop.”

Weather extremes once considered rare or unprecedented are becoming more common. Severe heat waves that happened only once every 50 years are now happening roughly once a decade. Tropical cyclones are getting stronger. And most land areas are seeing more rain or snowfall in a year. Severe droughts are happening 1.7 times as often. And fire seasons are getting longer and more intense.

As Earth’s temperatures rise the number of floods also increase. In mid-July 2021, a devastating flood occurred in western Germany, where more than 182 mm (7.2 in) of rain fell in just 72 hours. Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands also suffered extensive flooding, and thousands of residents in the Netherlands were urged to evacuate their homes. In mid-July, a massive storm in Henan province in central China produced a years’ worth of rain in just 72 hours. It was estimated that 13 million people were affected. Also in July 2021, in India’s western state of Maharashtra, at least 180 people died when torrential rains flooded low-lying areas and caused numerous landslides. And these are only some of the many floods and resulting landslides that occurred around the world between June and early August 2021.

Our most gracious Supreme Master Ching Hai has spoken many times about the extreme dangers of climate change. Quoting scientific evidence, She explains that raising livestock is the primary cause of global warming, and that the only way to halt its occurrence is through worldwide adoption of the vegan lifestyle. She also warns that we are in imminent danger, and must change our ways quickly.