Global Warming is a Hoax? || Acharya Prashant

Acharya Prashant

Video Information: 27.07.2022, 'East-West Dialogue on Climate and Justice', organized by Bard College, USA.  Context: ~ What is Climate Change? ~ How to stop climate change? ~ What is the solution to global warming? ~ How can we control the increasing population? ~ How can spirituality solve the problem of global warming? ~ What is the most effective way of dealing with climate change? ~ How can population control help in dealing with climate change? ~ What is the solution to climate change? ~ How spirituality can stop climate change? ~ Climate change has no scientific solution  Music Credits: Milind Date ~~~~~

Transcript

00:00 There is a huge community of climate deniers that exists and who keep saying that all this

00:09 anthropological global warming thing is a hoax.

00:12 It does not exist at all.

00:14 So what does that mean?

00:15 I mean that means that the common man still has a lot of places to take refuge in.

00:27 The truth is still not very bluntly out in the open.

00:33 Those who want to refuse it are still refusing it and will probably be able to refuse it

00:38 for another I think five or eight years at least.

00:43 So my question, let me take that.

00:47 I asked you what is it however that no person in his senses can refuse.

00:55 He can neither refuse it nor can he pretend disinterest from it.

01:01 What is it?

01:05 The fact that our lives are in a mess.

01:10 There is nobody who does not want to improve the quality of his life.

01:13 Do we agree on that?

01:16 Every single person on this planet wants change in his or her life and what is that change

01:21 all about?

01:22 That change is about improvement.

01:23 We want to have a better life.

01:24 That is the truth.

01:25 We accept, we acknowledge that our lives as they stand have problems in them.

01:32 Otherwise why would we want to change or improve?

01:34 We are all looking for change.

01:36 We get up each morning and say can we have something better?

01:39 Can we reach a better place?

01:40 Can we do something better?

01:42 Whatever, whatever.

01:43 Can we eat something better?

01:45 So if we can show this to the person and impress on him that you need to be better, your life

01:53 needs to change, then I think the climate crisis can also be addressed.

01:59 With the common man example, how they would, you give the term global warming and then

02:06 others would be like how is it warming whenever it's freezing cold?

02:10 They fail to take into account the destruction of the ozone layer which protects us from

02:15 extreme heat.

02:16 It protects us from freezing winters.

02:18 It protects us from these extremes and they fail to recognize these issues that's going

02:23 on due to the breakdown of the ozone layer.

02:27 You know, I'm a part of certain WhatsApp groups of intellectuals, people coming from technological

02:39 backgrounds, working in tech companies, having good tech knowledge and good numerical skills

02:49 and decently well-informed people and there is a sizable lobby there that presents very

02:59 very logical proofs backed by data and stats to prove that first of all climate change

03:12 is not happening.

03:13 Secondly, if it is happening, it is not happening due to human activity.

03:17 It is just something in the cycle of natural events, it keeps happening all the time.

03:24 Thirdly, even if it is happening due to human activity, it is actually beneficial for the

03:30 planet because more carbon dioxide means more greenery.

03:39 And these are not arguments coming from illiterate or mindless people.

03:46 These are arguments coming from seasoned tech professionals.

03:53 So if you want to rationally convince people about the climate emergency, I am afraid you

04:03 might not see much success.

04:06 I'm aware that there isn't much success because we know humans are stubborn people.

04:11 We like to stay within our box but think of the technological perspective, for example

04:18 like within algorithms which is trained to feed people what they want.

04:24 Do you think that is also part of the problem too of keeping people locked in?

04:30 I'm sorry but I lost that word you used in between.

04:33 Algorithms?

04:34 Algorithms, right.

04:37 So what about the algorithms?

04:39 So for example with algorithms like Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, it's trained to keep the

04:46 user engaged.

04:47 Yes, very very definitely.

04:48 Right, right, right.

04:49 So you can see, you are using AI in the worst way possible.

05:01 And would you contest it if I say that, I don't know how you would appreciate it but

05:10 if it clicks it clicks.

05:13 Instagram for example is a lot of climate change.

05:17 Instagram is a lot of climate change.

05:21 All the emotionality that you see in the general public discourse, be it politics or economics

05:30 or social welfare, all that is a lot of carbon.

05:36 I once said all our emotions are carbon intensive.

05:42 All the natural, prakritic, animalistic emotions that we have, they are nothing but a lot of

05:48 carbon.

05:50 See what you do when you get emotional.

05:52 And the moment you see that, it becomes amply clear.

05:56 In your moment of emotional high, whatever you do, you would find that very surprisingly

06:03 all of that is very carbon intensive.

06:06 So definitely, I mean greed, if you let it have its way, it would consume everything,

06:16 this entire planet.

06:18 And you know that's what I said, this might be called as the information age.

06:24 But the level of wisdom is the lowest we have had in centuries.

06:33 First of all, information is there, no doubt, a lot of information is there, but not much

06:37 knowledge is there, otherwise it's not possible that supposedly very knowledgeable people

06:44 talk of the climate crisis as a hoax.

06:48 So even knowledge is not there, and what to say of wisdom.

06:52 It has completely plummeted.

06:59 You give information to the wrong entity and he will use it in the worst possible way.

07:13 The algorithms you talked of are a very good example.

07:17 That's what I am constantly asserting, that we need to address the very center of the

07:23 human being.

07:25 If we do not address that center, then whatever else we say or do or try, won't see much success.

07:34 [Music]

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