Christian Environmentalism and Human Responsibility in the 21st Century

Christian Environmentalism and Human Responsibility in the 21st Century

Author: Katherine M. Quinsey

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-11-16

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1000996433

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Christian Environmentalism and Human Responsibility in the 21st Century comprises original scholarly essays and creative works exploring the implications of Christian environmentalism through literary and cultural criticism and creative reflection. The volume draws on a flourishing recent body of Christian ecocriticism and environmental activity, incorporating both practical ethics and environmental spirituality, but with particular emphasis on the notion of human responsibility. It discusses responsibility in its dual sense, as both the recognized cause of environmental destruction and the ethical imperative of accountability to the nonhuman environment. The book crosses boundaries between traditional scholarly and creative reflection through a global range of topics: African oral tradition, Ohio artists off the grid, immigrant self-metaphors of land and sea, iconic writers from Milton to O’Connor to Atwood, and Indigenous Canadian models for listening to the nonhuman Mother of us all. In its incorporation of academic and creative pieces from scholars and creative artists across North America, this volume shows how environmental work of its nature and necessity crosses traditional academic and community boundaries. In both form and orientation, this collection speaks to the most urgent intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual needs of the present day. This book will appeal to scholars, researchers, and upper-level students interested in the relationship between religion and environment, ethics, animal welfare, poetry, memoir, and post-secularism.


Let Creation Rejoice

Let Creation Rejoice

Author: Jonathan A. Moo

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2014-05-02

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 083089635X

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The Bible is full of images of God caring for his creation in all its complexity. Yet experts warn us that a so-called perfect storm of factors threatens the future of life on earth. The authors assess the evidence for climate change and other threats that our planet faces in the coming decades while pointing to the hope God offers the world and the people he made.


A Greener Faith

A Greener Faith

Author: Roger S. Gottlieb

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2006-06-15

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 0199731136

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In a time of darkening environmental prospects, frightening religious fundamentalism, and moribund liberalism, the remarkable and historically unprecedented rise of religious environmentalism is a profound source of hope. In A Greener Faith , Roger S. Gottlieb chronicles the promises of this critically important movement, illuminating its principal ideas, leading personalities, and ways of connecting care for the earth with justice for human beings. He also shows how religious environmentalism breaks the customary boundaries of "religious issues" in political life. Asserting that environmental degradation is sacrilegious, sinful, and an offense against God catapults religions directly into questions of social policy, economic and moral priorities, and the overall direction of secular society. Gottlieb contends that a spiritual perspective applied to the Earth provides the environmental movement with a uniquely appropriate way to voice its dream of a sustainable and just world. Equally important, it helps develop a world-making political agenda that far exceeds interest group politics applied to forests and toxic incinerators. Rather, religious environmentalism offers an all-inclusive vision of what human beings are and how we should treat each other and the rest of life. Gottlieb deftly analyzes the growing synthesis of the movement's religious, social, and political aspects, as well as the challenges it faces in consumerism, fundamentalism, and globalization. Highly engaging and passionately argued, this book is an indispensable resource for people of faith, environmentalists, scholars, and anyone who is concerned about our planet's future.


The New Holy Wars

The New Holy Wars

Author: Robert H. Nelson

Publisher: Penn State University Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 9780271035826

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The present debate raging over global warming exemplifies the clash of two public theologies. On one side, environmentalists warn of certain catastrophe if we do not take steps now to reduce the release of greenhouse gases; on the other side, economists are concerned with whether the benefits of actions to prevent higher temperatures will be worth the high costs. Robert Nelson interprets such contemporary struggles as battles between the competing secularized religions of economics and environmentalism. The outcome will have momentous consequences for us all. This book probes beneath the surface of the two movements' rhetoric to uncover their fundamental theological commitments and visions. Book jacket.


Ecophenomenology and the Environmental Crisis in the Sundarbans

Ecophenomenology and the Environmental Crisis in the Sundarbans

Author: Kalpita Bhar Paul

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-08-16

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1040120091

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This book offers a philosophical analysis of the environmental crisis in the Indian Sundarbans, drawing upon phenomenological narratives. It nuances the present understanding of the crisis by introducing plurality in our metaphysical understanding of the environment and epistemological understanding of the human–environment relationship. Contemporary research on the Sundarbans mainly focuses on the impending threat of climate change, natural disasters, as well as increasing human–animal conflict, conservation, and forest access debates, while scholarly works have mostly used environmental impact assessments to offer technocratic solutions that prioritize a particular type of human–environment relationship characterized by an "anticipation of ruin." Rather than rushing to find solutions, I embark on a journey to unpack the meaning of crisis through phenomenological narratives of human–environment relationships. A deep dive into the human–environment relationship through an intentional engagement with the work-worlds of islanders, the formation of a more-than-human community is revealed, giving rise to community-based ethic that transcends the poverty of thought and imagination in comprehending the crisis of the Indian Sundarbans. This new ethical framework emphasizes the co-emergence of self-consciousness and eco-consciousness, serving as a moral impetus for individuals to act ethically towards the environment. This approach impels us to rethink what the Sundarbans is, how the crisis gets manifested to the inlanders and outsiders, and what kind of procedural changes are required to protect the Sundarbans as a living ecosystem instead of a natural museum. The book’s phenomenological depth and engaged philosophical framework will elicit deep interest from within academia and among practitioners who are working in environmental studies, philosophy, human ecology, and island studies. The convergence of conceptual understandings and field narratives will also draw the interest of research students working in correlated fields.


Laudato Si

Laudato Si

Author: Pope Francis

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2015-07-18

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 1612783872

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“In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ In his second encyclical, Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home, Pope Francis draws all Christians into a dialogue with every person on the planet about our common home. We as human beings are united by the concern for our planet, and every living thing that dwells on it, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Pope Francis’ letter joins the body of the Church’s social and moral teaching, draws on the best scientific research, providing the foundation for “the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows.” Laudato Si’ outlines: The current state of our “common home” The Gospel message as seen through creation The human causes of the ecological crisis Ecology and the common good Pope Francis’ call to action for each of us Our Sunday Visitor has included discussion questions, making it perfect for individual or group study, leading all Catholics and Christians into a deeper understanding of the importance of this teaching.


Energy, Environment and Geopolitics in Eurasia

Energy, Environment and Geopolitics in Eurasia

Author: Norman A. Graham

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-12-22

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1003823645

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This book advances our understanding of security and its intricate interactions with geopolitics and the environment in Eurasia. Norman A. Graham and Şuhnaz Yılmaz focus on Eurasia, where the energy-water-food nexus has emerged as a vital aspect of political economy and increasinglyas a decisive factor for human security. As clearly revealed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this nexus rests on a precarious balance. Graham and Yilmaz argue that Central Eurasia is currently “Running on Empty” and highlight the key environmental challenges, including water quantity and quality and food security. The authors draw on their extensive fieldwork in countries including Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Turkey, and Uzbekistan to assess the interests and impact of pivotal actors and evaluate the competition and complementarities of these actors regarding water, energy, food security, and foreign policy imperatives. They also examine the broader interaction and implications of security at multiple levels by analyzing the local, national, and international factors in light of geopolitical and environmental challenges. Taking a novel and highly interdisciplinary approach, this book will be an important resource for students and scholars of energy and food security, political economy, international conflict and cooperation, and natural resource politics.


Indigenous Land-Based Knowledge and Sustainability

Indigenous Land-Based Knowledge and Sustainability

Author: Ranjan Datta

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-09-09

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1040135048

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This edited volume explores the crucial intersections between Indigenous Land-Based Knowledge (ILK), sustainability, settler colonialism, and the ongoing environmental crisis. Contributors from cross-cultural communities, including Indigenous, settlers, immigrants, and refugee communities, discuss why ILK and practice hold great potential for tackling our current environmental crises, particularly addressing the settler colonialism that contributes towards the environmental challenges faced in the world. The authors offer insights into sustainable practices, biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, and sustainable land management and centre Indigenous perspectives on ILK as a space to practise, preserve, and promote Indigenous cultures. With case studies spanning topics as diverse as land acknowledgements, land-based learning, Indigenous-led water governance, and birth evacuation, this book shows how our responsibility for ILK can benefit collectively by fostering a more inclusive, sustainable, and interconnected world. Through the promotion of Indigenous perspectives and responsibility towards land and community, this volume advocates for a shift in paradigm towards more inclusive and sustainable approaches to environmental sustainability. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental sociology, postcolonial studies, and Indigenous studies.


Making CO2 a Resource

Making CO2 a Resource

Author: Øyvind Stokke

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-06-03

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1040032486

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This interdisciplinary book explores how CO2 can become a resource instead of a waste and, as such, be a tool to meet one of the grandest challenges humanity is facing: climate change. Drawing on a Norwegian narrative that has significance for a global audience, Øyvind Stokke and Elin Oftedal introduce in-depth, multi-perspective analyses of a sustainable innovation research experiment in industrial carbon capture and utilisation technologies. Building on extensive literature within marine sciences, sustainability research, and environmental philosophy and ethics, this book documents how a misplaced resource like CO2 can become valuable within a circular economy in its own right, while at the same time meeting the challenge of food security in a world where food production is increasingly under pressure. The book is diverse in scope and includes chapters on how to reduce the environmental footprint of aquaculture by replacing wild fish and soy from the Amazon, how to optimise the monitoring of aquatic environments via smart technologies, and how to replace materials otherwise sourced from natural environments. The authors also analyse the pivotal role of the university in driving innovation and entrepreneurship, the pitfalls of different carbon technologies, and explore how the link between petroleum dependence and CO2 emissions has been addressed in Norway specifically. Making CO2 a Resource will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental ethics, environmental philosophy, sustainable business and innovation, and sustainable development more broadly.


Ecological Democracy

Ecological Democracy

Author: Odin Lysaker

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-12-01

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 1003814948

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Re-Imagining Ecological Democracy offers an original, thought-provoking, and engaging treatment of why and how democracy should be re-imagined in reaction to today’s ecological crisis. The book explains that one need to re-imagine both the view on nature and democratic ideals within the same framework in the Anthropocene, the present geological epoch of human-made instability in the Earth system and its planetary boundaries. This book proposes unique and challenging readings of green political theory and its development of ecological democracy in the last four decades. The book is the first to offer a systematic and detailed interpretation of the role of critical theory vis–à–vis green political theory through an update regarding current non-anthropocentric critical theorists and how they may contribute to the further development of ecological democracy. Re-Imagining Ecological Democracy builds further on deep ecology, ecophenomenology, and animism by articulating an ecocentric view on nature which defends an intrinsic moral value of all existence as well as formulating the democratic principle of all ecologically affected parties. This book provides a sophisticated, convincing, and accessible argument for how to re-imagine ecological democracy as ecocentrism in practice: ecological love. To love ecologically means caring for and encountering all existence on the Earth and in the cosmos. This book is multi-disciplinary and will be of great value to researchers as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students from many disciplines.