CHAPTER TEN Justice and the Environment

Old Faithful Grand Canyon

Mt. Saint Helens

Glacier National Park

Molokai

Grand Tetons

God’s Grandeur Threatened -There are many environmental atrocities against our world  Mexico City suffers from life-threatening air pollution most days of the year  Approximately 50% of all hospital beds in the world are filled with people who have water- born illnesses  More than 60% of America’s coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely degraded by nutrient runoff  Many effects of global warming  Low-income people and minorities suffer more from environmental contamination

Our World Did you know…  All living species, including humans, are interdependent  We are part of creation and co-dependent on it; we are not superior to other living things  Sin has lead to our serious abuses and environmental crises

Biblical teaching on the environment 1)Creation is good 2)Humans are God’s special creatures 3)Dominion over creation requires cultivation and care 4)Sin has lead humans to abuse the gift of creation 5)Human sin harms the earth 6)Jesus reconciles everything to God, including bringing harmony to creation 7)Jesus teaches how to be a good steward Our World

The Scope of the Environmental Problem ecology Science that studies the relationship between organisms and their environment rain forest Dense tropical forest with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches

- Risks due to loss of rainforests: Home to more than half of the plant and animal species on earth Potential for many medicines that come from the plants of the rainforests Linked to health of atmosphere because they hold reserves of carbon in their vegetation Soils become unproductive when rainforests are cleared Rainforests are being destroyed at a staggering rate The Scope of the Environmental Problem

-Crisis in the availability of clean water for the world’s population -80% of diseases stem from consumption and exposure to unclean water -Industrial pollutants contaminate the world’s water supply Over 20% of the world’s population breathes unhealthy air Air pollution causes numerous illnesses The Scope of the Environmental Problem Acid rain The burning of fossil fuel releases nitrogen and sulfur oxides into the atmosphere which later fall as acid rain

The Scope of the Environmental Problem Greenhouse effect Creation of industrial waste, burning of fossil fuel, unrestricted deforestation, and the use of certain herbicides, coolants, and propellants -A society that will easily dispose of God’s earth will also find disposing of people easy -What we do to the environment has an impact on the poor

The Scope of the Environmental Problem Greenhouse effect Accumulation of certain gases in the upper atmosphere, mostly created by the burning of fossil fuels and the production of other gaseous emissions Global warming An average rise in global temperature by 1 to 3.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 caused by the greenhouse effect

The Scope of the Environmental Problem Effects of global warming increased droughts flooding heat-related deaths decreased habitats for some animals Ozone depletion has brought many serious health risks

 Humans have become the “exterminator species” because of the rapid rate of species extinctions caused by humans  As many as 137 species disappear daily because of human activity  We have the God-given ability to responsibly save other species The Scope of the Environmental Problem

Church & World Teaching on Environment -Renewing the Earth 1)A God-centered, sacramental world 2)Respect for life 3)Planetary common good and solidarity 4)Universal purpose of created things 5)Option for the poor 6)Authentic development, consumption and population

Church & World Teaching on Environment -Renewing the Earth, cont. People often focus on behaving & enjoying (things) rather than being & growing. So they consume the earth’s resources in a disordered, excessive way Human beings too often forget that the earth & its resources are from God. They arrogantly subject the earth to their own selfish goals. Men & women forget that the earth has its own needs. People set themselves up in place of God when they abuse their role as stewards. As a result, nature “rebels” and is more tyrannized than governed or “taken care of” by human beings.

Declaration on Human Rights and the Environment p Church & World Teaching on Environment

Vocabulary greenhouse effect ecology rainforest global warming Renewing the Earth