CHAPTER TENJustice 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 warmingLow-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 Problemecology
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 earthPotential for many medicines that come from the plants of the rainforestsLinked to health of atmosphere because they hold reserves of carbon in their vegetationSoils become unproductive when rainforests are clearedRainforests 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 rainThe 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
decreased habitats for
some animals
heat-relateddeaths
flooding
increaseddroughts
Effects of global
warming
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 world2) Respect for life3) Planetary common good and solidarity4) Universal purpose of created
things5) Option for the poor6) 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.242-243
Church & World Teaching on Environment
Vocabulary
greenhouse effectecologyrainforestglobal warmingRenewing the Earth
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