Transcript <INSERT TITLE – we could keep it simple like

Environmental Ethics
HR 5113-492
Kathryn Augsburger
Ryan Clancy
Clarissa David
Michael James
Deborah Newman
Dylan Newman
Jennifer Williams
Agenda
• Introduction
• Global Problems and Statistics
• Global Solutions
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Christianity
Judaism
Hinduism
Islam
Buddhism
Confucianism
Taoism
Baha’i
African perspectives
• Conclusion
• References
Introduction
• It is undeniable that the world is in need of a global ethic to
improve human conditions on an international, community, and
personal level. But there is also a great need for a global ethic to
preserve and improve the conditions of the natural environment.
• We are defining the natural environment as the planet earth and all
of the life (human and non-human) that inhabits it, as well as our
natural resources and climate. The focus of this presentation is to
show how the various major religions of the modern world view the
environment and our suggestions on how to conserve, protect, and
prevent further deterioration of our planet by focusing on our
energy consumption in the United States.
• The following slides will give an account of how the major world
religions regard the natural environment and our responsibility to
respect it. It will cover the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Islamic,
Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Baha’i, and African perspectives.
Global Problems and Statistics
• There are many major environmental problems right now. One of these
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problems is that the accelerated greenhouse effect is increasing global
warming and that global warming is greatly effecting our environment.
Warmer seasons and more severe storms are just two examples of how the
change in our environment is affecting our everyday lives and the lives of
others around the world. One of the main focuses in improving this aspect
of the environment needs to be on energy consumption, production and the
types of energy we use.
The United States plays a major role in global energy consumption, but
unfortunately we are not as successful in our energy production. Though
accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, Americans consume
26 percent of the world's energy. The United States is the world's largest
single emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 23 percent of energyrelated carbon emissions worldwide. Increased carbon emissions are one
of the major factors in global warming.
Global Problems and Statistics
(con’t)
• In a 1998 study done by the USGS showed that
the United States is consuming much more
energy than it is able to produce. As seen on
chart 1-1, it consumes about half as much oil as
the rest of the world.
Chart 1-1
Oil
Natural Gas
Coal
1
Calculated on a Btu basis
U.S.
World
% U.S.
Total1
18.92 million barrels/day
73.6 million barrels/day
40 %
21.34 tcf/year
82.2 tcf/year
23 %
1.04 billion tons/year
5.01 billion tons/year
23 %
Global Problems and Statistics
(con’t)
Global Problems and Statistics
(con’t)
• There are many ways that we can reduce the amount of oil, coal and
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natural gases we use and still have plenty of energy to use that won’t
deplete the environment. There are many alternative energy sources
rapidly being developed. These include Biomass (using plant matter and
biodegradable waste to produce energy), geothermal technologies (using
energy from the earth’s core), hydrogen fuel cells, solar energy, wind and
hydropower, all of which provide different ways of producing energy that
will help to reduce the acceleration of the greenhouse effect and global
warming. Unfortunately, only 7.5 percent of total U.S. energy consumption
came from renewable sources in 1998.
Worldwide, some 2 billion people are currently without electricity. By
channeling the energy from the sun, wind and water, not only could there
be an infinite amount of energy, but countries around the world could be
able to supply their own energy sources without having to rely on others to
produce them. For the 2 billion people without access to electricity, it would
be cheaper to install solar panels than to extend the electrical grid.
Global Solutions
• The global community is embracing this crisis but most of the
nations who are taking an active stance are the industrialized
nations. This is just as the industrialized nations are causing a
majority of the air and water pollution.
• As emphasis on personal responsibility is important, but difficult to
enforce. Several countries around the world have come up with a
plethora of legislation to limit pollution amongst businesses and
citizens. This is important for several reasons:
– Incentives matter. This is not only true for businesses but for
households.
– Property rights are not only a necessary condition for market exchange,
but for protection of the environment. Rights must be well defined,
divestible, and defendable.
– Governments can establish markets that allow companies to utilize
technologies that are sleeker and more efficient. In turn, reducing
harmful pollutants.
– Well defined rights, incentives, and appropriate consequences allow for
companies to not only take care of the earth today, but in the future as
well.
Global Solutions (con’t)
• Some examples of what the world is doing:
– The European Union (EU) established a Emissions Trading
Scheme which is a market based solution for states to reach the
appropriate output level of green house gases.
– New Zealand is beginning to levy a “carbon tax” for each metric
ton of carbon dioxide that is emitted beginning 1 Apr 2007. It is
rumored to bring in $360 million dollars its first year.
– Germany is boasting that it gets 363 of its 410.5 megawatts of
power from solar power. That means that the total EU use of
solar power is over 1,000 megawatts!
– Amidst China’s struggle to gain more power to fuel its economy,
their National Development and Reform commission has
committed to clean energy resources over the next 20 years
which includes solar, bio-gas, and geothermal energy.
– The world (over 160 countries) adopts the Kyoto protocol. This
establishes targets in reduction of greenhouse gases by specific
years. The next big target year for reduction is 2008.
Global Solutions (con’t)
• There are many steps that we can take on a personal level as well,
as we wait for these alternative energy sources to improve and
hopefully replace our current energy sources. You can help to
reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global
warming, by using energy more wisely. Here are 9 simple actions
you can take to help reduce global warming.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Insulate Your Home
Be Thrifty with Heating and Cooling
Leave the Car at Home Whenever You Can
Buy Energy-Efficient Products
Turn Down Your Appliances
Don’t Leave the Water Running
Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company
Be an Informed Consumer
Christianity
• Stewardship
– Caretakers
• Rotation of crops
• “Because they were created in His image, God gave men and
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women a privileged place among all creatures and commanded
them to exercise stewardship over the earth” (Genesis 1:26-28;
Psalm 8:6-8)
Pope John Paul II – The Key challenge is "not only to limit the
damage which has already been done, and apply remedies, but
especially to find approaches to development which are in harmony
with respect and protection for the natural environment."
Pope Benedict XVI - "Environmental degradation makes poor
people's existence intolerable."
– Fair Share
• “To share the bread is to live in communion. And to share the world
is somehow to live in communion.” (Henrik Grape, sermon, 5 Oct
06)
Christianity (con’t)
• Question of Responsibility
– God’s Plan
• The primary problem with extreme forms reject the Biblical concept
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that this current earth is not permanent
The Earth was not meant to last forever – "But the day of the Lord
will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a
loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the
earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up." (2 Peter
3:13)
People should be careful not to worship the Earth, for that is close
to idolatry
– Human Disregard
• “The root of the risk of dangerous climate change from industrial
civilization’s profligate use of fossil fuel is sin.” (Report of the
Theology working group at the Flämslätt Assembly)
Christianity (con’t)
• Christian Environmental Rights Groups
– Christian Environmental Association - "Serving the Earth, Serving the Poor"
– Target Earth - The service trips are holistic, combining a desire to share the
love of Jesus while caring for the earth and the people who inhabit it. The shortterm service opportunities are offered in 14 countries.
– The Eden Conservancy - Buys up endangered lands - caring for creation one
acre at a time. Individuals, churches and schools raise funds to secure rain forest
at $100.00 per acre. Currently, 8,000 acres is being purchased in Belize in
partnership with the Belize Audubon Society
– European Christian Environmental Network - Address the environmental
concerns implicit in the biblical command to work and to care for God's creation.
A network to share and work together…a European Environmental Ethic.
– Christian Ecology Link – The UK’s leading Christian environmental group
– California Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) - Educates churches, including
many Catholic parishes, on how to make a dent in global warming while
promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation. The group
also indorses the Oil Tax Initiative to reduce consumption by 25% over the next
10 years.
Judaism
• Stewardship
– Care Takers
• "Year of the Environment“: Sept 1993 - Aug 1994 (The
Center for Judaism and the Environment Webpage)
– Gov’t sponsored activities devoted to increasing the public's
environmental awareness
– Laws passed to reduce pollution and other environmental
problems
• The Center for Judaism and the Environment at the
Jerusalem College of Technology (Centre for Science and
Environment Webpage)
– Involved in various activities aimed at strengthening and
expanding Jewish education, raising environmental awareness
and showing how Judaism and the environment are intrinsically
linked
Judaism (con’t)
– Question of Responsibility
• Judaism has very powerful teachings related to the
environment:
– "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1)
– Bal tashchit (based on Deuteronomy 20:19,20) - People are not
to waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value
 "When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a
long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its
trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them,
but you must not cut them down.” (Source)
– The talmudic sages were greatly concerned about preserving
the environment and reducing pollution (Source)
• God uses of nature:
– The Noah and the Flood
– The Ten Plagues
– Tree of Good and Evil
Slide Source: Gerstenfeld,
Judaism and the Environment,
2000
Judaism (con’t)
• Israel and the Environment
– Religious and National Interest Conflict:
• Rapid population growth; Rapid industrialization
• Environmental concerns ignored for years…security top
priority
– Environment Problems:
• Jerusalem Post article "Rivers of Darkness" indicated most of
Israel's rivers are much more polluted than rivers in Europe
and US
• Solid waste crisis due to discharge of increasing amounts of
garbage yearly
• Less than 5% of the garbage in Israel is recycled (1997)
Slide Source: Schwartz,
Environmental Issues in Israel
Hinduism
• Stewardship
– Care Takers (Gov’t)
• Environment Protection Act (1986): created the Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF); strengthening India's
commitment to the environment
• Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is an independent,
public interest organization which aims to increase public
awareness on science, technology, environment and
development. The Centre was started in 1980
– CSE promotes solutions for India’s numerous environmental
threats – of ‘ecological poverty’; extensive land degradation;
rapidly growing toxic degradation of uncontrolled
industrialization; economic growth on the other
Slide Source: Country Analysis Brief.
India, 2004
Hinduism (con’t)
• Stewardship
– Care Takers (Priesthood)
• Before the foundation of a building is dug, a priest is invited
to perform the Bhoomi Pooja in order to worship and
appease mother earth and seek forgiveness for violating her
• Hindu prayer called Shanti path recited to conclude every
Hindu ceremony, reflect the Hindus’ connectedness with
nature
• Question Responsibility
– Hindus first perceived God’s presence around them
through nature
– To please God, Hindus felt they must live in harmony
with His creation including earth, rivers, forests, sun,
air, and mountains
Slide Source: Adhopia, 2001
Hinduism (con’t)
• India and the Environment
– India's ongoing population explosion and its
move toward urbanization and
industrialization has placed great strain on the
country's environment
• Deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution and
land degradation
– 1984 Bhopal Disaster: a toxic leak from the
city's Union Carbide chemical plant resulted in
the deaths of more than 3,000 people
• Environmental awareness and activism in India
increased significantly
Slide Source: Country Analysis Brief.
India, 2004
Islam
• Relationship between God and Earth
– Measurement
• “…Whithersoever you turn, there is the face of God”
– Earth’s creatures exists in reverence of God; Everything on earth worships the
same God.
– Everything in nature is a sign of God and as such, it is continuously praising him
– Nature is similar to that of a mirror which reflects the power, heart, and wisdom
of its Creator
– Protection
• Everything has been created by measure and has an order
• Everything is interdependent with everything else
• The earth is not for one generation but for every generation, past, present and future
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and that would include humans as well as other creatures on this earth. (Quran,
2:22)
“The Environment is God’s creation. The creation of the earth and all its natural
resources is a sign of His wisdom, mercy, power, and His other attributes and therefore
serves to develop human awareness and understanding of this creator.” (Quran 13: 24; 21:79)
“O people! Worship your Lord, Who hat created you and those before you, so that
you may ward off (evil), Who hath appointed the earth a resting-place for you, and the
sky a canopy; and causeth water to pour down from the sky, thereby producing fruits
as food for you.” (Quran 2:21)
Islam (con’t)
• Responsibility
– God’s Plan
• Humans are created beings who act as “agents” of God on Earth
• Humans should/must take into account the interconnectedness of all nature
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when dealing and interacting with the natural environment
Muslims should seek to protect and preserve the environment because by so
doing, they protect God’s creatures which pray to Him and praise Him.
Stewardshipness includes the maintainness and utilization of the natural
environment in accordance with what God created these things for, and to
take into account the order and the ecological balance of nature on the other
– “It is the lot of man to share in the deeper aspirations of the universe
around him and to shape his own destiny as well as that of the universe,
now by putting the whole of his energy to mould its forces to his own
ends and purposes. And in the process of progressive change of God
becomes a co-worker with him, providing man takes the initiative”
– Human Disregard
• The main purpose of human beings is nothing else but to serve God, to be
grateful to Him, and to worship Him alone. Human beings are invited to use
this opportunity for the good and not to “corrupt the Earth”
– “…and do not cause corruption in the earth,when it has been in order.”
Buddhism
• Relationship between Buddhism and the Environment
– Karma and rebirth (cyclic existence)
• Buddhists believe not in a creator, but in beings fashioning their destiny by their own actions
• Living creatures perform virtuous or non-virtuous actions when create predispositions for rebirth in
any of the six realms of cyclic existence
– Virtuous actions bring about pleasant rebirths in the upper realms of gods, demi-gods and
men
– Non-virtuous deeds bring about suffering and rebirth in the animal, hungry ghosts, and hellbeings’ realsm
• Attain Buddhahood in order to liberate all sentient beings from the sufferings of the cyclic existence
– When beings have exhausted the karma which caused their rebirth in a particular realm, in
dependence on other accumulated karma, they take rebirth in another realm, wandering
endlessly which the limits of cyclic existence until they find a way out to liberation or
“Buddhahood”
– Six Realms
• Though men and animals are the only tones ordinarily perceived by humans, others such as demi-
gods and hungry ghosts are believed to be present in the human realms greatly influencing many
aspects of animal life, thus they should be treated equally
• “The rationale for universal compassion is based on the same principle of spiritual democracy. It is
the recognition of the fact that every living being has an equal right to and desire for happiness.”
(The Dalai Lama on Compassion)
Buddhism (con’t)
• Question of Responsibility
– Buddha’s Plan
• Among all creatures of the six realms, humans are the most fortunate and
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have the best opportunity for attaining the ultimate achievement
“At the heart of Buddhist philosophy is the notion of compassion for others”
(The Dalai Lama on Compassion)
Rituals which please the local deities and ensure harmonious natural
conditions
“Therefore, in order to achieve more effective environmental protection and
conservation, internal balance within the human being himself or herself is
essential.” (The Dalai Lama on Compassion)
Buddhism (con’t)
– Human Disregard
• Since humans cannot survive without some form of land exploitation and
building, Tibetans take certain measures to prevent unnecessary mishaps:
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– Prayer flags
– When choosing a site for building, a lama is consulted as to the method by which
the nagas and sa-dag (guardian deities dwelling in individual places) might be
appeased and treated
Limit mining and exploitation of natural resources to avoid disrupting not only the
animal life and ecological system, but the unseen creatures believed to dwell at the
site
“Destruction of nature and natural resources results from ignorance, greed and lack of
respect for the earth’s living things.” (The Dalai Lama on the Environment)
“This lack of respect extends even to the earth’s human descendants, the future
generations who will inherit a vastly degraded planet if world peace does not become
a reality, and if destruction of the natural environment continues at the present rate”
(The Dalai Lama on Humanity and Ecology)
Confucianism
• Stewardship
– Values Constitute Key Elements:
• Promoting harmony amidst change
• Embeddedness of each person in concentric circles of
relationships and ethical responsibilities, the importance of the
family including past, present, and future generations
• Function of a hierarchical social system where loyalties to elders
and to teachers are critical; the significance of education in
cultivating the individual, enriching the society, and contributing
to the political order
• Value history as an element of civilizational continuity and moral
rectification.
Confucianism (con’t)
• Question of Responsibility
– See nature as intrinsically valuable and for understanding the
role of the human in relation to natural processes as critical.
• Human livelihood and culture was seen as continuous with nature,
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as the following passage by a leading Han Confucian, Tung Ch’ungshu (c. 179–c.104 BCE), indicates: “Heaven, earth, and humans are
the basis of all creatures. Heaven gives them birth, earth nourishes
them, and humans bring them to completion.
Heaven provides them at birth with a sense of filial and brotherly
love, earth nourishes them with clothing and food, and humans
complete them with rites and music. The three act together as
hands and feet join to complete the body and none can be
dispensed with.”
Taoism
•Stewardship
•The Taoist classic The Way and Its Power (tao te jing) gives this advice against the
artificial exacerbation of our desires:
--No lure is greater than to possess what others want,
--No disaster greater than not to be content with what one has,
--No presage of evil greater than that men should be wanting to get more.
--Truly: He who has once known the contentment that comes simply through
being content, will never again be otherwise than contented.
• Question of Responsibility
•The Taoists suggest that the first step to “enlightenment” is in awareness of the
patterns of nature, both within our own body and mind and in the natural
environment that we usually think of as "outside". Nature can be for us a template, a
model, a paradigm, an anchor, a beacon.
•The nature outside of Taoists can resonate with the natural patterns within and help us to
get back in touch with our natural selves. When humans destroy our natural environment
or make it unavailable for people to tune back into, humans destroy one of the most
precious healing resources for our civilization-jaded psyches.
Baha'i Faith
• Stewardship
– Balance
• Bahá'u'lláh, the Prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith, said nature and all its creations
reflect the qualities and attributes of God
• Essence of Bahá'í environmental approach is harmony of science and religion
– There must be balanced approach to development that maintains a deep understanding of the
significance of the natural realm in the material and spiritual development of all humanity
– Development
• Material development is important to free us from the captivity of the world of nature
– As long as man is captive to nature he is a ferocious animal struggling for existence.
• The value of nature and its preservation cannot be expressed in sheer economic terms.
• Question of Responsibility
– God’s Plan
• Bahá'u'lláh wrote: "The earth is but one county, and mankind its citizens."
• Mercy and compassion must be shown not only to human beings, but all living
creatures and cruelty to animals is prohibited.
– Human Disregard
• Bahá'u'lláh "If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it
had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation.“
• Bahá'í International Community states the unfettered exploitation of planetary natural
resources is one symptom of a "sickness of the human spirit".
• Baha’i Faith Environmental Rights Groups
– International Environment Forum (http://www.bcca.org/ief/home.htm)
African Religions
• Stewardship
– Respect
• Live in harmony with nature and respect the environment
– Nature is to be held sacred and used responsibly
– If humans hurt nature, nature hurts them
– Development
• African Charter to a Global Ethic includes; The Rights of Development:
– Both in a cultural and environmental sense of development
• Africans invented ways of using the environment for gain; swamp farming, crop
rotations, crop mixing, and iron tools such as axes and hoes.
– They did not seek scientific improvement because they produced sufficient amounts for their
community and had no interest in mass production.
• Question of Responsibility
– The Plan
• African cosmology, forces and phenomena of nature to grant mystical life
• God communicates through dreams, visions and nature
– Human Disregard
• The African continent has been neglected by the masters of world economy, it suffers
from starvation and ethnic cleansing and its governments are falling apart.
• Today African nations are lost in the money oriented exploitation of natural resources
• African Religions Environmental Groups
– African Environment Outlook (http://www.grida.no/aeo/)
Conclusion
• As we continue to discuss dialogue and respect among each other in
search of a global ethic, it is imperative that we apply this concept
to other aspects of our life, including our interaction with the
environment. In the same way that we need to expand our
consciousness about other cultures and religions we also need to
expand our consciousness about our natural surroundings. The
same respect and mental openness we use to learn from our
dialogue with others should be extended to our environmental
surroundings. We should also use dialogue with each other to
derive a successful way of conserving the planet and preventing
further deterioration. By working together we can develop a
global ethic that will help all life, not just human life, on this planet.
References
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US Energy Consumption. Maxwell School of Syracuse University. April 2006.
http://wilcoxen.cp.maxwell.syr.edu/pages/804.html
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“United States Energy and World Energy Production and Consumption Statistics.” USGS Central
Region Energy Resource Team. 1998.
http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/energy/stats_ctry/Stat1.html#ConsumptionUvsW
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West, Larry. Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming. About.com Environmental
Issues. 2006. http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm
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Dahl, Arthur, L. (1997), Environmental Protection from a Baha'i Perspective. Retrieved 04 Aug
2003 from Baha’i Library Online website: http://bahailibrary.com/?file=dahl_environmental_protection
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Landau, Richard (2002), Baha'i Faith and the Environment. Retrieved 05 Aug 2003 from Baha’i
Library Online website: http://bahai-library.com/?file=landau_bahai_faith_environment
•
Brooks, Amanda (2003), Religion of Africa. Retrieved 21 Nov 2003 from Geocities website:
http://www.geocities.com/genebrooks/african-religion.html
References (con’t)
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Adhopia, Ajit. Hinduism Promotes Environment Protection. December 2, 2001.
http://www.boloji.com/analysis/018.htm
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Centre for Science and Environment Webpage http://www.cseindia.org/
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Country Analysis Brief. India: Environmental Issues. February 2004.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/indiaenv.html
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Environmental Issues in Israel by Richard Schwartz, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Mathematics,
College of Staten Island. http://www.jewishveg.com/schwartz/envirois.html
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Gerstenfeld, Dr. Manfred. Judaism and the Environment, Feb 20, 2000.
http://www.besr.org/library/bachrach.html
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The Center for Judaism and the Environment http://www.besr.org/activities/environment.html
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Stroup, R. L. (2003). Eco-nomics. Washington D.C.: The Cato Institute.
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Dien, Mawil Izzi, (1997), Islam and the Environment, theory, and practice. Journal of Beliefs and
Balues, No 1 Retrieved 14 Oct 2006 from the Captive Minds website:
http://www.captiveminds.org/env/ecome
References (con’t)
• His Holiness, the Dalai Lama(1986), An Ethical Approach to Environmental Protection.
Retrieved 10 Oct 2006 from The Government of Tibet in Exile website:
http://www.tibet.com/Eco/dleco1.html
• His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, The Dalai Lama Speaking on Various Topics, Retrieved
10 Oct 2006 from the Dharma Kara Website:
http://hhdl.dharmakara.net/hhdlspeech.html
• Ozdemir, Ibraham, Ph.D, An Islamic Perspective of Environmental Ethics, Retrieved 14
Oct 2006 from from the Nur Website:
http://www.nur.org/treatise/articles/IslamicEnvironmental Ethics.html
• Yeshi, Kim, The Tibetan Buddhist view of the Environment, Retrieved 11 Oct 2006
from The Government of Tibet in Exile website: http://www.tibet.com/Eco/eco8.html