Climate Change as an Ethical Challenge by Bev Hunter
Climate Change as an Ethical Challenge:
Religious Creativity and Empowerment for Change
Conference at Virginia Theological Seminary September 20, 2014
Organized by the Stewardship of Creation Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
Summary by Beverly Hunter, Trinity Episcopal Church of Washington, Virginia
Three members of our parish attended this conference: Sharon Kilpatrick, Carolyn Emerick, and I.
This meeting was timely for me, as I consider next major efforts and offerings in my own mission for stewardship of creation. The meeting helped me to dispel some ideas that are unhelpful, reinforced and deepened some ideas I have been working on, and helped me focus on areas of next efforts. The keynote speaker's thinking also could have implications for Trinity Washington congregation if the congregation wishes to address these matters in a deep way. For example, there are possible implications for liturgy, local outreach projects, and special forums.
Keynote speaker Willis Jenkins is Associate Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Environment at the University of Virginia. The scope of his teaching and research interests is interdisciplinary with university connections to Religious Studies, Environmental Sciences, Politics, the Bioethics Program in Philosophy, the Environmental Law Program in the Law School, and the Department of Public Health Sciences in the School of Medicine.
Willis says that churches must do more than issue official pronouncements against climate change or in favor of specific policies. “Climate change represents a much broader moral and cultural crisis. So the creative, pragmatic action that is needed must show how we can become the sort of people and societies that can bear responsibility for the atmosphere. It’s more than policy.”
His recent book is titled The Future of Ethics: Sustainability, Social Justice, and Religious Creativity. He interprets big questions of sustainability and social justice through the practical problems arising from humanity's increasing power over basic systems of life. What does climate change mean for our obligations to future generations? How can the sciences work with pluralist cultures in ways that will help societies learn from ecological change?
Jenkins started his talk by dispensing of some ideas he says are common but not helpful as we look at ethical challenges involved in climate change. The idea that we must seek a “solution” or a “plan” to climate change is not helpful. There is not one “solution” either to be found or agreed upon. The idea that we need “certainty” about climate change, either scientific or moral, is not helpful. The question is, what is ethical in a world where humans now play a role in atmospheric behavior? Religious communities should be openly examining these ethical questions in many forums and in liturgy.
Further, he says it is not helpful to say we need “world view change” in order to address climate change or ethical challenges. That is too hard of a challenge, and probably is not helpful from a cognitive standpoint either. There is no true false solution. Climate change is a “wicked problem.” It is complex, on multiple scales temporally and geographically. There is no central authority.
As I heard Willis, I understood him to say that focusing on climate change deniers is not helpful. We are all in everyday denial in our lifestyles, behaviors, investments, infrastructure. Better to focus on tactics that will create positive directions to move in, rather than abstract arguments against deniers.
Some ethical questions to ask are: What is the global allocation of responsibility when we have dispersed causes and effects? There is a perverse asymmetry of interests and impacts. There is also the intergenerational dimension. Cause and effect are dispersed over time. There is ineptitude. We lack concepts and institutions. The whole problem exceeds cognitive and political capabilities. There is radical inequality between human impoverishment and energy development. How to allocate ownership of the sky?
His questions are: What is the implication of climate change and what role can religion play? We need “moral creativity” with potential to negotiate uncertainty. For example, the practice of “love your neighbor”. Where is love in a global scene? In the West, we ask “What is our idea of justice, not just among people but all of creation? In the East, we ask “Bring us into communion with all nature.” In the Global South, we say “Polluters should be held accountable.”
Willis advocates examining and acting on specific tactics. In the examination example, he discussed divestment. Divestment is a tactic and a movement. The idea is to divest from assets in fossil fuel companies. This might be akin to slave holders joining the abolitionists. But slavery is morally wicked. Burning fossil fuels is not inherently wicked. In that regard it is different from slavery. Should church divest? If so, you must state your terms of the engagement. What terms are demanded of the companies you are divesting? What is the possible desired future you are seeking?
A tactic Willis mentioned briefly, that is of special interest to me, he describes as “Food as sacrament of new life.” Invest in changes in a way of life, in how food is produced and distributed.
