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Climate Forest MEETING 4 Human Dignity INTRODUCTION Analysis Look at Appendix 10: War on the What place do human beings have in environment relation to the rest of creation? Tribal • How far would you say humanity has been peoples around the world tend to regard waging war on the environment over the humans as being part of a web of life past century? where all things are connected. Yet, the • Why do you think this is? theologian Thomas Berry suggests that in • How far should planetary limits set by mainstream Western culture “the full sustainability and justice be respected? reality of the Earth and Universe has • Would you describe the way human society escaped the narrow spectrum of sensitivity has treated the environment as ‘sinful’? of our industrial eyes and ears”. He urges human society to “move beyond Feedback on Reading Sheet 8. democracy to biocracy and to the In 2007, the Vatican declared itself to be participation of the larger life community the world's first carbon-neutral state. It in our human decision-making processes”. claims to offset its carbon emissions by This call should not be strange to planting trees in a forest in Hungary, known Christians. According to the Bible, we are as the Vatican Climate Forest. The Catholic part of the inter-connected community of Diocese of Brentwood is amongst the first creation, inter-related with all other in Britain to undertake a similar scheme. creatures. As people created in God’s image Whilst these schemes force polluters to pay (Gen 1:27) we are called to work with in some form for the emissions they create, creation, and to do so in such a way as to critics suggest they divert from the necessary manifest the love and respect that God has reduction in energy use. Discuss. 4 for each creature. We are told “to cultivate and take care” of what God has gifted Look at Appendix 11: Human footprint (Gen 2:15). God’s covenant with Noah • What do these cartoons say to us about embraces all of God’s diverse creatures human dignity? (Gen 9:12-16). They reflect the beauty and • How far do you feel that the rights of diversity of God. future generations are your responsibility? Look at Appendix 12: Human Experience relationship with the environment Those who worked out their carbon • Identify one point that strikes you most footprint, report back to the group. The forcibly? average footprint for a British person is 9.5 tonnes per year, but Operation Noah urges Theological Reflection working towards an output of one tonne. Look at Reflection and Action Sheet 4. This would be in line with Operation Spend 30 minutes reading and reflecting, Noah’s call for a 90 percent cut in emissions using the questions given as a guide. by 2030. • What changes would need to be made by Action group members to bring their figure down? Three members of the group undertake to read and list the main points in reading Feedback on other action and research since Sheets 11, 12 and 13 in preparation for the the last meeting. next meeting. Identify people and communities you know - ‘green street’ residents, for example - who Look at the ideas and resources listed on are trying to live more simply and reduce Reflection and Action Sheet 4. carbon emissions. 35 MEETING 4 Human Dignity Appendix 10: War on the environment MilitaryMilitary destructiondestruction TheThe earth’searth’s environmentenvironment isis batteredbattered byby war,war, itsits preparation,preparation, practicepractice andand aftermath.aftermath. Also,Also, worldworld militarymilitary expenditureexpenditure meansmeans lessless fundsfunds availableavailable forfor otherother purposes.purposes. TotalTotal worldworld spendingspending onon Resource consumption development aid is around $90 billion During the past 50 years we have development aid is around $90 annuallybillion annually - about -6 aboutpercent 6 percentof consumed around half the world’s non- military spending. renewable energy resources. of military spending. CarbonCarbon sinks sinks destroyed destroyed EightyEighty percent percent of of the the forests forests that that originally originally coveredcovered the the earth earth have have been been cleared, cleared, fragmented,fragmented, or or otherwise otherwise degraded. degraded. Not Not onlyonly are are carbon carbon ‘sinks’ ‘sinks’ destroyed, destroyed, which which absorbabsorb and and store store carbon, carbon, but but also also the the carboncarbon in in the the trees trees is is released. released. Deforestation in the tropics, caused by Development expenditure Deforestation in the tropics, caused by The World Bank - a bank that makes loans humanhuman activities, activities, accounts accounts for for one-fifth one-fifth of global carbon emissions. to developing countries for development of global carbon emissions. programs with the stated goal of reducing 4 Species driven to extinction poverty - has spent 90 percent of its energy The current species extinction rate is estimatedfunding, thatto exceed is £4.4billion the natural since or 2000, on ‘background’ rate by 100 to 1,000 times.fossil-fuel Human projectsdevelopment which is contribute to currently leaving little space for other species,global mainly warming. through the destruction of their habitat. Sustainable development requires the protection of the variety of species and the recognition that diverse species play an essential role in maintaining ecological processes. Pollinators, for example, are critical to fertilisation and the generation of plants. Biodiversity in fields provides vegetables, fodder, medicine and protection to the soil from water and wind erosion. Pollution Industrial agriculture Since 1945, the number of motor vehicles Industrial agriculture damages the in the world increased from 40 million to environment. Its massive chemical and biological inputs cause widespread 680 million, contributing massively to the environmental pollution and its monoculture amount of human-induced carbon dioxide reduces the diversity of plants and emissions in the atmosphere. About 20 animals. Small farms are diminishing percent of UK CO2 emissions are due to everywhere. Fish stocks are being motor vehicles. exhausted by indiscriminate industrial fishing. 36 MEETING 4 Human Dignity Appendix 11: Human footprint 4 37 MEETING 4 Human Dignity Appendix 12: Human relationship with the environment We ourselves are part of creation, formed Each creature possesses its own particular out of the earth, and dependent on the rest goodness and perfection. Man must of creation for our continued existence: so therefore respect the particular goodness of we are made aware that caring for creation every creature, to avoid disordered use of is part of caring for ourselves (Genesis things which would be in contempt of the 2:15). There is a covenant of mutual care creator and would bring disastrous and respect that unites God, humankind consequences for human beings and their and every other living creature (Genesis 9). environment. The Call of Creation, Catholic Bishops’ Catechism of the Catholic Church, Conference of England and Wales, 2002. para 339 The external deserts in the world are We look after the land as we look after a growing, because the internal deserts have mother. And the land looks after us like a become so vast. Therefore the earth's mother. From the land comes our law and treasures no longer serve to build God's our life, our stories and our strength. Our garden for all to live in, but they have been own land is also within us and binds us to made to serve the powers of exploitation the place where we live. Even when we are and destruction. displaced or taken away and seem to have Pope Benedict XVI, lost our roots, the land stays within us. The 4 homily at his inaugural Mass, 2005 task is to find ourselves by finding the land within and making the connection with our country. We are ‘heirs’ to the land What does the commandment "Thou shall spiritually, just as Christians say they are not kill" mean when 20 percent of the heirs of Christ. world's population consumes resources at a Wali Fejo, of the Aboriginal people of rate that robs poorer nations and future Darwin, Australia generations of what they need to survive? What does it mean to respect life when 30,000 people die each day from poverty? Land is our life and blood. Without forest What does it mean to be stewards of the we cannot survive. earth when up to half of all living species Penan, Malaysia are expected to become extinct in the next 200 years? … Individual Catholics, parishes, Catholic schools, religious We only have the land for a short time and communities and church organisations can then we must leave it intact. play a big part by making different choices, Maasai, Kenya such as using less energy or buying locally made goods which require less transportation. Treat the earth well. From ‘Our World Is Facing an It was not given to you by your parents, Ecological Crisis’ - a Statement on it was loaned to you by your children. Environmental Issues by the Catholic Bishops' We do not inherit the Earth from our Conference of New Zealand, Ancestors, September 2006. we borrow it from our Children. Ancient Indian Proverb 38 MEETING 4 Human Dignity Reflection and Action Sheet 4 Reflection Look through the following quotes from eco-theologians: The age of nations is past. The Gr The task before us now, new millennium,eat Work isnow, to carry as we move if we would not perish, Teilhard de Chardin transition from a devastation of the Ear is to build the earth. into a humans would be presentperiod toof thehumanout planet the in a mutually beneficial manner.th to a period when Thomas Berry, The Great Work, AllCarbon of us, sinksmen and destroyed women, should fall in love withEighty the percent Earth asof anthe inher forestsently that v originallyaluable, 2000 livingcovered community the earth havein which been we cleared, participate, and be creatively faithful to it.
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