Climate change and associated sea level rise pose serious
ethical challenges. Emissions generated today will have ascending
adverse effects on generations yet to be born. Likewise many of the
countries most affected by climate change or sea level rise are
small island states whose per capita and total emissions are quite
small. Even in industrial countries such as the United States
weather related disasters are likely to affect the poor more than
others. The likely social injustice inherent in disruptive climate
change was a central theme of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
in their Statement on Global Warming issued in 2001.The very
powerful and recently released film, The Great
Warming, highlights this theme. Rev. Richard Cizik, Vice
President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of
Evangelicals, stresses the importance of “Creation Care” —
preserving the environment for future generations. He notes:
Because God
doesn’t intend to ask me, “Rich, how did I create the Earth?” He
won’t ask me that. He’ll say “Rich, what did you do to protect that
which I created? ” And that is an awesome question that deserves a
good answer.
There is a
natural link between the Creation Care, Social Justice and
individual personal accountability themes of our major faiths that
may impel believers of many diverse theological perspectives to
support efforts abroad such as energy transformation efforts in
small island nations or coastal protection efforts in both island
states and low lying nations such as Bangladesh and Indonesia. The
recently launched Endangered
Islands Campaign seeks to link island nations that are
pioneering in innovative approaches to climate protection with
research and technical institutions abroad and university and
religious groups that are encouraging carbon offsets as a sign of
their ethical or religious commitment. Ultimately success in
achieving a stabilization of global greenhouse gas concentrations
may be realized both through entrepreneurial innovation and through
individuals recognizing the wisdom of Walt Kelly’s possum, Pogo,
“We have met the enemy and he is us” and then acting through their
faith or ethical perspectives to right themselves with future
generations and their own Creator or conscience.