Creation in Crisis: Science, Ethics, Theology

by Joshtrom Kureethadam

Overview

When we speak of the “environmental crisis” facing the planet, we reduce the coming catastrophe to a physical problem. In Rediscovering Our Home, Joshtrom Kureethadam seeks to extend the current understanding of what is truly an ecological crisis to include ethical and spiritual perspectives, arguing that the crisis is not merely an environmental problem, but is truly ‘eco-logical’ (a discourse about our common home - oikos) in nature. In its careful incorporation of the latest science around issues such as environmental degradation, pollution, climate change, and food production, this book also enters into dialogue with various disciplines in understanding the contemporary ecological crisis, adding to this theological meditation a depth of vision that yields up profound insights about our present milieu and future home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626981003
Publisher:	Orbis Books
Publication date:	10/10/2014
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Joshtrom Kureethadam is a professor at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome and a Catholic priest; His background is in cosmology, and he currently holds the Chair of Philosophy of Science at the Salesianum.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: The Crisis of Our Home 1

Part I Are We Tearing Down Our Home?

1 The Making of a Home 15

In the Beginning 16

Earth-The "Goldilocks" Planet 21

Earth, the Womb of Life 25

Our Arrival at Home: The Peopling of the Planet 33

The Transformation of Our Common Home: From Agriculture to Industry and to the Era of Space Travel 42

Earth Is Our Only Home 46

2 Our Common Home in Peril 51

The Gravity of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis: Warnings from the Scientific Community 52

The Alarming State of Our Common Home 56

The Danger of Crossing the Thresholds 61

Humanity Fouling Its Own Nest: The Anthropogenic Character of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis 65

The Dawning of the Anthropocene Era 71

The Moral and Religious Implications of Our "Oikos-cide" 73

Part II The Cry of the Earth

3 Climate Change 85

The Greenhouse Effect as Rendering Earth a Home of Life 86

A Walk Through Earth's Climate History 91

Anthropogenic Global Warming and Associated Climate Change 99

The Greenhouse Gases Driving Anthropogenic Climate Change 104

Projections of Future Climate Change and the Danger of Tipping Points 112

An Unprecedented Situation in the Geological History of Earth 116

4 Impacts of Climate Change 121

Extreme Weather Events 121

Droughts and Desertification 127

Melting of Glaciers 132

Sea-Level Rise 139

Ocean Acidification and Threats to Marine Life 145

Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss 151

A Reckless Gamble with Our Planetary Home 155

5 Species Extinction and Biodiversity Loss 157

Biodiversity and Its Importance 158

Earth on the Brink of a Massive Loss of Biodiversity 163

Current Spasm of Biodiversity Loss as Driven by Human Activities 168

Implications of the Loss of Biodiversity 176

The Death of Birth and the Rupture of the Web of Interdependence 181

A Unique Challenge and Opportunity 184

6 Pollution, Waste, and Depletion of Resources 187

Pollution of the Air, Land, and Water 188

Waste and Depletion of Natural Resources 196

The Problem of Water Scarcity 203

Humanity's Distorted Relationship with the Natural World 213

Part III The Cry of the Poor

7 The Impacts of Ecological Crisis on Food, Health, and Shelter 221

The Current Food-Security Scenario 222

Health Impacts of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis 234

Ecological Crisis and the Specter of Forced Migration 242

Humanity Moving Toward the "Perfect Storm" 251

8 A Moral Crisis 253

The Ecological Crisis in Terms of Injustice and Inequality 254

Ecological Divide 261

Historical Responsibility and Personal Responsibility 266

The Triple Pillars of Justice, Equity, and Solidarity 272

A Common Yet Differentiated Responsibility 282

Part IV The Cry of the Gods

9 Creation as God's Home 293

Our Incapacity to See the World as Creation 293

Our Disregard for the Sacredness of God's Home 300

Creation as a Symbol and Sacrament of God 306

The Ecological Crisis and the Disrespect for the Telos of Creation 316

Rediscovering the Physical World as God's Creation 327

10 The Ecological Sin of Irresponsible Stewardship 329

The Human Vocation for the Stewardship of Creation 329

Irresponsible Stewardship as Sin 338

Ecological Crisis Resulting from Our Hubris 345

Repercussions of Sin on Creation 351

Ecological Conversion in Response to Ecological Sin 358

Conclusion: Responding to a Creation in Crisis 365

Index 375