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What damage
is being done to the life systems of the earth?
The problems
are connected. Many people are short of food, even though the
earth can currently produce enough to feed everyone. Many
people are also short of water. Attempts to produce more food
for humans have sometimes caused a loss of soil and the
destruction of other species. The by-products of industrial and
agricultural processes sometimes cause an unhealthy environment
for people and for other creatures, and in the industrialised
societies large quantities of waste are produced. It is now
widely accepted that the burning of fossil fuels is contributing
to the warming of the planet.
How serious
is it?
It is
estimated that 1 in 6 people suffer from hunger and
malnutrition. A third of the world's population now lives in an
area that is short of water, and that it is likely to increase
to two thirds by 2025. Hazardous chemicals are now found in the
bodies of all new-born babies and an estimated one in four
people worldwide are exposed to unhealthy concentrations of air
pollutants. The 2003 Red List of known species facing extinction
included 12% of birds, 13% of all flowering plants and 25% of
mammals. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change has
estimated that the average world temperature will probably rise
between 1.8 and 4.4 degrees C in this century, and that a large
part of that is the result of human activity. Temperature rises
will cause rises in sea level, storms, severe flooding in some
places and droughts in others.
How much of
this is the result of human activity?
Even without
human beings the earth's eco-systems would not remain the same.
Completely stable eco-systems do not exist. Life on earth has
always been changing. There have always been species
extinctions. But the impact of humans has been enormous. In
biological terms, we are a very successful species, living in
tropical regions, temperate zones, arid semi-deserts and in the
arctic and our intelligence and language have given us enormous
power to transform, rather than react to, our environment. They
also give us the ability to be aware of the world around us and
what we are doing to it.
How have
our ways of living contributed to this damage?
In many parts
of England we have seen our local environments improve in the
last forty years, but worldwide it is getting worse. Our burning
of fossil fuels contributes to the increase in the amount of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect of this is gradual
warming of the earth. This warming releases other gases like
methane, which exacerbate it further. This eventually could
cause a rapid positive feedback system resulting in a rapid
acceleration in global warming.
Importing
food uses fossil fuel, as does exporting waste. Many hazardous
processes no longer happen here but we are dependent on them
happening elsewhere. For example our ships and planes are often
dismantled in places where there are low standards of control,
and local poverty means people live and work in conditions that
damage their health. Where people are poor they generally have
more children because the chances of survival are less, so while
in Britain the population is only increasing through
immigration, across the world it is increasing overall. And if
everyone on the earth used up as much of its resources as we do
in Britain we would need three earths to live on.
Is everyone
agreed about these things?
Among
scientists, economists, politicians and journalists there is
disagreement about the figures used in the analyses, the
interpretation of the figures, the proposed solutions to the
problems and the seriousness of the problems. For example, there
is a consensus among climate scientists that the atmosphere is
warming and that this will have a profound impact. But climate
prediction is a complex and imprecise science, and not everyone
agrees on the extent of the changes nor on the effect that human
action is responsible. But there are few who would disagree with
the suggestions that many of the world's people face acute
shortages of the essentials for life and that these shortages
are likely to get worse if nothing is done, that our way of
living involves consuming materials which cannot be replaced, or
that human life now has a profound impact on the other living
creatures on the earth.
Surely
environmental damage is not new?
When the
Israelites entered Canaan it was not literally 'flowing with
milk and honey' but it was certainly a lot more fertile and with
more woodland than it was by the time of Jesus. The ancient
Greek stories tell of forests and glades, which are no longer
there. Egypt was the breadbasket of the Roman Empire. The
Scottish Highlands were a major producer of beef cattle before
they were put over to sheep in the Highland Clearances. When
being lobbied about the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest
Brazilians correctly point out that Europe was once covered in
forest too. Humans have always had an impact on their
environment. But as technology has developed it has become more
profound and more widespread.
What sort
of difficulties will we face?
If climate
change happens as many climate scientists predict there are
likely to be increased famines, permanent poverty, and
mass migrations as land becomes submerged or unusable for
agriculture. It has been suggested that the unacknowledged cause
of some wars is a struggle for scarce resources, and that this
is likely to increase. Extreme weather conditions are expected,
although the form of these is a matter of speculation. Britain
could become warmer, but if the Gulf Stream changes its course,
it could become colder and experience a continental climate.
Significant changes such as these could cause drastic economic
change and the increase of extreme political opinions. Other
developments could cause other changes. Worst case scenarios
include economic collapse, serious radiation leakage, nuclear
terrorism and nuclear war.
What steps
need to be taken to alter these trends?
On the big
scale there is disagreement. The Stern report makes
recommendations for international economics, and not
surprisingly some people disagree with it. On the national level
there are conflicts of interest: reducing food miles is not good
for the haulage industry. Many people find themselves in a
situation where they feel unable to make the changes even in
their own lives which they would wish: parents in a small
village might like to use their car less but their children
would consequently become isolated and miss out on educational
opportunities. There are no simple solutions. But while our
faith might not give us solutions it can give us wisdom by which
to live.
Is this
really a crisis?
According to
the Oxford English Dictionary a crisis is a turning point; a
vitally important or decisive stage; a time of trouble or
danger. That seems to be where we are.
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