Books on global warming and faith
Claiming EARTH as Common Ground
By Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener
Can religious people save the environment?
Can the environmental challenge save religion?
Our planet is in trouble, and it will take an amazingly large and powerful force to shift into a more sustainable way of living. Spiritual leader and environmental activist Andrea Cohen-Kiener tells us that people of faith have the numbers, the passion, and the mandate to do it--and that nothing else is strong enough to counterbalance "business as usual."
In this urgent call to action, Cohen-Kiener gathers insights from ecology coalitions, emerging theologies, and spiritual and environmental activists to rally and inspire us to work across denominational lines in order to fulfill our sacred imperative to care for God's creation. Cohen-Kiener and contributors clearly outline the shared values of our faith traditions that drive our commitment to care for the earth. Acknowledging the challenges in working together to implement positive change, they present steps--both big and small, for individuals and groups--for reversing our direction from consumption to sustainability.
Contributors include:
* Foreword by Rev. Sally Bingham, founder, Interfaith Power and Light
* Rev. Woody Bartlett, founder, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light
* Rev. Tom Carr, National Council of Churches Working Group on the Environment
* Rev. Donna Schaper, senior minister, Judson Memorial Church, New York City
* Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Religious Witness for the Earth
* Eboo Patel, executive director, Interfaith Youth Core
* Dr. Lowell Pritchard, national director of outreach, Evangelical Environmental Network
A New Climate for Theology: God, the World, and Global Warming
by noted theologian Sallie McFague
Climate change promises monumental changes to human and other planetary life in the next generations. Yet government, business, and individuals have been largely in denial of the possibility that global warming may put our species on the road to extinction. Further, says Sallie McFague, we have failed to see the real root of our behavioral troubles in an economic model that actually reflects distorted religious views of the person. At its heart, she maintains, global warming occurs because we lack an appropriate understanding of ourselves as inextricably bound to the planet and its systems... it also paints an alternative idea of what being human means and what a just and sustainable economy might mean. Convincing, specific, and wise, McFague argues for an alternative economic order and for our relational identity as part of an unfolding universe that expresses divine love and human freedom. It is a view that can inspire real change, an altered lifestyle, and a form of Christian discipleship and desire appropriate to who we really are. (From the product description)
Inspiring Progress: Religions' Contribution to Sustainable Development
by Gary Gardner of the WorldWatch Institute
Inspiring Progress explores the need to reconnect with religions’ core tenets of moderation, compassion and stewardship of the earth to solve the growing environmental crisis.
"Finally, someone has pulled together a comprehensive book on the influence of religion on cultural change. Inspiring Progress is just that—an informative accounting of the diverse ways that faith communities will lead and inspire a more sustainable lifestyle."
~ Rev. Sally Bingham, Executive Director, Regeneration Project/Interfaith Power and Light
Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action
by Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth
Sleeth shares the joy of adopting a less materialistic lifestyle, and reveals what was easy and what was hard about the changes his family has made. Drawing on science and religion, Sleeth builds a bridge between environmentalists and mainstream Christians. He and his family are harbingers of the creation care movement, which calls on all those who love God to love our planet. Sleeth shares how material downscaling led his family to healthier lifestyles, stronger relationships, and richer spiritual lives. More than a book, it's a prescription for taking personal responsibility for global survival.
The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future
by Thomas Berry
"Already the planet is so damaged and the future is so challenged by its rising human population that the terms of survival will be severe beyond anything we have known in the past." This may make him sound like a scolding, doomsday prophet, but Berry is an optimistic soul, hopeful that humans will rise to the challenge of cherishing the natural world in the third millennium. Because Berry has a science background as well as a spiritual orientation (he is the founder of the History of Religions Program at Fordham University), he brings a balanced and fresh voice to social ecology.
Ethics for a Small Planet: A Communication Handbook for the Ethical and Theological Reasons for Protecting Biodiversity
This handbook (available online) on the ethical and theological underpinnings of biodiversity conservation is meant to be a tool to open a broader conversation on the ethical considerations related to protecting species, habitat, and ecosystems. A publication of the Biodiversity Project.
Taking action to save energy
Dauncey, Guy with Patrick Mazza Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change
Langholz, Jeffrey and Kelly Turner You Can Prevent Global Warming (and save money!): 51 Easy Ways
Brower, Michael and Warren Leon The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists
