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Newsletters
2020-04-22
Newsletter 269 - Landing Page
Preserving & Cherishing the Earth
An Appeal for Joint Commitment in Science & Religion
Home | Up | Oxford Declaration on Global Warming
| "The earth was entrusted to man by God so that he would cultivate and safeguard it. When this principle is forgotten, [and men] become tyrants instead of custodians of nature, sooner or later the latter will rebel." - Pope John Paul II, Vatican City, celebrating the farmers' Jubilee, November 12, 2000.
Over a decade ago, the late Dr. Carl Sagan spearheaded a joint appeal to the religious and scientific communities for environmental action on behalf of mankind. It was signed by thirty-two Nobel laureate and other scientists. The open letter/appeal was presented on January 1990 to the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders Conference in Moscow, Russia.
Two hundred and seventy-one well-known spiritual leaders from eighty-three countries - patriarchs, lamas, chief rabbis, cardinals, mullahs, archbishops, professors of theology - signed the appeal. See Also: Forum on Religious and Ecology Statements, Religious Witness for the Earth, Target Earth, Web of Creation & The National Religious Partnership for the Environment.
Yet despite the appeal's widespread support, little if any progress has been made on the issues it raises- over a decade since its' signature.
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"The Earth is the birthplace of our species and, as far as we know, our only home. When our numbers were small and our technology feeble, we were powerless to influence the environment of our world. But today, suddenly, almost without anyone's noticing, our numbers have become immense and our technology has achieved vast, even awesome, powers. Intentionally or inadvertently, we are now able to make devastating changes in the global environment an environment to which we and all other beings with which we share the Earth are meticulously and exquisitely adapted. See also: First Step.
We are now threatened by self-inflicted, swiftly moving environmental alterations about whose long-term biological and ecological consequences we are still painfully ignorant: depletion of the protective ozone layer; a global warming unprecedented in the last 150 millennia; the obliteration of an acre of forest every second; the rapid-fire extinction of species; and the prospect of a global nuclear war which would put at risk most of the population of the Earth. There may well be other such dangers of which we are still unaware. Individually and cumulatively, they represent a trap being set for the human species, a trap we are setting for ourselves. However principled and lofty (or naive and shortsighted) the justifications may have been for the activities that brought forth these dangers, separately and taken together they now imperil our species and many others. We are close to committing- many would argue we are already committing- what in religious language is sometimes called Crimes against Creation. See also: Environment.
By their very nature these assaults on the environment were not caused by any one political group or any one generation. Intrinsically, they are transnational, transgenerational and transideological. So are all conceivable solutions. To escape these traps requires a perspective that embraces the peoples of the planet and all the generations yet to come.
Problems of such magnitude, and solutions demanding so broad a perspective, must be recognized from the outset as having a religious as well as a scientific dimension. Mindful of our common responsibility, we scientists, many of us long engaged in combating the environmental crisis, urgently appeal to the world religious community to commit, in word and deed, and as boldly as is required, to preserve the environment of the Earth.
Some of the short-term mitigations of these dangers such as greater energy efficiency, rapid banning of chlorofluorocarbons or modest reductions in nuclear arsenals are comparatively easy and at some level are already underway. But other, more far-reaching, long-term, and effective approaches will encounter widespread inertia, denial and resistance. In this category are conversion from fossil fuels to a nonpolluting energy economy, a continuing swift reversal of the nuclear arms race, and a voluntary halt to world population growth without which many other approaches to preserve the environment will be nullified.
As with issues of peace, human rights and social justice, religious institutions can be a strong force here, too, in encouraging national and international initiatives in both the private and public sectors, and in the diverse worlds of commerce, education, culture and mass communications.
The environmental crisis requires radical changes not only in public policy, but also in individual behavior. The historical record makes clear that religious teaching, example and leadership are able to influence personal conduct and commitment powerfully.
As scientists, many of us have had profound experiences of awe and reverence before the universe. We understand that what is regarded as sacred is more likely to be treated with care and respect. Our planetary home should be so regarded. Efforts to safeguard and cherish the environment need to be infused with a vision of the sacred. At the same time, a much wider and deeper understanding of science and technology is needed. If we do not understand the problem, it is unlikely we will be able to fix it. Thus, there is a vital role for both religion and science.
We know that the well-being of our planetary environment is already a source of profound concern in your councils and congregations. We hope this appeal will encourage a spirit of common cause and joint action to help preserve the Earth."
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Scientific Community Signatories
Hans A. Bethe
Cornell University Ithaca, New York
M. I. Budyko
State Hydrological Institute, Leningrad, Russia
Paul J. Crutzen
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry Mainz, West Germany
Freeman J. Dyson
Institute for Advanced Study Princeton, New Jersey
Gyorgi S. Golitsyn
Academy of Sciences of the Russia, Moscow, Russia
James E. Hansen
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York
Henry W. Kendall
Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Lynn Margulis
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts
Roger Revelle
University of California, La Jolla, California
Carl Sagan
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Abdus Salam
International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
Nans Suess
University of California, La Jolla, California
Richard P. Turco
University of California, Los Angeles, California
Victor F. Weisskopf
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Edward O. Wilson
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jerome B. Wiesner
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Robert R. Wilson
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Alexey V. Yablokov
Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Elise Boulding
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
S. Chandrasekhar
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Margaret B. Davis
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Richard L. Garwin
IBM Corporation, Yorktown Heights, New York
Stephen Jay Gould
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Mohammed Kassas
University of Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Motoo Kimura
National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan
Thomas Malone
St. Joseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut
Peter Raven
Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri
Walter Orr Roberts
Yorktown Heights, New York
National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, Colorado
Stephen H. Schneider
National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, Colorado
O. B. Toon
NASA Ames Research Center Noffett Field, California
Yevgeniy P. Velikhov
Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Sir Frederick Warmer
Essex University, Colchester, United Kingdom
Carl Friedrich von Weizsacker
Max Planck Institute, Starnberg, West Germany
Affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.
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Religious Community Signatories
The spiritual signatories' response was organized by the two co-chairmen and three delegates to the Moscow Conference on Environment and Development:
The Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
President Emeritus Notre Dame University
The Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky
President, The National Council of Churches
Elie Wiesel
Nobel Laureate
Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro
Grand Mufti of Syria Co-chair, Global Forum
The Very Rev. James Parks Morton
Dean, Cathedral of St. John the Divine Co-chair, Global Forum
Included among the two hundred and seventy one signatories were:
Thirty seven heads of national and international religious bodies, including the General Secretaries of the World Muslim League and the World Council of Churches, and the Vice President of the World Jewish Congress, the Catholicos of All Armenians, Metropolitan Pitirim of the Russia, the Grand Muftis of Syria and Yugoslavia, the Presiding Bishops of all the Christian churches of China, and of the Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist and Mennonite churches in the U.S.A. Fifty one cardinals, lamas, archbishops, head rabbis, patriarchs, mullahs and bishops of jurisdictions in major world cities. Fifty five professors of theology, seminary presidents, cathedral deans, and heads of religious orders worldwide. Seventeen indigenous religious leaders from five continents. The two hundred and seventy one signatories represent one hundred sixteen religious leaders from North America, ninety three from Russia, twenty seven from Europe, and thirty five from Africa, Latin America, India and the Far East. Of the two hundred and seventy one signatories, one hundred and eighty one attended the Global Forum in Moscow.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet
Metropolitan Pitirim, Russia
Dr. Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York
The Most Rev. Edmond Browning, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church
His Holiness Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians
Joseph Cardinal Bernadin, Archbishop of Chicago
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, President, National Rainbow Coalition
Archbishop Iakovos, Primate, Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America
Robert Schuller, Crystal Cathedral
Mohammed T. Mehdi, Ph.D., Secretary General, National Council on Islamic Affairs
Dr. Doris Donnelly, Professor of Theology, John Carroll University, U.S.A.
Dr. Martin E. Marty, Professor, University of Chicago Divinity School
Rabbi Joel H. Zaiman, President, Synagogue Council of America
Bernard Tetsugen Glassman, Sensei, Abbot, Zen Community of New York
The Rev. Kyoyu Fujii, Abbot, Minobu Betsuin Temple, Tokyo
Dr. A. T. Ariyatne, Sri Lanka
Ting Kuang Hsuin, Principal, Nanjin Theological Seminary, China
Professor Nicholas Lash, The Divinity School, Cambridge University, England
The Right Rev. Ralph Peter Hatende, Bishop of Harare, Africa
Rev. Dr. Raimundo Panikkar, Spain
Chief Oren Lyons, Director of Native American Studies,
State University of New York at Buffalo
Chief Alexai Po-hi, Brazil
Bishop Dr. Erik Viktrom, Evangelical Church of Finland
Krister Stendahl, Bishop of Stockholm, Emeritus
Professor Dr. Jurgen Moltmann, Universitat Tubingen, Germany
The Rev. Maximillian Mizzi, O.F.M., Ecumenical Officer, Sacro Convento, Assisi
Dan Bei Wang Xu Gong Tang Cang, Vice President of Chinese Buddhist Association
Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Primate, Diocese of the Armenian Church in America
Rev. Dr. Ronald Thiemann, Dean, Harvard Divinity School, U.S.A.
The Most Rev. Reginald Hollis, Archbisop of Montreal, Canada
John Hurft Adams, Senior Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church, U.S.A.
The Rev. George W. Hunt, S.J., President and Editor in Chief, America Magazine
Rabbi Joseph B. Glaser, Executive Vice President, Central Conference of American Rabbis
Dr. Stuart E. Brown, General Secretary, Canadian Council of Churches
The Rev. James A. Andrews, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
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