WEAVING THE CONNECTIONS
The Newsletter of the Center for Women, the Earth, the Divine
Volume 14 Winter 2008/2009 Number 3
T
he Trusteeship of the CommonsA Council Where the Nation-States Work for the Whole Earth Community
In 2005, the United Nations released the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), a document that had been prepared by 1360 international scientists working over a four year period. This document contained the sobering fact that, of the 24 major ecosystems that support life on Earth—ecosystems that provide such essentials as fresh water and climate regulation—15 are being pushed beyond their sustainable limits or are already degraded.
In summary, they acknowledged that: “Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.”
Among the major ecosystems that are threatened or endangered is that of climate—the one that has become the focus of attention at both the United Nations and many nations of the world, including the United States of America. While most people seem to acknowledge that the scientific evidence for the human-induced cause of global warming is irrefutable, there is still not total agreement on this. In addition, there are voices now frequently being heard that set forth benefits of global warming, such as the mining of Greenland and the new cropland in the northern latitudes. Also, in contrast to the depletion of the ozone layer, whose repair was seen as cost effective, reduction of greenhouse gases is usually seen as economically costly. (I often wonder why, rather than global warming, human-caused extinction of species, for which scientific evidence is indisputable, has not been our focus? But that is a reflection for another article.)
The good news is that, in what, to the best of my knowledge is a first, the secretary-general of the UN has presented climate change, a non-human matter, as the number one issue to be addressed in the twenty first century. My concern is the manner in which it is being addressed—under the four sub-groupings of mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology. I think that unless we add a fifth dimension—values—the UN will simply have another paper solution that is implemented either only partially or not at all. Only the issue of values can address the underlying cause of the climate change crisis: why are we behaving as we are and what do we need to do to change our behaviors? In other words, what we all need now is a new way of considering our planet— as finite—as well as seeing the role of the human as one member of the Earth community.
In addition to the General Assembly and the Security Council, the third main chamber of the UN is the Trusteeship Council. It was established under the Charter of the United Nations to supervise the administration of the former Trust Territories. In October 1994, with the independence of Palau, the UN suspended its operation. It is now used only occasionally—for special events. My suggestion is that what is most needed to be held in trust is that which we all hold in common: the air, the oceans, the other-than-human species. As we work toward a viable twentyfirst century, our work must include bringing back into reality the Trusteeship Council, although this time as The Trusteeship of the Commons.
The Emerging Alliance of Religion and Ecology
Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim
For many years, environmental issues were considered to be the concern of scientists, lawyers and policy makers. Now the ethical dimensions of the environmental crisis are becoming more evident. What is our moral responsibility to future generations? Can religious and cultural perspectives be considered in creating viable solutions to environmental challenges?
Until recently, many religious communities have been so absorbed in internal sectarian affairs that they were unaware of the magnitude of the environmental crisis. Certainly the natural world figures prominently in the major religions: God’s creation of material reality in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; the manifestation of the divine in the karmic process underlying the recycling of matter in Hinduism and Jainism; the interdependence of life in Buddhism; and the Tao (the Way) that courses through nature in Confucianism and Taoism. Despite those emphases on creation, many religions turned their focus from the turbulent world in a redemptive flight to a serene, transcendent afterlife.
Questions arise, then: If religions are willing to stand by and witness the withering of the Earth, has not something of their religious sensibilities become deadened or, at best, severely reduced? Why have religions been so late in responding to environmental issues, and what are the obstacles to their full participation? Why has apocalyptic thinking come to interpret ecological collapse as a manifestation of the end time?
We cannot deny the limits or the intolerant dimensions of religions as expressed in sectarianism and violence. Examples are evident throughout history, as well as in contemporary global conflicts. However, religions have also contributed to liberating movements for social justice and human rights. In that spirit, it is important to note that religions have changed over time, transforming themselves and their dogma in response to new ideas and circumstances. Although Christianity had no ban against slavery, Christian churches in Britain and the United States came to embrace the abolitionist position. Given that history, we have reason to believe that as the moral dimension of the environmental crisis becomes ever more apparent, religions will energize and support a new generation of leaders in the environmental movement.
Religions have developed ethics for homicide, suicide and genocide; now they are challenged to respond to biocide and ecocide. Moreover, the environment presents itself as one of the most compelling concerns for robust interreligious dialogue. The common ground for dialogue is the Earth itself along with a shared sense among the world’s religions of the interdependence of all life.
A new scholarly field of religion and ecology is emerging with implications for environmental policy, as well as for understanding the complexity and variety of human attitudes toward nature. The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, for example, under the leadership of Dean Speth, has initiated an interdisciplinary project on climate change and a joint degree program with Yale Divinity School that include the role of religion and values. Many environmental-studies programs in the United States are seeking to incorporate such a broad ethical approach into their curricula.
The effort to identify religiously diverse attitudes toward nature was the focus of a major international conference series on world religions and ecology held at Harvard in the late 1990s. It resulted in a 10-volume series of books distributed by Harvard University Press. The American Academy of Religion has a vibrant section focusing on scholarship and teaching in religion and ecology. A scholarly journal, Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, is celebrating its tenth year of publication. Clearly this field of study will continue to expand as the environmental crisis grows in complexity and requires increasingly creative interdisciplinary responses.
The religions are starting to find their voices by exploring culturally diverse environmental ethics. The monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are formulating original eco-theologies and eco-justice practices regarding stewardship and care for creation. Hinduism and Jainism in South Asia, and Buddhism in both Asia and the West, have undertaken projects of ecological restoration. Indigenous peoples bring to the discussion alternative ways of knowing and engaging in the natural world.
All of those religious traditions are moving forward to find the language, symbols, rituals and ethics for encouraging protection of bioregions and species. Religions are beginning to restore the Earth through such practices as tree planting, coral-reef preservation, energy conservation, responsible consumption and river cleanup. In addition, religions are bridging the gap between those concerned with social and economic justice and those working for a sustainable environment. This is a new moment for the world’s religions, and they have a vital role to play in the development of a more comprehensive environmental ethics. The urgency of this process cannot be underestimated. Indeed, the flourishing of the Earth community may depend on it.
Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, co-founders and co-directors of the Forum on Religion and Ecology, teach religion and ecology at Yale University. More information on the Forum is available online ( www.religionandecology.org).
Statement Submitted to the Secretary-General of the
United Nations by Non-governmental Organizations in Vienna, including C:WED, for the 53 Session of the Commission on the Status of Women to be held 2-13 March 2009 in New York.
Legislation for gender equality and the empowerment of women in care work.
The undersigned international and national non-governmental organisations in consultative status with ECOSOC, member organisations of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women firmly believe that essential prerequisites that enable social systems to function all over the world are care work and social provision carried out primarily by women and girls at no payment or under extremely low payment conditions. It is evident that care work is a major contributor for economic dynamics and growth in all economic systems. According to the Human Development Index US$ 16 trillion of the global output is “invisible”, US$ ll trillion of which is attributable to the contribution of women. Independent of the political and economic systems under which this work is performed, a general view seems to prevail that the unpaid work of women may be expanded easily and without limitations. However, girls’ and women’s unpaid care work is also recognized as one of the most persistent barriers to gender equality.
In the light of this dichotomy the undersigned NGOs request that legal frameworks are put in place at international and national levels under which care work at all levels and under all conditions is performed. It is also essential that mechanisms are put in place to monitor the implementation of such norms. It should be recalled at this stage, that commitments on the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS, have been made by Governments at the international level, including at the International Conference on Population and Development (1994), the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), the World Summit for Social Development (1995), and the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000), as well as in the outcomes of sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women since 1996. International Human Rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Women (CEDAW), also recognize the obligations that State Parties have to promote the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men.
The undersigned non-governmental organizations, members of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women, therefore wish to draw the attention of UN Member States to the need for:
· A valuation of unpaid work and of ‘satellite accounts’, including the improvement of methodologies concerning time-use studies;
· Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and in particular of article 5a) on the elimination of prejudices as well as customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority of girls and women compared to men and on stereotyped gender roles;
· Explicit policy action to be taken to eliminate sexist stereotypes in care work and to encourage men to take up their caring and domestic responsibility. Such actions should include:
° the establishment of a policy framework on care-giving, the goal being to value care, to undertake measures to ensure equality of responsibilities, to bring about increases in the supply of services and improve the conditions under which care work is carried out
° public awareness campaigns in order to promote the value of “shared care”
° the establishment of a legal framework conducive for decent working and gainful employment conditions in care and social provision professions, including social security rights
° the establishment of a legal framework enabling the public and private sector to opt for care-friendly policies
Associates of C:WED:
Eleanor Rae, Ph.D., founder
Anne Andersson, editor
Giles E. Rae, publisher
Representatives at the United Nations:
New York: Lina Gupta, Ph.D.
Alayne O’Reilly, Ph.D.
Vienna: Susanne Schaup, Ph.D.
Mission Statement
The Center for Women, the Earth, the Divine is dedicated to exploring the parallels that exist between the imaging and treatment of women and of the Earth, and how our images of the Divine are related to these parallels.
We began by exploring these relationships within the context of our own tradition— the Christian. While we continue our exploration in this tradition, we have also engaged people of other traditions such as the Buddhist, Goddess, Hindu, Indigenous, Jewish and Muslim. Our work is made available through talks, workshops, writings and retreats. The immediate purpose of the Center is educational, while the ultimate goal is the healing of the Creation.
The founder of C:WED is Eleanor Rae, Ph.D., author of Women, the Earth, the Divine, President Emerita of the Network Alliance of Congregations Caring for Earth and founder of the Earth Values Caucus at the United Nations.
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I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
Sarah Williams
1/23/2009