A panel of four speakers offered philosophical and theological perspectives on the relationship between humanity and the environment this past Wednesday, as part of the Walter Gordon Massey Symposium, “Econightmare.”
University of Western Ontario biologist Dr. M. Brock Fenton began the evening with some insights from his research on bats. He described these animals as “the canaries in our mine,” since bats live for a long time and can accumulate large concentrations of pollutants in their bodies. Fenton noted that the mercury found in their fur is in higher concentrations than in the breast milk of mothers who eat mercury-contaminated fish.
Fenton also said that, “Humans are extremely good at killing things.” From poaching, to deforesting the tropics at the rate of one football field per second, we are sending the fragile species of the world to extinction.
“It’s up to us while we’re shopping at Walmart, or even Mountain Equipment Co-op, to look at where the stuff comes from,” said Fenton. “If a Canadian can buy an SUV, why can’t a person from the Middle East buy a jambiya [a ceremonial knife made from now extinct rhino horn]?” Finally, he made a case for Canadians to ensure that their federal minister for fisheries, “ineffective” for at least two administrations, makes a stand on the imminent extinction of salmon.
Dr. Alan Drengson, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Victoria, spoke on “ecophilosophy.” “The natural world has no intrinsic value,” he said. “For example, whales are beautiful but they have no worth-except that some people are interested in seeing them.” He then described the philosophy of the “deep ecology” movement-a non-violent relationship between ourselves and the natural world.
Drengson ended by saying, “We have to know what we’re committed to. Each one of us should articulate our own ‘ecosophy.’ Non-violence means we don’t criticize others’ views. Quality of life, as opposed to standard of living, is the most important thing. Each of us can do something every day to improve our quality of life without increasing our consumption.”
Dr. Nawal Ammar, professor of justice studies at Kent State University spoke on the relationship between Islam and the environmental movement. “For Muslims, the environment is not sacred, except that it is created by God,” she said.
First, Muslims hold that “all creatures are dependent on God and interdependent on each other.” Humans are God’s “vice-regents,” custodians of the Earth, by virtue of the fact that no other creature “wanted the job.” But on the other hand, “As a religion that does not believe in non-consumption, you are supposed to enjoy the bounties of the earth,” and as a consequence environmental issues are of little concern to contemporary Muslims, said Ammar.
Ammar described ways that Muslims can maintain equilibrium between consumption and protection. For example, the Koran declares that justice responds to the vulnerable. Another way is through balancing one’s behaviour and relying on the recommendations of Islam to avoid excess.
The last speaker was Dr. Stephen Scharper, professor of religion and ecology at U of T. He argued that “85 per cent of humanity sees the world through some religious lens, therefore religion seems to be a way to approach the subject of ecology.” He held up St. Francis as a powerful example of humility and compassion, with parallels in Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism and Islam. He spoke of “the quest for a new [philosophy] that describes the relation of humans to the natural world,” an approach that has its basis in social justice. “The fault lines of ecological crisis run along the political lines of oppression and poverty. We need solidarity with the earth and the poorest indigenous peoples closest to the earth.”
The speakers were asked where they found hope in a seemingly overwhelming battle against public and political complacency. Scharper’s said that the fact that the public is more aware of the issues today gives him hope.
Fenton states his belief that we must “teach the children-they are open books and clear slates.”
Drengson responded that “we underestimate our own power…Wellness has tremendous economic value. The quality of life can improve as we consume less-it isn’t all sacrifice.”
