Electronic Green Journal

Articles

Examining the Impact of Religion on Environmentalism 1993-2010: Has the Religious Environmental Movement Made a Difference?

The view that emerged in the social science and religious literature is that Judeo-Christian tradition was in part responsible for the environmental crisis by fostering a "dominion mandate" or mastery-over-nature orientation. Despite the growing significance of the environmental movement, most church bodies had not addressed the problem officially until the early 1990s. Several national and faith-based organizations evolved to catalyze interest and organize the movement. This paper examines whether those efforts resulted in a significant change in environmental attitudes, beliefs, or behavior among the religiously involved. Using data from the General Social Survey for 1993, 2000, and 2010, results indicate that the respondents' denominational identification, grouped in terms of its liberal, moderate, or fundamentalist orientation, was weakly but significantly associated with several indicators of environmentalism for all three study years. These associations remain relatively consistent throughout this period, suggesting little change overall in the relationship between religious identification and environmental concern.

The Theory of Justice in a Warming Climate

Kunnas, Jan

This article test, whether John Rawls´ Theory of Justice is still relevant in a warming climate. The starting point is Finland, which is assumed as a useful example, as many social indicators suggest that Finland is close to a Rawlsian egalitarian standards of distributive justice. The theory is brought to the globalized world of 21^stcentury, by widening the perspective from to a global level.

It can be argued that economic growth in developed countries benefits people in developing countries, as we can afford to give more development aid. I argue, however, that this has not been large enough to compensate for its the negative side effects, most notably that of a warming climate. Furthermore, the costs of current carbon fueled economic growth favoring present generations in the developed countries will mainly be paid by future generations of the poor in developing countries.

Shaping Environmental Justice: Applying Science, Technology, and Society Boundary Work

Huang, Chih-Tung

This article applies Gieryn’s two concepts of boundary-work, ‘expansion’ and ‘exclusion’, to observing ‘Environmental Justice’ (EJ) research. The application of boundary-work in the field of EJ science shows that similar phenomena noted in Gieryn’s case studies can also be found in EJ research. EJ scientists continue to shape and reshape the meaning of EJ. Meanwhile, activists also use rhetoric boundaries to discredit the legitimacy of EJ’s opponents. We suggest that the EJ movement is still dependent on scientists to provide a scientific way to foster equal distribution of environmental risks. However, to achieve a just distribution, science along is not enough. Public participation in the field of both EJ science and the political movement is necessary.

Rethinking Sustainability on Planet Earth: A Time for New Framings

Dylan, Arielle

Sustainable development and sustainability have been key terms in environmental thought and practice since the time of the Brundtland Report. Because of being firmly situated in the humanist tradition, these terms and their associated approaches have been appealing to social workers tackling environmental concerns. Given the significant and inexorable changes being wrought by global warming and the lack of similitude between Earth prior to anthropogenic warming and the incipient Eaarth introduced by global warming, examining the continued relevance of the terms sustainable development and sustainability is warranted. This chapter explores these terms in the context of climate change and points toward a responsibility approach based on environmental and social justice principles consistent with social work strengths and values.