Synopses & Reviews
The combined contributions of science and religion to resolving environmental problems are far greater than each could offer working in isolation. Scientific findings are central to understanding the impact of human populations on the environment, but a more ecologically sustainable future will require radical changes in values, lifestyle choices, and consumption patterns-a revolution that falls squarely within the domain of the religious community.
Consumption, Population, and Sustainability is an outgrowth of a conference sponsored jointly by the Boston Theological Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science that brought together more than 250 scientists and people of religious faith to discuss the environmental impact of consumption patterns and population trends, and to consider alternative and more equitable value systems, economic arrangements, and technologies that will be necessary for achieving a more sustainable future. The book:
- provides a brief history of the dialogue between science and religion on environmental issues
- outlines potential contributions of the religious community to the debate about global sustainability
- offers a science-based assessment of issues such as carrying capacity, sustainability indicators, and the environmental impacts of consumer-based lifestyles
- considers religious and theological perspectives on consumption and population from a variety of viewpoints including Roman Catholic, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, and Islamic
- examines the ethical and policy dimensions of reorienting today's consumer society to one more focused on values, spiritual growth, and relationships.
Both the scientific and religious communities can make important contributions to understanding and responding to the impact of population growth and consumption patterns on environmental sustainability. This volume represents a significant step in establishing an ongoing dialogue between the communities, and provides a thought-provoking overview of the issues for scientists, theologians, and anyone concerned with the future of global sustainability.
Synopsis
The combined contributions of science and religion to resolving environmental problems are far greater than each could offer working in isolation. Scientific findings are central to understanding the impact of human populations on the environment, but a more ecologically sustainable future will require radical changes in values, lifestyle choices, and consumption patterns -- a revolution that falls squarely within the domain of the religious community.Consumption, Population, and Sustainability is an outgrowth of a conference sponsored jointly by the Boston Theological Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science that brought together more than 250 scientists and people of religious faith to discuss the environmental impact of consumption patterns and population trends, and to consider alternative and more equitable value systems, economic arrangements, and technologies that will be necessary for achieving a more sustainable future. The book: provides a brief history of the dialogue between science and religion on environmental issues outlines potential contributions of the religious community to the debate about global sustainability offers a science-based assessment of issues such as carrying capacity, sustainability indicators, and the environmental impacts of consumer-based lifestyles considers religious and theological perspectives on consumption and population from a variety of viewpoints including Roman Catholic, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, and Islamic examines the ethical and policy dimensions of reorienting today's consumer society to one more focused on values, spiritual growth, and relationships.Both the scientific and religious communities can make important contributions to understanding and responding to the impact of population growth and consumption patterns on environmental sustainability. This volume represents a significant step in establishing an ongoing dialogue between the communities, and provides a thought-provoking overview of the issues for scientists, theologians, and anyone concerned with the future of global sustainability.
About the Author
Audrey R. Chapman, a social scientist and religious ethicist, directs the Program of Dialogue Between Science and Religion at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.
Rodney L. Petersen is executive director of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of university divinity schools, schools of theology, and seminaries in the Greater Boston area, and teaches in its member institutions.
Barbara Smith-Moran, S.O.Sc, is director of the Faith and Science Exchange, a program affiliate of the Boston Theological Institute.
Table of Contents
Science, religion, and the environment / Audrey R. Chapman -- Perspectives on sustainability / Ian G. Barbour -- Overview of scientific perspectives / Audrey R. Chapman -- World population projections to 2150 / U.N. Population Division -- Population growth and earth's human carrying capacity / Joel E. Cohen -- Revisiting carrying capacity: area-based indicators of sustainability / William E. Rees -- U.S. consumption and the environment / Michael Brower and Warren Leon -- Overview of religious perspectives / Audrey R. Chapman -- World religions and the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development / United Nations -- A Catholic perspective / David M. Byers -- Foundations for a Jewish ethic regarding consumption / Michael Fox Smart -- A Greek Orthodox perspective / Emmanuel Clapsis -- An Islamic perspective / Abdul Cader Asmal and Mohammed Asmal -- Toward the revival and reform of the subversive virtue: frugality / James A. Nash -- Overview of perspectives on ethics and public policy / Audrey R. Chapman -- Report of the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development / United Nations -- Consumption and well-being / David A. Crocker -- Population, consumption, and eco-justice: a moral assessment of the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development / James B. Martin-Schramm -- The transition to a transition / Neva R. Goodwin -- Christian responses to coercion in population regulation / Susan Power Bratton -- To protect the whole of creation / Bruce Babbitt -- Earth literacy for theology / Mary Evelyn Tucker -- Envisioning equity in consumption, population, and sustainability / Rodney L. Petersen.