The Cry of Creation

The recent resurgence of concern about the environment has meant many good things for me, and one of them is that I'm starting to see some old friends again. Fifteen or 20 years ago, many of us were heeding the call to examine the causes behind all the hungry faces we saw in the news, as well as the industrial practices and lifestyle choices that were destroying our landscapes and filling our landfills. Even in the great political wasteland of the 1970s, we faced the challenge and even built friendships along the way.

But then we lost touch with each other. Some of us decided that "the real issues" were the structural injustices in our society -- sexism, racism, classism. We felt guilty protecting trees when children were dying from drugs and a lack of opportunities in inner cities. Others of us continued to work tirelessly to increase an awareness of just what the American lifestyle was doing to America. We'd all exchange Christmas cards and pleasantries, but both groups felt a little betrayed and lonely.

Now, however, we are starting to talk to each other again -- even about our concerns. The "issues" are coalescing, and so a homecoming or reunion of sorts seems to be possible. Most of us have realized that for honest healing to occur we must walk together. Environmental activism devoid of justice is naive and ineffectual, and justice-seeking work without concern for the earth is narrow and shortsighted.

And, just as important, another relationship is beginning to be renewed. As creation cries out to be considered a friend, many people are listening. This is not new. When most of the world's population was agrarian, respect and care for the land as a partner was an assumption. However, as fewer of us were required to clean dirt from our fingernails as part of our daily routine, we lost touch with the earth. Sure, there were pleasantries exchanged, even an occasional Christmas-card-like wishing of good will. But the relationship was broken.

Now we are left with a strained relationship with the earth. And as activists we may want to jump into crisis counseling. But we would do well to act with care. What we need is something more substantial than a crisis response: We need a radical recommitment to friendship.

AS VITAL AS IT IS to know your friends during these times, it is even more important to know your enemies. We have seen them, and they are us. For years self-righteous environmentalists blamed the environmental crisis on Brazilians who burned trees for acreage to graze beef cattle and Native Alaskans who bludgeoned seals for fur coats. Although quick to identify the problem elsewhere, all too often there was little willingness to challenge themselves or other U.S. citizens in our fundamental lifestyle choices.

As long as the image of "enviroactivists" remains that of people who go after the Eskimoes and the Brazilians who barely eke out a living, there will be no consensus. And there will be hostility between the peace and justice community and environmental activists.

But a consensus can be built. After all, people in the United States created most of the demand that causes Third World peoples here or abroad to kill seals and burn rain forests. Poor people simply want a share of the wealth, since much of U.S. dominance was built with resources the poor received little or no compensation for. As long as there is profit to be made, these practices will continue. Economics is the driving force.

But there may be another force to bring to bear. While the short-term economic benefits that drove the major upheaval during the Industrial Revolution are not present in this case (though waste-management companies are hot stock opportunities right now), a comparable shift in lifestyles and priorities will be necessary. And right now those choices can still be made voluntarily, though the motivating force will need to be a new moral consensus. That's where the church can best play a role, not because it has been in the forefront of the environmental movement, but because the church can offer the sacraments necessary to prepare for the change, to grieve the losses we have already experienced, and to celebrate that which is accomplished.

Sensing openness on the part of its member organizations, the World Council of Churches has scheduled an international conference to consider the need for change in these areas, even if it means radical change. A document prepared by the WCC titled "Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation" examines what people of faith can do. In March, delegates will gather in Seoul, South Korea to discuss how to increase the visibility of the churches' involvement in work for justice, peace, and the environment.

WE DEAL A GOOD BIT in this special issue of Sojourners with the "greenhouse effect." But one of the major factors blocking the progress toward multilateral agreements is the "White House effect" -- the sabotaging by the United States of any attempts to establish targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and other clean-up efforts. The Bush administration is talking about the environment a lot but is doing very little.

While our federal government provides little leadership and lots of rhetoric, some state and municipal governments are following the wishes of their constituents by passing laws requiring curbs on plastic packaging, disposable diapers, and other non-biodegradables, as well as mandatory reuse and recycling projects.

Although local initiatives are essential, these may not be enough. Unfortunately the Third World will continue to be a U.S. dumping ground until the Bush administration gets involved. We are only exporting our problems -- our economic disparity, our garbage, and our excessively consumptive lifestyle -- to other folks.

It is time for radical change, both nationally and individually. It is time for re-establishing our bond with the earth. It is time for relationship.

The resultant changes will seem cataclysmic. But this vision of a just order requires our commitment to change. And if we keep in touch with our covenantal partners -- the Creator, the land, and other creatures -- we will find the love, compassion, hope, and strength to see us through.

Wes Granberg-Michaelson was managing editor of Sojourners when this article appeared.