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Overview
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781626981003 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Orbis Books |
Publication date: | 10/10/2014 |
Pages: | 352 |
Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Preface ix
Introduction: The Crisis of Our Home 1
Part I Are We Tearing Down Our Home?
1 The Making of a Home 15
In the Beginning 16
Earth-The "Goldilocks" Planet 21
Earth, the Womb of Life 25
Our Arrival at Home: The Peopling of the Planet 33
The Transformation of Our Common Home: From Agriculture to Industry and to the Era of Space Travel 42
Earth Is Our Only Home 46
2 Our Common Home in Peril 51
The Gravity of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis: Warnings from the Scientific Community 52
The Alarming State of Our Common Home 56
The Danger of Crossing the Thresholds 61
Humanity Fouling Its Own Nest: The Anthropogenic Character of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis 65
The Dawning of the Anthropocene Era 71
The Moral and Religious Implications of Our "Oikos-cide" 73
Part II The Cry of the Earth
3 Climate Change 85
The Greenhouse Effect as Rendering Earth a Home of Life 86
A Walk Through Earth's Climate History 91
Anthropogenic Global Warming and Associated Climate Change 99
The Greenhouse Gases Driving Anthropogenic Climate Change 104
Projections of Future Climate Change and the Danger of Tipping Points 112
An Unprecedented Situation in the Geological History of Earth 116
4 Impacts of Climate Change 121
Extreme Weather Events 121
Droughts and Desertification 127
Melting of Glaciers 132
Sea-Level Rise 139
Ocean Acidification and Threats to Marine Life 145
Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss 151
A Reckless Gamble with Our Planetary Home 155
5 Species Extinction and Biodiversity Loss 157
Biodiversity and Its Importance 158
Earth on the Brink of a Massive Loss of Biodiversity 163
Current Spasm of Biodiversity Loss as Driven by Human Activities 168
Implications of the Loss of Biodiversity 176
The Death of Birth and the Rupture of the Web of Interdependence 181
A Unique Challenge and Opportunity 184
6 Pollution, Waste, and Depletion of Resources 187
Pollution of the Air, Land, and Water 188
Waste and Depletion of Natural Resources 196
The Problem of Water Scarcity 203
Humanity's Distorted Relationship with the Natural World 213
Part III The Cry of the Poor
7 The Impacts of Ecological Crisis on Food, Health, and Shelter 221
The Current Food-Security Scenario 222
Health Impacts of the Contemporary Ecological Crisis 234
Ecological Crisis and the Specter of Forced Migration 242
Humanity Moving Toward the "Perfect Storm" 251
8 A Moral Crisis 253
The Ecological Crisis in Terms of Injustice and Inequality 254
Ecological Divide 261
Historical Responsibility and Personal Responsibility 266
The Triple Pillars of Justice, Equity, and Solidarity 272
A Common Yet Differentiated Responsibility 282
Part IV The Cry of the Gods
9 Creation as God's Home 293
Our Incapacity to See the World as Creation 293
Our Disregard for the Sacredness of God's Home 300
Creation as a Symbol and Sacrament of God 306
The Ecological Crisis and the Disrespect for the Telos of Creation 316
Rediscovering the Physical World as God's Creation 327
10 The Ecological Sin of Irresponsible Stewardship 329
The Human Vocation for the Stewardship of Creation 329
Irresponsible Stewardship as Sin 338
Ecological Crisis Resulting from Our Hubris 345
Repercussions of Sin on Creation 351
Ecological Conversion in Response to Ecological Sin 358
Conclusion: Responding to a Creation in Crisis 365
Index 375