Ethical Topics: Environmental issues

The increasing rate of sea-level rise is not good news for our coastal population, nor for the natural and built environment in the coastal zone. The world is currently not on track to achieve the lower range of projected sea-level rise. And of course, sea-level rise will not stop in 2100 – as in the current century, the magnitude of future sea-level rise will be linked to our greenhouse gas emissions.

Australian Department of the Environment and Energy. Extensive site with latest news and popular topics such as: climate change policy, environment protection, Australian heritage, threatened species, marine reserves review and wildlife trade.

Australian Government scientific research body with information about atmosphere and climate, biodiversity, extreme events, land management and sustainable development and oceans and coasts.

Areas of interest include: climate change, disasters and conflict, ecosystems and management, environmental and governance, chemical and waste and resource efficiency.

Articles from all parts of the globe dealing with environmental issues in the news.

The Pope has issued a call for the world to act quickly to prevent climate change from destroying the planet, saying the Earth is starting to resemble "an immense pile of filth".

Article written by Martin Flanagan of The Age, looks at the political messages surrounding climate change and the role of the Pope.

23 verses from the Bible about the stewardship of God's creation.

Statement from Australian Catholic Bishops on the environment.

The Catholic Church has a well-documented tradition of Care for Creation and Stewardship of the Earth.
This resource includes elements of Catholic teaching that highlight this tradition.
This resource is intended to serve as an introduction on this issue; it is not comprehensive.

Do animals have rights? Obviously they do not in the sense of being entitled to vote or to be expected to discharge duties – any more than infant children.

God entrusted the care and use of all creation to mankind: Genesis reads, "God blessed them, saying: ‘Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth’" (1:28).

Search here for a table of contents, index and how to read the Catechism as well as a search box for the Catechism.

The online Bible.
Select the NRSV edition.

The Holy Quran Arabic Text with English Translation, Commentary and comprehensive Introduction by Maulana Muhammad Ali Year 2002 Edition

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The Climate Change Authority provides independent expert advice on Australian Government climate change mitigation initiatives. The Authority is established under the Climate Change Authority Act 2011

The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility works to support decision makers throughout Australia as they prepare for and manage the risks of climate change and sea-level rise.

NCCARF is currently developing a three year program (2014-17) to address the adaptation needs of decision makers and practitioners, especially in the coastal zone, as they deal with projected impacts such as more frequent and more intense heatwaves, increasing risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, and increasing coastal erosion.

This extensive entry covers the following areas:
1. Introduction: The Challenge of Environmental Ethics
2. The Early Development of Environmental Ethics
3. Environmental Ethics and Politics
3.1 Deep Ecology
3.2 Feminism and the Environment
3.3 Disenchantment and the New Animism
3.4 Social Ecology and Bioregionalism
4. Traditional Ethical Theories and Contemporary Environment Ethics
Supplementary Document: Biodiversity Preservation
5. Wilderness, the Built Environment, Poverty and Politics
6. Sustainability and Climate Change
Supplementary Document: Pathologies of Environmental Crisis – Theories and Empirical Research
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The images that define climate change shape the way it is understood and acted upon.
But polar bears, melting ice and arrays of smoke stacks don’t convey the urgent human stories at the heart of the issue.
Based on international social research, Climate Visuals provides seven principles for a more diverse, relatable and compelling visual language for climate change.

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More Statements from World Religions

Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews may have different beliefs but they all share the same resources and they are all affected by the consequences of climate change

The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) is a multi-faith network taking action on the most pressing issue of our time. In the face of ecological damage and social injustices, we affirm our love for this planet and its inhabitants and our deep reverence for life.

A Buddhist approach to the contemporary world.

The Holy Quran Arabic Text with English Translation, Commentary and comprehensive Introduction by Maulana Muhammad Ali Year 2002 Edition

Over the past twenty years, religious and spiritual communities around the world have developed numerous statements that express, from their particular perspectives, a commitment to safeguarding the environment. In the following collection of statements, we have sought to offer a representative sample of offerings that touch on a variety of climate and environmental topics and issues.