Newsfeed

A Spiritual and Social System: Indigenous Leaders Explore Spiritualities, Colonization and the Environment at CEE Forum

“Why do I have to compartmentalize my Indigenous spirituality?” Community organizer and youth leader Carson Kiburo asked this question at “Freedom to Be: The role of Indigenous spiritualities in averting climate catastrophe and safeguarding planetary health,” a forum presented by the Center for Earth Ethics on April 25. The online meeting, which was an official side event for April’s meeting of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, explored how traditional, Indigenous beliefs relate to ecologically sound cultural practices and challenges facing Indigenous beliefs and life systems. The speakers highlighted the central place of spirituality in

Read More »

Larry Rasmussen: Radical Realism about our Planetary Plight

Renowned Christian environmental ethicist Larry Rasmussen visited Union Theological Seminary on April 24 to celebrate the launch of his new book, “The Planet You Inherit: Letters to My Grandchildren when Uncertainty’s a Sure Thing” (Broadleaf Books, 2022). Rasmussen, a pioneer in the field of earth ethics, is the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics at Union. Rasmussen retired to New Mexico in 2004. But in her welcome, CEE Executive Director Karenna Gore noted how Rasmussen “was a presence [at Union] after he left.” “You were so far ahead of your time,” Gore said. Gary Dorrien, the current Reinhold Niebuhr

Read More »

“Freedom to Be” to Address Indigenous Spiritualities’ Role in Averting Climate Catastrophe

Freedom to Be: The role of Indigenous spiritualities in averting climate catastrophe and safeguarding planetary healthTuesday, April 25, 2023 — Noon (New York time)Online REGISTER HERE Indigenous communities around the world suffer from the consequences of the extractionist industries and land removal policies that drive climate change. At the same time, Indigenous spiritualities connect to the Earth and environment in ways that hold the promise of a true ecological future. On Tuesday, April 25 at noon (New York time), the Center for Earth Ethics will host “Freedom to Be,” an online conversation with an international panel of Indigenous representatives about the

Read More »

Advocacy and Vision at the UN Water Conference

This week, the Guardian reported that global fresh water demand will outstrip supply by 40% by 2030. This week’s UN 2023 Water Conference in New York “will mark the first time in more than four decades the UN has met to discuss water, with previous attempts stymied by governments reluctant to countenance any form of international governance of the resource.” With so much riding on the UN 2023 Water Conference, both governments and civil society groups are stepping up efforts to guide the conference in a fruitful direction and spur practical changes. The Indigenous Peoples Pre-Summit for the UN Water Conference,

Read More »