NUMBER 1, 2009 A peaceful environment?

A peaceful environment or a hostile climate?

Extreme drought in Argentina, China and Israel. Cold and snow in the US, Spain and Great Britain. Hurricane winds in France. Floods in northern Australia and enormous forest fires in the south after a period of intense heat. All this is happening during the first weeks of 2009. Scientists and researchers warn that future climate change will bring about dramatic effects on the weather. One might wonder if the future is already here, or else, what it will bring …
The majority of experts agree that the global warming most probably is a result of human greenhouse gas emissions. Once again human species have shown that they are capable to annihilate themselves and their planet.
Indeed, human being is capable of destruction, but s/he is also capable of healing, restoring and – hoping. “Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind” is a saying that goes back to the Greek myth about Pandora, who released all the evils of humanity from her box, leaving only Hope inside once she had closed it again.
In November last year I was one among a thousand participants to the Interfaith Climate Summit in Uppsala, Sweden. Many words of warning were spoken and, no doubt, these are serious times. But the Manifesto that was signed by adherents to different faiths at the Summit has the title Hope for the Future. It is an invitation to all inhabitants on earth: to bring hope back to life and to take the drastic measures that are needed to create a future for humanity. Rosemary Radford Ruether, one of the signatories to the Manifesto, evolves thoughts about its importance.
A consequence of the climate change is likely to be scarcity of vital resources such as water, clean air and arable land. This raises questions as to how people and governments will cope: will there be conflicts or cooperation, migration or adaptation?
One of the speakers at the Interfaith Climate Summit, Peter Haldén, in an article reflects on risks and possibilities in the aftermath of climate change and warns that the most imminent risks might still be unknown to us. Karina Kristiansen and Dan Smith in their article point out that peacebuilding can be a solution to both climate change and violent conflict. Other articles in this issue discuss future scenarios in totalitarian states, the Arctic and the Middle East.
Climate change affects us all. Welcome to share your reflections with other New Routes readers!

Contents

Climate change and security –
a planetary danger or military threat
Peter Haldén

Many faiths united in hope
Kristina Lundqvist

The Interfaith Climate Summit:
Is there hope for the future?
Rosemary Radford Ruether

The links between climate change and violent conflict
– and how peacebuilding can be a solution to both
Karina Kristiansen & Dan Smith

Conflicted Middle East
challenged by water scarcity
Robin Twite

Conflict or cooperation?
Climate trap on the Arctic tightens
Catrin Rosquist

Climate change:
New complexities, new conflicts and new challenges
Anil Raj

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Kristina Lundqvist

Publicerad: 2009-06-01

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