New Ideology at the Top?
I went to see David Suzuki when he stopped in Hamilton on his If YOU were Prime Minister tour. The saddest part was when he said the tour is bittersweet. He feels like there is good traction on environmental issues (especially global warming) in Canada right now, and he is excited about it, but also that there was a similar feeling in 1988 which did not amount to any change. Had we made changes then, we would be so much further along.
What was most interesting was how Dr. Suzuki talked about economics and ecology. He said that for too long environmental issues have been trumped by economics (I agree, the short term economy has been the trump card). He called instead for economics to remember the ‘eco’ in its name. He wants every decision to be made with an understanding of the full environmental impact. He sees that by doing this we will begin to live within the constraints of the natural world. He sees a brighter future where we think about other people and the animals, the environment and the long term future, as we live on the earth.
As a Christian, I see this as simply replacing one humanistic ideology (economics) with another (ecology) where in both humans are able to fix the problems of the world. My belief is that neither gets to the root of the problems. Problems like massive wealth disparity and poverty, environmental degradation, wars and unrest, killing and hate. These will not get solved by sound environmental policies and actions just as they were not solved by a robust economy.
The Christian church has not done a good job of critiquing the prevailing economic ideology. Theologians and lay people need now to reflect on this new ecological ideology, without getting stuck at the evolution flashpoint, and to speak of the real reason for the discord and suffering. And then, the church can offer a new hope.