The Great Flood in Genesis 6–9: An Ecological Reading of the J and P Traditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-76
Author(s):  
Ma. Maricel S. Ibita
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Images Of God ◽  
Sacred Texts ◽  
Dynamic Relation ◽  
Spiritual Resources ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
Dominant Influence ◽  
Relevant Factors

One of the not so obvious but deeply relevant factors in addressing climate change is religion and the interpretation of sacred texts, especially problematic ones. An example of problematic texts is the story of Noah and the great flood in Genesis 6–9. I will reread the Yahwist and Priestly versions of the story using a modified ecological triangle. This methodology looks at the dynamic relation between the divine and human, between the divine and non-human creatures, between humans and non-humans, and the inner dynamics of these three in the J and P narratives. The various insights gleaned from the investigation impact our rethinking of sacred texts in the age of the Anthropocene (the period during which human activity has been a dominant influence on climate and the environment), respecting boundaries in the context of the Capitalocene way of organizing the relations between humans and the rest of nature. The article provides additional spiritual resources in responding to the climate crisis, and grappling with disturbing images of God, humans, and non-humans in sacred texts in times of disasters.

What we can learn from the parallels between the COVID-19 and the future climate change crises

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubén D. Manzanedo ◽  
Peter Manning
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Substantial Portion ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
The Future ◽  
Behavioral Norm ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
Global Population

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak pandemic is now a global crisis. It has caused 1.6+ million confirmed cases and 100 000+ deaths at the time of writing and triggered unprecedented preventative measures that have put a substantial portion of the global population under confinement, imposed isolation, and established ‘social distancing’ as a new global behavioral norm. The COVID-19 crisis has affected all aspects of everyday life and work, while also threatening the health of the global economy. This crisis offers also an unprecedented view of what the global climate crisis may look like. In fact, some of the parallels between the COVID-19 crisis and what we expect from the looming global climate emergency are remarkable. Reflecting upon the most challenging aspects of today’s crisis and how they compare with those expected from the climate change emergency may help us better prepare for the future.

“Famous, Beloved, Reviled, Respected, Feared, Celebrated:” Media Construction of Greta Thunberg

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily D Ryalls ◽  
Sharon R Mazzarella
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Time Magazine ◽  
Alternative Construction ◽  
Media Construction ◽  
Climate Crisis

Abstract In the 16 months before TIME magazine naming Greta Thunberg its Person of the Year, as her influence grew, so too did the news media’s attempts to make sense of her. This project analyzes profiles of Greta Thunberg to understand how journalists constructed the persona that has become “Greta.” We argue the paradoxical framing of Thunberg as exceptional and fierce and childlike contributes to an alternative construction of girlhood grounded in the positive portrayal of her Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. While featuring ASD as her “superpower” is potentially progressive, we argue foregrounding Thunberg’s whiteness and age cements her construction as the iconic voice of the climate crisis movement, potentially downplaying the need for collective action to end climate change.

scholarly journals Are there similarities between the Corona and the climate crisis?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Decision Procedures ◽  
Free Rider ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Short Paper ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Look Back ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Climate Crisis

AbstractIn this short paper, I look back at the early stages of the Corona crisis, around early February 2020, and compare the situation with the climate crisis. Although these two problems unfold on a completely different timescale (weeks in the case of Corona, decades in the case of climate change), I find some rather striking similarities between these two problems, related with issues such as uncertainty, free-rider incentives, and disincentives of politicians to adequately address the respective issue with early, farsighted and possibly harsh policy measures. I then argue that for complex problems with certain characteristics, it may be necessary to establish novel political decision procedures that sidestep the normal, day-to-day political proceedings. These would be procedures that actively involve experts, and lower the involvement of political parties as far as possible to minimize the decision-makers’ disincentives.

scholarly journals An 8500-year palynological record of vegetation, climate change and human activity in the Bosten Lake region of Northwest China

2019 ◽  
Vol 516 ◽  
pp. 166-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel E. Tarasov ◽  
Dieter Demske ◽  
Christian Leipe ◽  
Tengwen Long ◽  
Stefanie Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Bosten Lake ◽  
Lake Region

scholarly journals The Sustainability Argument for Open Science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisela Govaart ◽  
Simon M. Hofmann ◽  
Evelyn Medawar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Academic Environments ◽  
Science Practices ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Systemic Level ◽  
Climate Crisis

Ever-increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions narrow the timeframe for humanity to mitigate the climate crisis. Scientific research activities are resource demanding and, consequently, contribute to climate change; at the same time, scientists have a central role in advancing knowledge, also on climate-related topics. In this opinion piece, we discuss (1) how open science – adopted on an individual as well as on a systemic level – can contribute to making research more environmentally friendly, and (2) how open science practices can make research activities more efficient and thereby foster scientific progress and solutions to the climate crises. While many building blocks are already at hand, systemic changes are necessary in order to create academic environments that support open science practices and encourage scientists from all fields to become more carbon-conscious, ultimately contributing to a sustainable future.

scholarly journals Impact of climate change and human activity on the runoff in the upper reaches of the Shiyang River, Northwest China

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Li ◽  
Jianhua Xu ◽  
Zhongsheng Chen ◽  
Benfu Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Potential Evaporation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Shiyang River Basin ◽  
Runoff Change ◽  
Increasing Trend

Based on the hydrological and meteorological data of the upper reaches of Shiyang River basin in Northwest China from 1960 to 2009, this paper analyzed the change in runoff and its related climatic factors, and estimated the contribution of climate change and human activity to runoff change by using the moving T test, cumulative analysis of anomalies and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that temperature revealed a significant increasing trend, and potential evaporation capacity decreased significantly, while precipitation increased insignificantly in the past recent 50 years. Although there were three mutations in 1975, 1990 and 2002 respectively, runoff presented a slight decreasing trend in the whole period. The contributions of climate change and human activity to runoff change during the period of 1976-2009 were 45% and 55% respectively.

scholarly journals A "Stubbornly Persistent Illusion"?:

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-35
Author(s):  
Aaron S. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Sound Studies ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Climate Crisis

The climate crisis impacts the northern polar regions in disproportionate ways, and ecomusicology is an academic discourse. In bringing these two seemingly unrelated pairs together, I argue for academic discourse in ecomusicology that makes connections with the climate crisis in music and sound studies. What can ecomusicology offer humanity as we face climate catastrophe? While not a panacea, ecomusicology can serve to further collapse the unfortunate nature-culture dichotomy that is at the root of so many social and environmental problems.  Academic discourse always should have a place for titillation, but we must not avoid the climate crisis in music scholarship, for that only enables climate change denialism. I elaborate on an ecomusicology that is both new and not new, providing examples of climate connections in ecomusicological discourse. Ultimately, we must make such connections and do something about the problems we face as a civilization.

scholarly journals Dealing with Climate Change Crisis

1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-90
Author(s):  
Krishna Prasad Oli ◽  
Tara Devi Dhakal ◽  
Navraj Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
International Policies ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Climate Crisis

Climate change and its impact on human survival have been today's major challenge and key topics of discussion globally. When considering the catastrophic impacts climate change will bring to earth, in-depth studies on the mechanics and chemistry of climate changes has been emerging. Simultaneously, international and national policies to reduce the vulnerability from climate change have been developed. This article discusses environmental retrospect and climate change issues and highlights efforts taken by global community to reduce GHG. An analysis through an equity lens is made between developed and developing nations and distinction of science and post normal science, and how skeptics revolve around the myth of climate changing ‘naturally' is discussed. A brief status of climate change in Nepal has been mentioned and some mitigation and adaptation measures that can be carried out at the institutional and individual level to start solving the climate crisis conclude the paper. Key Words: Global warming, Climate change, International policies, Intra- generational equity, GHG, Renewable energy, Individual adaptation DOI: 10.3126/init.v2i1.2527 The Initiation Vol.2(1) 2008 pp79-90

scholarly journals The Critical Relationship between Climate Change Awareness and Action: An Origin-Based Perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Tiller ◽  
Christian Schott
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
General Public ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Overwhelming Majority

<p>While it is now widely accepted by scientists and governments that human activity contributes to climate change, there is a lack of understanding whether this realisation is now gaining greater attraction with the general public than it had 5 or 10 years ago. Additional gaps in knowledge relate to the link between awareness and action, which could be hypothesised to have become stronger in light of evidence being produced of some projected climate changes occurring already. This article examines climate change awareness and the link with travel-related decision-making by adopting an under-utilised origin perspective in Wellington, New Zealand. The findings, generated by a household mail survey, indicate that the majority of the respondents are aware of tourism’s contribution to climate change and think that it is likely that their lives in New Zealand will be negatively affected by climate change. However, when examining the respondents’ recent holiday decision-making, it is evident that for the overwhelming majority, climate change awareness does not appear to influence travel-related decisions. This article concludes by discussing demand-focused measures aimed at reducing the GHG emissions generated by tourism.</p>

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