Question 3: The Logical and the Theological, A Unified Approach to Climate Science

            “Climate change is not so much a discrete problem to be solve as it is a condition under which human beings will have to make choices about such matters as priorities for economic development and the way we govern ourselves” - Mike Hulme (qtd in Berry, 184).

            Evan Berry, in his book Devoted to Nature, aims to emphasize the inseparable nature of American environmentalism from religious and spiritual experience. In his argument, he encourages a flowing discourse between the scientific and religious conversations about the environment and human impact on it- what he calls “technopolitics.” Berry argues that these two opposed sides should not be divorced in their search for a solution or at least a mediation of anthropogenic effects on the environment because the “solution” to such problems lies in the future behavior of society’s composite individuals, as a product of both technologies and religious and ideas. This cooperation potentially serves to curb further environmental destruction, restore some portion of damaged habitats, and preserve some “untouched” landscapes “set apart as an uncorrupted space” (181). Further this cooperation can lead to better communication and resolution between left- and right-wing politics.

            In the United States today, such scientific and religious cooperation is manifested in outlets like The Christian Science Monitor, a news organization founded by a Boston church and committed to reporting “with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens.” In the spring of 2015, Louisiana State University hosted a lecture entitled "Is Science Enough?" addressing the schism between the logical and the theological, during which the speaker, physician S. Joshua Swamidass established that the two are not mutually exclusive. Environmental interest groups praise the modern evangelical focus on “stewardship” of the earth, while Pope Francis himself declared, "We must never forget that the natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone." Perhaps this is the start of a very bi-partisan, very constructive conversation. In an era of hyperpolarized politics, the consequences of non-cooperation could have far-reaching consequences for the environment and future generations.