“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, explored how traditional, Indigenous beliefs relate to ecologically sound cultural practices and challenges facing Indigenous beliefs and ..read more

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 ..read more

Freedom to Be: The role of Indigenous spiritualities in averting climate catastrophe and safeguarding planetary health Tuesday, April 25, 2023 — Noon (New York time) Online 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 con ..read more

Summary: The World Bank Group is one of the most well-known multilateral development banks aimed at bolstering global sustainable development. In recent years, it has been widely scrutinized for its lack of appetite to tackle global challenges – namely, climate change. As a result, the bank is proposing a series of reforms in the Evolution Roadmap to improve its operations and  financial capacity, and strengthen its mission and values. Back in the Headlines The World Bank Group (WBG) came into the headlines in February, when David Malpass announced he would leave his positi ..read more

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-Summ ..read more

SUMMARY: The Nature Restoration Law is being debated in both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, with an expected adoption by end 2023. It will complement and enhance synergies of existing nature-related legislation. Legally binding, quantifiable targets underpins the law’s ambition for nature restorationN Transforming Global Ambition into Policy By the time the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was approved at the end of December’s UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), a proposal for the Nature Restoration Law was already adopted by the European Commi ..read more

Editor’s Note. This article was originally posted by Shannon M.D. Smith on the Women of the Water website as “A Time of Justice, A Season of Renewal” in January 2021 and on the CEE website on March 8, 2021 to mark President Biden’s Proclamation on Irish-American Heritage Month, 2021. CEE is reposting it now to lift up St. Brigid’s Day, celebrated on February 1 in Ireland. Beginning this year, Brigid’s Day will be an official bank holiday in the country, to be commemorated on the first Monday in February.  We sing a song to Brigid B ..read more