THE VIOLENCE of CLIMATE CHANGE

I attended "The Violence of Climate Change" by Dr. Kevin O' Brien, professor of religion and environmental ethicist at Pacific Lutheran University. His presentation was hosted by Christ Episcopal Church of Tacoma.

He posed two main questions to us:

1. How should Christians respond to climate change?
2. What kind of problem is climate change.

He tackled the second question first, and admitted that it was so complex that anyone who claimed they completely understood climate change is lying. Instead we defined it as a multifaceted problem:

• It's a justice problem.
• It's a youth movement.
• It's a problem of colonialism.
• It's a religious problem.
• It's a political problem.
• It's an economic problem.

But, more importantly, it's a "wicked problem." That means that climate change (a) has no single definition; (b) adapts and changes across time and space; and (c) has no ultimate solution, although it embraces many responses.

And, climate change is a problem of violence. Creation bears our violence. Creation suffers our violence. Climate change is destroying homes, destroying land, destroying livelihoods, hence, it is violent. Ultimately, climage change is a problem of structural violence.

Some symptoms and problems of structural violence:

• All are complicit, but not equally so.
• Those who perpetrate and benefit from violence are often unaware of it.
• Multiple forms of violence intersect. 

To answer the initial question of "How should Christians respond to climate change?" Professor O'Brien highlighted the mission and ministry of two examples of pushing back against structural violence: Martin Luther King Jr. and Dorothy Day. These two modern-day prophets were shown to be beacons of hope in a difficult issue that can birth a lot of despair. But MLK and Day also didn't puch back against the extremes of the problems but those in the "middle" or mainstream.

"If you are fighting the extreme, you are more likely to feel the despair I'm talking about."

—Kevin O'Brien

In a call to action, we were reminded that because problems intersect, they need to be confronted by coalitions!