The relationship between religion and nature is an issue of immense historical and contemporary importance. This relationship has been especially scrutinized since the publication of Lynn White Jr.'s famous essay, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis” (Science 155 [1967]: 1203–1207). The “Lynn White Thesis” essentially claimed that Christianity's mechanistic and anthropocentric stance toward nature is the primary source of the present environmental crisis. White also maintained that, since religious perspectives toward nature are so powerful, an answer to the environmental crisis must be found in religion rather than in technological fixes. Since that time, countless works of all shades have been dedicated to addressing this topic. Recently, various forms of scholarship that center on the complex historical and contemporary interface of religion and the natural world have developed. Although there are methodological and ideological differences between these approaches, they are often interdisciplinary and greatly concerned with environmental issues and the future of the planet. This book certainly fits that description and is a significant contribution to the field.
This edited volume is the product of two workshops of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment. As one can imagine, the book has a distinctively European perspective on religion and environmental issues. As such, there is a noticeable continental influence in some of the readings, which is not as common in American scholarship on religion and nature. Although some may find this style somewhat difficult to read, others may find it a refreshing change from the usual American work on this topic.
Sigurd Bergmann and Dieter Gerten, the editors of this volume, set the tone for the collection of papers in the opening chapter. They claim that the ubiquity of religion as a “cultural microcosm” is a strong reason that religion must be present in environmental discourse. They are especially concerned with the mutual shaping of religions and environmental change. This entails understanding that religion can have both positive and negative impacts on environmental change, and the history of this tension shows that much of the dangerous environmental change we see today can be based in religious attitudes. Ultimately, Bergmann, Gerten, and the various authors in this volume do not wish to simply add religion to environmental discourse, but rather to “fundamentally revise the significance of these perspectives to find both ideational and practical solutions to increasingly dangerous environmental changes” (11). Their respective entries reflect these ideas: Bergman addresses the interaction of religion and environmental discourse and Gerten analyzes the importance of water in the religion/environment dynamic.
The diverse contributions to this book are certainly “transdiscplinary,” ranging from the disciplines of art and literary criticism to philosophy and theology to hydrology among others. This refreshing eclecticism is a welcome addition to the field, offering a wide range of approaches and perspectives. As such, one of the weaknesses of the book is that religion is at times treated superficially or tangentially, which inevitably happens when a complex topic such as religion is addressed by non-specialists. This, however, does not vitiate the value of the book in tying the study of religion in with other disciplines. Another weakness of any transdisciplinary study is the approachability and technicality of the various professional methods and standards in the various fields. In other words, it may be difficult for some to consistently understand the terminology and style of the diverse contributions. Konrad Ott's chapter stands out as overly technical, whereas David Olsson Kronlid offers a more accessible approach to climate change policy and ethics. Nevertheless, the book is worth reading, and these weaknesses are overcome by the richness of content.
An interesting section of the book revolves around the painter Hardy Brix. Bergmann introduces Brix's three paintings of arctic and subarctic landscapes that represent environmental change. Petra Hansson then “reads” these paintings through a transactional literary approach, conveying the aesthetic and efferent responses that are invoked by such works. In a sense these paintings, which are also the cover art for the book, frame this volume. The striking yet slightly ominous paintings represent the valuable landscapes that are threatened due to the “sins of the past” (3). The landscapes in the paintings seemingly become sentient, which is the topic that Thomas Heyd explores in his chapter on indigenous Canadian ontology and social responsibility. In a complementary entry to Heyd's, Anne Primavesi portrays the planet as a holistic and relational being rather than as a collection of objects. In this Gaian perspective, she offers solutions to environmental change through Christian nonviolence. Continuing on the value of non-human life, Michael Northcott deeply analyzes the important role of trees in climate change. Davide Brocchi's entry will likely be challenging to those who have little background with cultural theory, although it offers a complex look at “un/sustainability.”
The transdisciplinary scope of environmental change discourse is explored by Timothy Leduc, who summarizes the spirit and challenges of progressing environmental discussions between disciplines, which is the goal of this volume. The book does accomplish this goal, although it is a bit disjointed at times. It is approachable and relevant, and one can suspect that its forthcoming sequel will reflect the recent surge of skepticism toward climate change, which is currently a significant challenge. Ultimately, this volume is helpful for those who, as Stefan Skrimshire conveys in the closing chapter, wish to “make sense of the end that has come already for some … is feared and anticipated by others, and is denied by the rest” (207).
