Green Junction: From Gratitude to Grief: The Erosion of Environmental Protections in the U.S.

Years ago, I met a scientist from a European country who described the loss of protected public areas in his country – a sign that the government did not respect or value nature. At that time, my thoughts translated to feelings of gratitude that the United States had established agencies, policies and laws (however incomplete and imperfect) on various government levels to protect the natural world and, consequently, human health and well-being. The past few weeks, the government has dealt a devastating blow to these protections on both the federal and state (Indiana) level. Brian Roewe’s March 21st column in the online publication Earthbeat (a project of the National Catholic Reporter) summarizes the awfulness of the situation. Here is a portion of his article, “EPA plans to roll back pollution limits are 'morally depraved,' 'evil,' say faith groups.”

“In a statement March 12, Lee Zeldin, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, referred to a desire to protect the environment as "the climate change religion," and indicated he would like to kill it.

"Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more," he said in a statement.

The comment undermines science and mocks religion, said faith groups, calling it offensive, nonsensical and ignorant. Furthermore, faith leaders called the sweeping deregulatory plans for air and water pollution "morally depraved" and "evil," because if enacted, they will allow more toxins into our air and water. The variety of pollutants targeted under the EPA rules Zeldin seeks to roll back are known to threaten public health, especially for populations that are already vulnerable.

"The reality is: many additional lives will be lost to increased soot pollution and other toxins," said Archbishop John Wester of Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose archdiocese includes Bernalillo County, which received an "F" grade for soot and smog pollution in the latest "State of the Air" report by the American Lung Association.

Leaders from Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish and other faith groups agreed that the threat to life posed by the potential rollback of environmental regulations is alarming, and requires faith leaders and communities to speak out.   

There is only one earth that provides for all of our needs. We must protect it.