Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - July 7, 2019
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Activist Feedback
  2. Comment: Can Civilizations Avoid Climate Change?
  3. All-Creatures.Org Ministry

1. Activist Feedback

Rick Hershey writes:

I handed out 1800 CVA booklets at State Farm Arena for Winter Jam today (3/16). Sara and friends also leafleted and distributed an additional 1800 booklets.

Great job, Team!

2. Comment: Can Civilizations Avoid Climate Change?

Adam Drake, in his book Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth, considers the likelihood that we will find advanced civilizations in the cosmos. He is doubtful, in part because it is likely difficult for civilizations that are sufficiently advanced to send out large radio wave signals to also avoid civilization-threatening climate change. Technologically advanced civilizations will tend to radically alter ecosystems and require the production of massive amounts of energy, both of which tend to disrupt climates and threaten the viability of civilizations.

In his book Collapse, Jared Diamond shows that many dominant civilizations collapsed due to damage to ecosystems upon which they relied. Humanity as a whole has continued to thrive, however, because technologies have allowed humans to exploit new ecosystems. Now that economies are globally interconnected and that many ecological changes have global impacts, there seems to be a real threat to human civilization. We differ from ancient civilizations in that our sensitive scientific tools allow us to monitor ecological changes and to identify their sources. For example, while ancient civilizations could not appreciate how soul erosion occurring over centuries threatened their viability, we can measure factors that impact the climate, such as atmospheric CO2, and we can document the resulting climate change. If we care about future generations (and it would seem reasonable for anyone with children to have personal motivations for doing so), we will institute policies that mitigate climate change. One of the easiest, most impactful steps along this route would be a substantial reduction in the consumption of animal products.

3. All-Creatures.Org Ministry

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