by Cassandra Carmichael
Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash
On one of my daily walks this week - to escape the confines of my pandemic lockdown - a hawk flew across my path, close enough to startle me. Just a few days before that, my kids and I found a Barred Owl roosting in a nearby vegetation grove. In addition to being aware of the privilege my family and I enjoy at being able to walk in the nearby woods during the pandemic, I am also keenly conscious of our connections to the natural world, and in particular, the creatures that inhabit God's earth with us.
God created each individual species and called us to care for them. When flood waters covered the earth, God instructed Noah to build an ark and save not only his own human family, but also the animals. I can't imagine how Noah would have felt if, after every other board was attached to the ark, someone came and removed it. The ark would never have been built or at the worst sank at sea, all of its fragile cargo - human and non-human - lost forever.
And yet, that is what is happening with today's modern ark for species protection: The Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, amidst a global extinction crisis and on the heels of the Trump Administration's proposal to "streamline" the National Environmental Policy Act, the Congressional Western Caucus introduced a set of bills intending to "modernize" the ESA. These bills would undermine key sections of the Act and extend a hand to industry groups who regard endangered species as obstacles hindering profits.
The Endangered Species Act functions as a safety net for over a thousand species that are in imminent danger of extinction. By ensuring the conservation and recovery of critical habitat and protecting animals from being harmed by human activity, the Endangered Species Act has been nearly 100% successful at preventing listed species from going extinct. Yet, attacks on the Endangered Species Act are unrelenting, driven mainly by corporate interests who are determined to dismantle this modern-day ark and sell the pieces.
The Endangered Species Act requires that conservation decisions be based on the best available science, a rigorous standard that ensures that regulations are effective and logical. By seeking to alter the definition of "best available science" or circumvent this requirement altogether, lawmakers essentially try to convince us that facts aren't important and that we should only act to protect the environment when it's convenient to us.
Other recent legislative attacks have tried to ban specific vulnerable species from being listed under the Endangered Species Act, which is like putting up a sign in front of the ark saying, "All animals welcome except Florida panthers and greater sage grouse." Again, instead of starting with science and a firm moral commitment to preserve the natural world in all its beauty and diversity, this kind of legislation wants us to start with the wants and needs of corporations and work backwards from there. That isn't a consistent and effective conservation strategy. That is prioritizing special interests over the common good.
We must work to preserve all species not only because it is our duty as stewards of God's creation, but also because we are all intricately linked together. Both our faith and the best available science teach us that every species has a unique role to play in the web of creation, and that in the process of conserving the delicately balanced ecosystems on which our own lives depend, no species is expendable. God commanded Noah to save every species of animal, from lowly worm to mighty eagle, because every creature mattered as part of God's creation. But God did not provide Noah with an ark or save the world's animals with an outstretched arm; it was Noah's job to build the ark, one plank of wood at a time, and any lapse into selfishness or laziness could have sunk the ship.
Now the responsibility of ark-building has passed to us. As we have come to understand more acutely the important of nature for its restorative abilities, we should be fighting harder than ever to protect God's creatures and strengthen and uphold the Endangered Species Act. Like Noah, we must take up the task of environmental stewardship with care and concern for every detail, guided by our values, our faith, and the awareness of our interconnectedness.
God created each individual species and called us to care for them. When flood waters covered the earth, God instructed Noah to build an ark and save not only his own human family, but also the animals. I can't imagine how Noah would have felt if, after every other board was attached to the ark, someone came and removed it. The ark would never have been built or at the worst sank at sea, all of its fragile cargo - human and non-human - lost forever.
And yet, that is what is happening with today's modern ark for species protection: The Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, amidst a global extinction crisis and on the heels of the Trump Administration's proposal to "streamline" the National Environmental Policy Act, the Congressional Western Caucus introduced a set of bills intending to "modernize" the ESA. These bills would undermine key sections of the Act and extend a hand to industry groups who regard endangered species as obstacles hindering profits.
The Endangered Species Act functions as a safety net for over a thousand species that are in imminent danger of extinction. By ensuring the conservation and recovery of critical habitat and protecting animals from being harmed by human activity, the Endangered Species Act has been nearly 100% successful at preventing listed species from going extinct. Yet, attacks on the Endangered Species Act are unrelenting, driven mainly by corporate interests who are determined to dismantle this modern-day ark and sell the pieces.
The Endangered Species Act requires that conservation decisions be based on the best available science, a rigorous standard that ensures that regulations are effective and logical. By seeking to alter the definition of "best available science" or circumvent this requirement altogether, lawmakers essentially try to convince us that facts aren't important and that we should only act to protect the environment when it's convenient to us.
Other recent legislative attacks have tried to ban specific vulnerable species from being listed under the Endangered Species Act, which is like putting up a sign in front of the ark saying, "All animals welcome except Florida panthers and greater sage grouse." Again, instead of starting with science and a firm moral commitment to preserve the natural world in all its beauty and diversity, this kind of legislation wants us to start with the wants and needs of corporations and work backwards from there. That isn't a consistent and effective conservation strategy. That is prioritizing special interests over the common good.
We must work to preserve all species not only because it is our duty as stewards of God's creation, but also because we are all intricately linked together. Both our faith and the best available science teach us that every species has a unique role to play in the web of creation, and that in the process of conserving the delicately balanced ecosystems on which our own lives depend, no species is expendable. God commanded Noah to save every species of animal, from lowly worm to mighty eagle, because every creature mattered as part of God's creation. But God did not provide Noah with an ark or save the world's animals with an outstretched arm; it was Noah's job to build the ark, one plank of wood at a time, and any lapse into selfishness or laziness could have sunk the ship.
Now the responsibility of ark-building has passed to us. As we have come to understand more acutely the important of nature for its restorative abilities, we should be fighting harder than ever to protect God's creatures and strengthen and uphold the Endangered Species Act. Like Noah, we must take up the task of environmental stewardship with care and concern for every detail, guided by our values, our faith, and the awareness of our interconnectedness.