Religious Environmentalism - Dr. Joseph Witt - February 28, 2016

​We are honored to have as our speaker Dr. Joseph Witt, Assistant Professor of Religion at Mississippi State University and Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities at the Middlebury School of the Environment on Sunday, February 28. He says, "Despite denial from some sources in the United States, many scientists and policymakers around the world agree that the earth is entering into a new era of dramatic ecological change tied directly to human activities-climate change, mass extinction, and ocean acidification, for example. The major question for 21st century environmentalism becomes, then, if humans have caused these significant problems, how might we work to bring about solutions? This presentation will briefly discuss the emergence of different varieties of 'religious environmentalism' around the globe, or specifically religious efforts to address environmental problems. After surveying a few concrete examples we will conclude with a discussion about the possibility and effectiveness of 'religious environmentalism' as a part of the solution to global ecological crises." Dr. Witt's forthcoming book, Religion and Resistance in Appalachia (University of Kentucky Press, 2016) examines the role of religions in inspiring and motivating environmental activism surrounding the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.