Spiritual ideas to support our environment

BY KLAUS-HENDRIK HERR

As a Citizen of Germany, I've begun to realize more how interwoven all aspects of life are—not just in the way the national borders of my country touch other European nations but also in the way that people work together to halt pollution or solves other environmental problems. Sometimes it's surprising how heavily one's own well-being, and the state's, depend on what others do or don't do. From the world financial crisis to the challenge of global warming, our interdependence is becoming more and more obvious.

One new concern I've noticed in my country is that the financial crisis may hinder efforts to solve the many environmental challenges the world is facing. Some people have even suggested that legislation be put aside or reversed. "We've got to ask whether certain measures, including environmental legislation, are responsible given the economic outlook," Hanns-Eberhard Schleyer, General Secretary of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts, told the Financial Times ("German plea to halt costly laws," October 13, 2008).

Another widely held concern is that the world's economy is affected by its dependence on oil. Although the current price of oil has fallen, some are projecting much higher prices as the demand for oil increases. People are definitely looking for workable answers. At the moment, nuclear energy is back in favor, as well as gas and coal. Wind powers, solar power, and other "green" energy resources—though viewed as more and more important—are still seen as insufficient to meet energy demands in the years to come. But that could change as new ways to capture these resources come to light.