This is an INTEREST GROUP PRESENTATION ABSTRACT; the paper will be presented at the Jamaica Consultation on Creation Care and the Gospel in October, 2012.  Comments are welcomed!  View all abstracts.

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Environmental Justice and the Church’s Preferential Option for the Poor

by

Barry A. Wade, Ph.D, OD, JP

Chairman, Environmental Solutions Ltd.

Abstract

The problems of landlessness, squatting and environmental displacement of peoples leading to refugee status are  global phenomena among third world or majority world nations and are the lot of the poor in these and even some first world countries.  They arise as a result of environmental injustices perpetrated throughout history and in recent times by colonizers, industrial and economic giants, the rich and powerful, and sometimes even by the poor themselves.  The consequences of these problems may be seen in the loss of traditional land holdings, the destruction of whole communities, employment of poor agricultural practices, deforestation, desertification, famine and death.  These consequences are likely to increase with climate change and deteriorating global economic conditions.

In the Caribbean and throughout Latin America, the problems are growing rapidly with no clear cessation or resolution in sight.  In Jamaica, for example, it is estimated that up to 40% of the population lives on squatted land, up from 33% just a decade ago, while in Latin America, the figures range from a low of 55% in Costa Rica to a high of 85% in Bolivia and Guatemala. In neighbouring Haiti, squatting in rural areas is well above 90%.  Similarly, the environmental refugee problem is on the increase and in Haiti, following recent earthquake and hurricane events over a period of twelve months, more than one million persons were displaced from their homes to refugee camps within only a few months.

Government attempts worldwide to deal with some of these problems have mostly centred on legislative and enforcement measures, for example, by criminalizing squatting with a zero tolerance approach, and detaining, rejecting and returning refugees to their homelands, even within their own countries.  While these approaches have often lead to dehumanizing and disastrous situations, the church has by and large maintained a deafening silence.  However, in a few instances as in Haiti, the Christian community, if not the organized church, has been at the forefront of relief and development efforts on behalf of the suffering poor.

In Jamaica, following the emancipation of slaves in 1838, sections of the church established what became known as Free Villages to provide the newly emancipated slaves with land of their own, the means with which to provide food and other necessities for themselves and to generate an income, community amenities to foster identity, belonging and responsibility, and a church building and family in which to worship and serve.  By so doing, the Church gave the slaves a sense of dignity, decency and hope, all of which had been largely destroyed by the institution of slavery over 300 years.