Environmental Stewardship: Strengthening Ethical and Integral Ecology

The earth is our home, and humanity’s continued well-being depends in various ways on the natural environment, which we have the responsibility to take care of as our common home. This idea is encapsulated in environmental stewardship and conveyed by the African principle of Ubuntu, which expresses the interconnectedness of all things and beings. It speaks to our vision of ‘One Family Under God’ and the need to embrace universal principles and shared values. 

Our failure to care for the environment and our unguarded abuse of it has enormous political, economic, social, cultural, and religious negative effects. Environmental abuse in various African communities has caused pollution, climate change, waste, throwaway culture, conflicts, health hazards, and deaths, especially for the poor. The appreciation of environmental stewardship’s ethical and spiritual roots drives home the truth that authentic human development must be grounded in moral character, respecting the human person as well as the world around us. This individual and collective moral character leads to an integral ecology that highlights what it means to be human beyond scientific analysis, transactional commerce, and economic gain. This track examines the environmental challenges confronting the continent and highlights practical steps to effective environmental stewardship as part of the African Renaissance.

The Environmental Track was part of the Global Peace Leadership Conference Africa 2024 which was convened in Nairobi, Kenya, June 25-27, under the theme One Family under God: Empowering African Renaissance as a Global Catalyst for Freedom, Peace, and Sustainable Development.