Loving our Neighbours in the Environment

Respecting neighbours in the environment includes God's creation and the interests of the "other".
Photo by Dale Youngman taken north of Cynthia, Alberta.

A Christian response to environmental challenges

Many people are passionate about the environment, and Christians can bring important contributions to the environmental challenges we face. This is the first in a series of articles by biologist Mark Polet on the special gifts Christians can bring to Creation Care.

Loving the Other: the First Rule of Earth Stewardship

The Great Commandment calls us to, ‘Love God and Love one another.’

This calls us to a unique understanding of our fellow human beings: there is no ‘Other’. We are not to dehumanize anyone. All are special children of God. This stricture to love one another was taken to its ultimate step when Jesus said ‘Love your Enemies’.

‘Loving your enemy’ is necessary in the environmental field. If one follows the public debates between individuals and corporations, ‘love’ will not be the first word that comes to mind.

Loving your neighbour means respecting the resources God has given them to steward. Allow me to share a story of one of my first experiences walking out the commandment to love my neighbour.

Living off the land vs. oil exploration

In the 1970s and '80s I had the privilege to work for a farsighted oil company. One of my primary roles was to meet with trappers in the boreal forest of Alberta, Canada before the oil company would start exploration. The trappers I met were First Nation, Metis, or settlers, many who had lived their whole life on the land.

I came on their land as a representative of an oil company,. Make no doubt about it, we were in conflict. We both relied on the same land from which to marshal our resources: for the trapper, fur and meat, for the company, oil & gas. Oil exploration would be disruptive. I was very aware that their trap line was their ‘one sheep’ (2 Samuel 12) and I was very determined not to take it away from them. We would meet sometimes in the bush on the line around their campfire, sometimes in a house, sometimes in their cabin. Our conversations would often start cautiously, but that caution was gilded with hospitality and coffee with evaporated milk. The fire would be on; I was welcome.

We would go over the maps. We would mark their trap lines on the map, we would look at our proposed roads, well sites and camps, and look to see how we could place them to reduce the impact on their lines. Sometimes it was not easy. Sometimes my company had to make an expensive choice to move a well site, or change the routing of a road. Sometimes my trapper colleague would have to pull a line up, as I had no alternative route.

Finding the win-win

Most of the time, we made it work. And very often we achieved a win/win. Our partnership worked well for both sides. You see, I often only had a week to scout out roads and sites; and while I had air photos, reports and my training, I did not have the years of experience they had in the bush.

Many times my trapper colleague would warn me of a weeping hill, a sensitive creek crossing, or bad ground. They saved the oil company thousands of dollars, and more importantly, time. I was able to save their livelihood. A win/win. They were remarkable individuals.

My faith at that time was rough-hewn, but I did know I was to be a blessing (Genesis 12), that I could not take the ‘one sheep’. Perhaps my trapper colleagues sensed my respect for them and their lifestyle. All I know is that in ‘loving my neighbour’ even in this way, I got much in return. I gained an understanding of remarkable people and culture and received help with my work. The end result was less environment impact and a state where they could carry on their sustainable harvest.

Love's perspective changes our response

I realized that regardless of differences in culture, temperament or approach, I could work with my neighbour, previously seen as an ‘enemy’, and come out ahead! I encourage you to find ways to work out things with your neighbour.

The love we are to show our colleagues on environmental issues, especially when we disagree with them, is the radical love that bled on the cross.

If we are to be one in the Holy Spirit, we should be one in stewarding creation as Christ did.

​b​y Mark Polet