EARTH Fall 2026

View this email in your browser

EARTH: Earth Action, Reflection, Theology, and Hope The Nature of AI “AI is neither artificial nor intelligent. “[There is an] enormous environmental footprint – the minerals, the energy, the water – that drives AI. This is the opposite of artificiality. It’s profound materiality.” - Kate Crawford, author and scholar When petroleum products first became widespread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was no moral debate about their benefits versus their harms. Oil was a miracle lying under our feet that would revolutionize civilization for everyone’s good. Today, we can’t claim the same naivete about AI. It has already permeated our lives. (The quote above was offered to me by Google AI.) We see its benefits, but also its inherent harms, especially to the environment. Unless our technology-based civilization collapses, AI won’t go away. That’s why it’s important for people of faith who care about Mother Earth to become educated and demand accountability and action before we reach the point a greater enviromental crises than we already face. The articles, prayers, and discussion in this newsletter offer few answers, but they ask important questions, and that is the first step toward changing our present course. Eric Diekhans Editor Science and Faith As artificial intelligence races ahead of our ability to control it, could the 20th-century philosopher and Jesuit priest Teilhard de Chardin offer wisdom for our technological age? Nancy Corson Carter explores his vision of an interconnected humanity united by love—and challenges Christians to put faith into action to protect our shared future and the Earth we call home. Read More The Hidden Environmental Cost of AI Artificial intelligence may seem to exist in an invisible cloud, but its real-world footprint reaches deep into the Earth—from mineral mining and energy-hungry data centers to the water resources communities depend on. Mark Douglas calls for an ecosystem approach to AI that acknowledges these costs, pursues environmental justice, and harnesses technology to help protect the natural world. Read More AI: Climate Solution or Environment Threat Artificial intelligence offers powerful new ways to predict climate disasters, protect forests, and advance clean energy—but its enormous appetite for electricity, water, and land comes at a steep environmental cost. Read More Talking AI and Faith Video by David Barstow A panel discussion with Rev. Mary Beene, Hildegard von Bingen, ChatGPT, Claude, and Saint Francis of Assisi with a focus on the environmental effects of AI. An episode in a series in which live human beings, ancient theologians, and AI chatbots talk about topics that are important to people of faith, and to the future of the world. Click below to watch the discussion A Prayer in the Anthropocene Living God, Creator Spirit, present with us now: in Christ, we pray, please put us in our place— our place as one more primate among hundreds, one more vertebrate among tens of thousands, one more species among many millions, humans within the community of your creation. Put us in our place as disciples of Jesus, near to the world’s wounds, seeking new ways to love and care for our neighbors in a time of climate change— struggling as a church to respond to the demands of justice in an atmosphere of hate and violence and inequality— trying to speak the truth of the Word in a culture of lies. Put us in our place, which is to say, hold us in your grace and guide us as a community, a movement, a church to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Amen. Sam Hamilton-Poore with gratitude for the life and work of Holmes Rolston III Sam Hamilton-Poore is vice moderator of Presbyterians for Earth Care. PCUSA Resources Find more videos and written resources about AI here: Click Here

Copyright (C) 2026 Presbyterians for Earth Care. All rights reserved.