With the support of a $3 million gift, Yale Divinity School (YDS) has established an endowed professorship in environmental ethics—a burgeoning field that examines the moral relationship between humans and the natural environment.
“One of the greatest challenges confronting all of us is the climate crisis,” says Greg Sterling, dean of YDS. “This is not only a scientific and technological issue. It is a moral issue. For this reason, we are searching for an ethicist who can help address the moral dimensions of this threat to life on the planet.”
The new professor of environmental ethics will build upon a strong institutional foundation in ecotheology, much of it started by recently retired faculty members Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim of YDS and the Yale School of the Environment. The inaugural chair is expected to join YDS next September.
A Yale College alumnus, who wishes to remain anonymous, made the gift as part of his estate planning. “This donor is deeply committed to our mission and, in particular, to the intersection of science and theology,” says Barbara Sabia, senior director of alumni engagement and development. “He shares our belief in the power of religion and the strength of Yale Divinity School to move society forward in ethical ways.”