Human activity and climate change are driving an acceleration of extinction rates globally, with hundreds of thousands of species under imminent threat of dying out, research shows. As an environmental ethicist, Ryan Darr believes this is a crisis that should matter to everyone.
Darr, who was recently appointed assistant professor of religion, ethics, and environment at Yale Divinity School, came to the position from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where as a postdoctoral fellow he helped launch a new initiative supporting ritual and sacred arts that address ecological issues. He holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Yale University and was a postdoctoral research associate at the Princeton University Center for Human Values.
We caught up with Darr for the latest edition of Office Hours, a Q&A series that introduces Yale faculty newcomers to the broader university community.
| Title | Assistant Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Environment at Yale Divinity School |
|---|---|
| Research interest | Environmental Ethics, Multi-Species Justice, and Questions of Responsibility |
| Prior institution | Princeton University |
| Started at Yale | July 2024 |
Why does mass extinction of species matter?
Ryan Darr: Other species matter for human wellbeing in many ways. They help contribute to clean air, clean water, and fertilizing crops. They absorb carbon dioxide to keep the planet from overheating. But in my work, I’m more interested in a set of ethical reasons. I think the way we treat other species is a matter of justice. This planet is not ours alone. Our species is one of millions that have evolved on this planet. To treat the rich and diverse lives of other species as if they are just an expendable resource is to live unjustly – in relation to other species but also, in many cases, in relation to other humans as well.
You are also researching the relationship between individual responsibility and structural justice in environmental issues. How does this play out?
Darr: There are longstanding debates about whether individual actions matter at all because of their miniscule effects. For example, does it matter for individuals to cut their own carbon emissions to fight climate change? Climate change is not primarily a problem of individual action; it is a problem of political and economic structures. But I think it is wrong to dismiss individual action. My approach is to rethink questions of individual action as themselves matters of justice. Justice isn’t just about outcomes; it is also about how we live in relation to one another, human and more-than-human.
You often combine environmentalism and the arts. How are they related?
Darr: I don’t think ethical arguments are always what move people. They are not even what always move me. There is so much amazing artistic work happening that addresses climate change, our relations with other creatures, and other kinds of environmental issues. I’m teaching a class right now in which we read speculative fiction together with theological and ethical texts to consider how we are imagining possible environmental futures. I developed the class because I was seeing so much despair — often for good reasons. But people are still imagining futures beyond the dystopian and the catastrophic, which is a reason for hope.
Yale Divinity School is currently constructing a regenerative student residence hall, the Living Village, that will give back to the environment more than it takes. As an ethicist, what most excites you about the project?
Darr: The building will be a physical manifestation of a sustainable future, one that we will be able to interact with on a daily basis. I think it has power to transform our community, and I hope it becomes a core part of our identity as a school.
What’s your favorite spot on campus?
Darr: My favorite spot is a bench under a buckeye tree at the Farnam Memorial Gardens. On every beautiful day, I’m at least tempted to be there. And on a good portion of those days, I end up out on that bench with a book.
