Yale Divinity School
Donghyung (he/him) is a first-year Master of Divinity candidate at Yale Divinity School. He is interested in systematic theology and the philosophy of religion, particularly in theodicy, hermeneutics, and the theology of culture. Donghyung is from Seoul, South Korea, and received his bachelor’s degree in theology and English literature and a Master of Theology from Yonsei University.
The climate crisis, while often framed within macro-level issues of science, technology, and capitalist economies, is directly connected to human ethical life by exacerbating social inequalities and disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. This paper aims to analyze the disparities in the climate crisis centered on urban spaces from a personal, micro-level perspective and examine the theological responsibility that arises from these injustices. To this end, it first delineates theological responsibility in the context of the climate crisis, positing that theology must confront the micro-level social inequities the capitalist economic system fails to address. Second, this paper investigates the socioeconomic disparities currently occurring in urban areas of the United States due to climate change, highlighting how global warming is directly related to public health and disproportionately affects the marginalized. According to research from the Yale School of the Environment, there are socioeconomic disparities in urban heat exposure and adaptation options, and the more extreme hot days persist, the fewer cooling options available to people of color in U.S. cities. Finally, the paper proposes a theological response to the climate crisis, advocating for restoring natural spaces and developing equitable, inclusive artificial environments based on theological hermeneutics. These initiatives must be accessible to and shared by all societal groups, not just certain classes and races, fostering social equity and ecological integrity in alignment with theological responsibility. God’s creation will be preserved by protecting the environment and sharing that environment equally among all.