December 8, 2009

US religious groups urge strong action to reduce greenhouse gases

As the climate summit opens in Copenhagen, a coalition of religious organisations will present a collection of statements to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urging strong action to reduce greenhouse gases. This will emphasise that climate change is a moral and ethical issue because it deals with lifestyle issues and choices that all people must face.

Major US religious organisations over the past several years have issued numerous statements about the threats posed by changes caused by humans to the world’s climate. Roman Catholics, Jews, Mainline Protestants and most Evangelicals are united in seeing spiritual implications to the problems represented by human actions.

Speaking on behalf of the Roman Catholic bishops, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, from Washington, DC, declared, “climate change is a profoundly moral and spiritual problem.” Catholic bishops are very concerned and they will be promoting a new Climate Covenant. They will take the message on the seriousness of climate change to every Catholic parish in America.

Cardinal McCarrick’s statement reflects the position of Pope Benedict XVI who has spoken repeatedly about the climate problem. “Attention to climate change is a matter of grave importance for the entire human family," said Pope Benedict XVI before a gathering in Saint Peter’s Square.

Rabbi Warren Stone, representing the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care, and also serving as the environmental chair for the Central Conference of American Rabbis, declared, “Our religious traditions compel us to act boldly for justice. This is something we all share in common and it is a shared source of strength and inspiration upon which we must draw. There is no one fixed and no easy answer. Now is the time to act.”

Rabbi Stone will present these statements to the Office of Secretary Ban Ki-Moon and urge him to press for rapid and bold action to address the rising levels of greenhouse gases.

The Rev. Michael Livingston, president of the National Council of Churches, observed that “While not all of us agree on much,” the churches within the NCC “do agree on the need to protect God's creation. It has become clear that global warming will have devastating impact on those in poverty around the world.”

The Rev. Owen Owens, past chair of the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Working Group and co-chair for the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care, emphasised the importance of addressing climate change. “This is one of the most serious issues society faces.” The way each person lives is at the root of the problem. “Pursuing a wise and responsible lifestyle becomes a moral and ethical issue on which churches have a responsibility to speak.” This, he explained, is why every major religious organisation has a statement on climate change and calls for strong action to hold off this threat to the future welfare of our planet.

Dr. Thomas English, the Creation Care Educator for the Presbyterian Church (USA), from San Diego, Calif., states that the midrange predictions of global warming will result in a mass extinction of plants and animals by the end of the present century. This mass extinction will profoundly disrupt the food web for people over the entire Earth. The accompanying starvation would likely lead to global thermonuclear warfare.

Dr. Thomas English, Creation Care Educator of the Presbyterian Church (USA), from San Diego, Calif., states that the midrange predictions of global warming will result in mass extinctions of plants and animals by the end of the century. These extinctions will profoundly disrupt the food web for people over the entire Earth. This unprecedented collapse of food supply will lead to a collapse of the economic system of many countries. People will attempt to ease their suffering and starvation by migration to other countries. Global migration will increase international tensions causing nations to war with one another. The accompanying starvation would undoubtedly lead to thermonuclear warfare. This catastrophe can be avoided by the world’s leaders taking action now to halt the increases of greenhouse gases.

Evangelicals too have addressed the climate problem, although with a less consistent voice. Three years ago, 86 top U.S. evangelical Christian leaders launched the Evangelical Climate Initiative, which calls upon all Christians to push for legislation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The Rev. Ted Haggard, past president of the National Association of Evangelicals, stated, “There is no doubt about it in my mind that climate change is happening, and there is no doubt that it would be wise for us to stop doing the foolish things we're doing that could potentially be causing this. In my mind there is no downside to being cautious.”

Mrs. Connie Hanson, an evangelical Presbyterian and president of Christians Caring for Creation, in Pasadena, California, urged strong action by those in Copenhagen. “Climate change is already disrupting the lives of many people and it is threatening many of God's precious creatures, often the most vulnerable of the Lord's children.”

The Rev. Richard Cizik, former vice president for the National Association of Evangelicals, estimates that about 84 per cent of evangelicals already support mandatory limits on greenhouse gases. He has said that this is not a matter of political persuasion so much as “moral leadership.”

Eastern Orthodox Christians are also concerned about climate change. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has convened a series of international symposia to study environmental problems generally and climate change specifically. His findings have led him to declare that climate change is “a profoundly moral and spiritual problem.” “We paternally urge every person to realise their responsibility and to do whatever they can to avert the increase of the earth’s temperature.”

Following the lead of Patriarch Bartholomew, the Rev. John Chryssavgis, from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, says that there is no longer room for negotiating with nature. “At the Copenhagen Summit, we must assume courageous initiatives in our attitudes to and treatment of the earth's resources and assume generous leadership in supporting the burden of the poor.”

Rabbi Warren Stone, representing North American Jewish organizations, from Washington, DC, observed that Copenhagen will serve as a stage for the next step in the world’s response to climate change. “We are called by our religious traditions to serve as a bold voice for justice. Climate change will have a dramatic impact on hundreds of millions of the poorest people on our planet, especially those who live in coastal areas.

“In Judaism there is a profound and powerful mandate for caring for the Earth. In a world where matters of faith often seem to divide us, there is no issue which aligns us more deeply than our shared dependence upon this tiny planet.

“It is our moral responsibility to the world community,” continued Rabbi Stone, “to take decisive action now! A treaty and legislation, though helpful, will not be enough. We need to change our way of life toward sustainability. Religious communities understand the importance of spiritual values as guiding our choices. We need to shift the way we live toward more sustainability. Our common future demands nothing less. Now is the time for a cultural shift in our way of living.”

Statements in the packets for delegates, assembled by the new national religious coalition, will represent the positions of Mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, Evangelicals, Jews, Southern Baptists, Eastern Orthodox Christians and United Methodists, among others, all of whom have strong statements regarding the importance of action to hold off climate change.

The National Religious Coalition on Creation Care