Creation Corner Column, October 2021
Thoughts preceding COP 26 (UN Climate Change Conference)
COP26 (The Conference of the Parties), another name for it is the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, begins in Glasgow, Scotland, next month, the purpose of which is to "ratchet up ambition to mitigate climate change."
As it gets underway, the church may also ask itself what it is doing. Here are some suggestions for parishioners.
Ideas for upholding the integrity of the creation, derived from Leah Schade's book, "For the Beauty of the Earth: A Lenten Devotional", and its list of 50 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day. Chalice Press, 2019. https://chalicepress.com/products/for-the-beauty-of-the-earth-lent-devotional-perfect-bound
Call your local legislators today and ask their position on climate change. Tell them you are a Christian who votes on climate issues and ask them to support climate legislation.
Make a sign that you could carry or post, such as "Christians Care About Climate." "All God's Children Deserve a Healthy Planet." "If you mess it up, clean it up---Love, God."
Adjust your thermostat one degree to save on either heating or cooling costs (depending on where you live" and lessen your environmental impact.
During the prayers of the people, pray for Planet Earth and ask for people to be be united in caring for our common home.
Call your denominational head office and ask if they have divested from fossil fuels. If the answer is yes, thank them. If the answer is no, ask why. Tell them why this is important to you as a member of the church.
Borrow a copy of Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Si' from your local library or listen to it as an audio book. Notice the way he frames caring for Creation using theology, scripture, and the teachings of the church.
Find out what environmental legislation is currently under consideration in Congress. Call your representative and senators and encourage them to support the strongest protections for the planet.
Write a prayer of lament, confession, or intercession regarding Creation. Share it with your pastor and ask if it could be read at the service on Sunday.
Call your local mayor's office and ask if there is a task force for addressing climate preparedness. If there is, thank them and ask how you can help. If not, ask why. Share with them what you've learned about how climate change will likely affect your community.
If you have investments, look at where you have placed your money. Have you divested from fossil fuels? Have you invested in clean energy firms? How might you "green" your financial portfolio?
Line dry your clothes to minimize the use of your electric dryer. The average household can save up to $200 per year and reduce their carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds.
Reach out to organizations such as GreenFaith, Blessed Tomorrow, and Interfaith Power and Light to join environmental efforts with a wider coalition of interfaith religious climate activists.
Make a donation to a local environmental organization. Make it in honor of a special child in your life.
Air pollution, environmental toxins, and extreme weather events exact a heavy toll on neighborhoods already struggling with poverty, crumbling infrastructure, lack of access to good healthcare and nutrition, and neglected education systems. Connect with the Poor People's Campaign to learn more about how you can join with others to address the intersections of poverty, race, and environmental issues.
Pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907. Borrow a copy of her book Silent Spring from your local library or listen to it as an audiobook. What points of resonance do you notice from when she wrote it 1962? Think about why her work is still so relevant today and what she can teach us.
The book Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit helps pastors craft sermons that address environmental issues from a biblical and theological perspective. Purchase a copy to give to your pastor. Of if you are a clergyperson, get a copy for yourself to help you "green" your preaching.
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From The Green Bible: Understand the Bible's Powerful Message for the Earth come recommended actions for individuals and families (with general emphases, and those for oceans, health, endangered creatures, land conservation, how to be a deep green family and practical tips to get started). Here are some action ideas for churches:
Help your church hold a "Creation Sunday" worship service.
Start a Bible study on what the Bible says about the environment. Consider inviting people outside the church.
Get your church to conduct an energy audit and implement improvements.
Become a "sister congregation" with a church in a community where toxic waste or pollution threatens the health of church members.
Set up a booth at an environmental fair or Earth Day event, or plan one for your church (such as on St. Francis Day, yearly on October 4).
Adopt a local stream, park, or roadway for cleanup, monitoring, or restoration.
Identify an important environmental issue and visit or write letters to local, state, or national leaders about it.
Plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in places where shade and beauty are needed at your church.
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Preparations for the COP26 November event in Glasgow, Scotland include:
A Joint Statement, "Listen to the cry of the Earth" issued by leaders of the Roman Catholic Church (1.3 billion members, Pope Francis), Orthodox Church (85 million members, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I), and the Anglican Church (85 million members, Canterbury Archbishop Justin Welby).
Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition (Pre-COP Youth event) with such emphases as sustainable recovery, nature-based solutions, empowering and protecting the most vulnerable, driving innovation, entrepreneurship, adaptation and resilience, ambition, youth and local action.
In the U.S., in an effort to influence domestic policy, 3400 faith leaders have signed on to a petition from Interfaith Power & Light, asking for federal investments in expanding clean and renewable energy and modernizing our electric grid; electrifying transportation and expanding public transit; providing clean water infrastructure for all communities; and investing with justice.
The U.S. 2021 Climate Action Plan advanced by the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council, with 3 million members and on-line activists) preceded the Biden administration pledge to slash greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by the end of the decade, and to conserve 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.
Food and Water Action Watch advocates three solutions: a safe, sustainable food system; the right so clean affordable water; and powering the clean energy revolution.
The Environmental Defense Fund is spearheading reforms that will force businesses to disclose the growing financial risks of climate change. ExxonMobil shareholders voted to elect three new board members who have pledged to move the company away from fossil fuel production and toward a low-carbon future.
Climate displacement, potentially wiping out 15 percent of Pacific Islands with a one meter rise in the sea level, needs to be addressed at its cause by dramatically reducing greenhouse gases. Such displacement strategies need be devised by developed countries, and are being advanced by the Ocean Conservancy.
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