Coordinator: Jim Ryan
Phone: 303-825-4910
e-mail: jryan@americanisp.net
1. State Training Event - Schedule and link to on-line registration
2. Religious Leaders' Statement on Global Climate Change
The Colorado Interfaith Climate Change Campaign will hold a Training Event for clergy and laity of congregations on Oct. 24-25 (Wed. 1:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.& Thus. 9:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m.) at 1st Plymouth UCC, Hampden & S. Colo. Blvd. (3501 S. Colorado Blvd., Englewood, CO 80110). The keynote speaker is Rev. Sally Bingham of Grace Episcopal Cathedral, San Francisco. Other speakers will be Dr. Robert Harris from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Jerry Kotas from the National Renewal Energy Labs, Karl Rabago from the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Dr. Laurie Johnson, an economist from the University of Denver.
The goals of the Colorado Interfaith Climate Change Campaign:
The agenda of the Oct. 24-25 event is as follows:
COLORADO RELIGIOUS LEADERS' STATEMENT
ABOUT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
We, members of the Colorado faith community, express our concern for the proper stewardship of God's creation. It is from our faith perspective that we approach environmental and justice issues. We express our concern that human irresponsibility is contributing to accelerating global climate change, producing negative impact on ecological balance. Our primary concern is to protect the value of life, which is a manifestation of God's creative process on Earth.
We have been heartened by the growing efforts of religious, scientific, business, and governmental leaders from around the world to address the threat of accelerating global climate change. As scientists develop measurement models for the human impact on climate, there is mounting evidence of a threat to life. We recognize that scientists have not yet fully separated the climate system's natural random variability from human-generated variability. Yet there is significant scientific consensus that human-generated greenhouse gases are impacting global climate change. We also know that our human ability to generate additional greenhouse gases is orders of magnitude greater than the Earth's spontaneous capacity to reverse our actions. This makes any delay on our part increasingly irresponsible and problematic. The threat of accelerating global warming has been sufficiently documented to require action as an ethical responsibility. It would be imprudent to do nothing in the face of this grave threat to God's creation, our well-being, and that of our descendants.
Moral and religious principles of justice are involved because human destructiveness is threatening God's creatures, both human and non-human. We are concerned that global warming will lead to greater weather extremes, the inundation of low-lying land by rising seas, destruction of habitat, increased disease, and extinction of species. The industrialized nations are primarily responsible for the huge increase of greenhouse gases. Yet burdens caused by floods and droughts fall disproportionately upon the most vulnerable of our planet's people: the poor, sick, elderly, and those who will face still greater threats in future generations. Increasing weather extremes would threaten the homes, safety, and agricultural livelihood of those living on islands and low-lying coasts.
Most religious traditions
proclaim the need to seek justice and to care for creation. We lift up a few
examples.
• "The Earth
is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." (Psalm 24:1)
• "Justice, and only justice, you shall follow..." (Deuteronomy 16:20)
• "You shall
love your neighbor as yourself..." (Leviticus 19:18 and Matthew 22:39)
• "...I was
hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was
a stranger and you did not welcome me; naked and you did not clothe me ... as
you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me." (Matthew
25:42-45)
• "...do no
mischief on the earth after it has been set in order that will be best for you
if ye have faith." (Quran 7:85)
• A Sioux prayer:
"Great Spirit, fill us with the Light. Give us the strength to understand and
the eyes to see. Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live."
As people of faith whom God calls to be stewards of creation, we are eager to join the effort in Colorado for a climate change campaign. That effort will work to protect creation and bring pressure against the causes of the human impact on climate change. We affirm a grave responsibility to protect the well-being of our descendants. We call on the religious community to use its voice and actions to undergird the scientific consensus with a moral consensus.
In the Hebrew account of Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph called on the Pharaoh to use seven years of plenty to prepare for seven years of drought. Likewise we are now called to take responsible precautionary action to limit global warming and to promote justice for those effected by global climate changes. We believe that people of faith can help bring about effective policies that protect God's creation and promote justice for all people.
As people of faith seeking to be true to our understanding of God's intentions for creation, we affirm our concern for environmental issues and human justice issues. We resolve to "choose life so that you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) We call on people of faith to provide prophetic and committed leadership on the issue of global climate change.