By LeeAnne Beres and Rev. Steve Grumm
Seattle P-I
February 01, 2007
Amen. That was the first word that came to mind after reading Mark Trahant’s Jan. 21 column calling for real solutions to climate change (“Moving climate debate into solution arena”).
As Trahant states, there is a clear scientific consensus that Earth is warming, and it’s high time that our political leaders take concrete action to reverse this dangerous trend. What he didn’t mention is that there is also a growing religious consensus that climate change is one of the largest — if not the largest — moral issue of our time.
People of faith are called to care for all of creation. Global warming puts human health and the health of all of the rest of Earth’s creatures at risk.
We know there already are more environmental refugees in the world than political refugees, and as sea levels continue to rise, even more people will lose their homes and livelihoods. The effect on wildlife is being felt now — polar bears are drowning as Arctic ice melts and orcas are starving due to failing salmon populations.
From a moral and ethical perspective, it is simply unacceptable to allow global warming to continue unchecked. The good news is that the Christian community is organizing to combat it, nationally and here in Washington. And politicians are listening.
More than 4,000 churches around the country hosted screenings of the global warming movie “An Inconvenient Truth” last October, including more than 20 churches in the Seattle area.
Discussion groups held since the screenings helped inspire church members to weigh in as Congress recently debated a bill to roll back $14 billion in oil industry subsidies and to create new investments in renewable and alternative energy sources.
The bill passed with a solid 60 percent majority. Seven of Washington’s congressional representatives voted for it, including all of the state’s Democrats and Republican Dave Reichert. This is the kind of courageous leadership needed to turn the tide on global warming, and should be applauded across the political spectrum.
Closer to home, seven of the state’s leading Christian organizations have joined together to put forward a unified social and environmental agenda for the current Legislature. The newly formed Religious Coalition for the Common Good has made combating global warming a priority, specifically endorsing HB 1303/SB 5586, the Clean Air/Clean Fuels bill.
This Clean Air/Clean Fuels bill delivers practical, profitable solutions to global warming by mandating a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption by state transportation fleets by 2020; providing incentives for Washington farmers to grow canola crops for biodiesel; and protecting kids by cleaning up dirty diesel school buses.
In his column, Trahant said science is reflecting a consistent story — a fact-based call to action. Christian values also reflect a consistent story — a faith-based call to action.
People of faith need to urge elected leaders in Congress and the Legislature to take concrete steps to stop global warming.
The religious community is ready and able to take on the challenge of global warming, trusting that our Creator is acting not only through us, but also through countless others, seen and unseen. We have faith that God will lift up and sustain us as we tackle this important mission.
LeeAnne Beres is executive director of Earth Ministry, an ecumenical Christian organization that engages people of faith in environmental stewardship; www.earthministry.org Rev. Stephen Grumm is minister of church and community of Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church in Ballard.