Thursday, March 13, 2014 Washington, DC The officers and members of the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care (NRCCC) thanks the thirty courageous senators who talked throughout Monday night, March 10th, into Tuesday morning from the floor of the United States Senate to call attention to the drastic climate disruptions caused by unchecked fossil fuel pollution. Their brave effort signals what we know in our hearts to be true: “the time for climate denial is over.” The time for Congressional action to make clean energy and renewable sources of energy more widely available is now. Human-made climate change should be of particular concern to those Americans who, like our group, believe that a Creator designed the universe and sparked its life. We are tasked by our Creator to be good stewards of this planet, and to pass its bounty on to the next generation. As all-nighter participant Sen. Angus King (I-ME) tweeted, “We dont own the planet, we have it on loan, and we have an obligation to pass it on in as good a shape or better as we received.” But too many of us remain asleep to the danger climate change poses to the next generation and all that would follow. This is a betrayal of a sacred trust. Eighty-four percent of Americans declare an affiliation with religion. Across all of the major faith organizations, there are clear and strong statements calling us to take steps that will moderate the effects of global climate change, the initial effects of which are already upon us. As people of faith speaking for ourselves as well as our institutions, we call on all state and congressional legislators to hear the religion. The time for denial is over. The time for climate action is now. For individuals who receive this announcement, please call your senator if he or she was one of those who stayed up all night and extend your thanks for their exemplary effort. If you senator is not on this list (see below), please call and encourage your senator to become aware of the urgency of action on climate change. The call to faith is more than rhetoric. We believe that as citizens, we are all called to preserve the gifts of the Creator and the integrity of the the natural systems of the planet. Yet our nation has been collectively blind to the warning signs that climate change is altering the ecological landscape, ignoring melting glaciers, acidifying oceans, intensifying storms plus the prospect of rising seas and increased suffering for the poor that are the direct result of rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Around the world, the poor and the marginalized are those who suffer the most as they become refugees when their coasts are swamped or deluged by intense tropical storms; when their homes are pummeled with unprecedented floods, blizzards, mudslides, wildfires, and droughts; when their waters are polluted from drilling, mining, fracking, and pipelines. But all too soon, wealth will offer no protection from the devastation of climate disruptions -- unless we rouse ourselves to protect our shared home. So thank you, senators. We stand with you in your call to action, and we call all people of faith to do the same. We stand ready to rise to the challenge of this historic moment. In this time of Lent for Christians and spring for all, we will begin to re-examine our lifestyles and economy and do some spring cleaning. Let us invest in what is life-giving and divest from fossil fuel industries and products as much as we can. It is time to make the shift to responsibility and love, to greater caring for the poor and for all of God’s creatures. It is time to make everyday choices which will preserve the fragile beauty of this world. Through this dedicated effort, our nation’s innovators will find economic opportunities, develop new technologies, and create new jobs by developing clean renewable sources of energy. The United States can and should become an industrial leader in the new era of creation care. The National Religious Coalition on Creation Care is a coalition of Catholics and Jews, Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, Eastern Orthodox and other organizations united in caring for God’s creation. In prayer and hope for united action, we can renew the face of the earth and be worthy of that sacred trust again. For further information, please contact Frederick Krueger (707) 573-3161 NRCCC.org
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 15:45:27 +0000
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