My major project at Protestants for the Common Good this summer is to help develop a curriculum on Faith and Global Warming for use with local churches. Right from the start, I was struck with how little I actually knew about global warming! I understood some of the basics, like: producing carbon dioxide and putting it into the atmosphere is a BAD thing. But, I really didn’t have a full appreciation for the delicate balance of creation which holds us all or the extent to which this balance is being altered by human activity. Neither did I realize the devastating impact that global warming is currently having on people around the world, especially the poor. Like many, I had a tendency to view it as a future threat, one step removed from more immediate concerns.
I also felt relatively powerless. I try to do the right things, at least much of the time. I’m pretty good about recycling, limit the amount of driving I do, and eat fairly low on the food chain. But, I was not convinced that my small actions (or even sacrifices) were having any impact at all. Coming across the “An Inconvenient Truth” website changed my mind. For example, did you know that the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year? Just unplugging electronics when they are not in use can make a huge difference! Check it out at www.climatecrisis.net
If an individual can have this kind of impact, think about what a congregation could do! The folks at The Web of Creation have done a lot of thinking about this already, and have developed several complete manuals for churches that are interested in becoming more “green.” This site also offers resources for worship and personal devotion, along with ideas for public ministry and political advocacy. Political advocacy is also a primary focus at PCG; more on this in my next post.
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