Respecting God’s Creation Includes Stewardship of the Earth

Of course I had heard of
”
global warming,
”
the heating of earth’s atmosphere primarily due to
  burning  fossil fuels, which causes increased carbon dioxide
in the air.  But I had never paid much attention to the problem. 
Then, in July of 2001, my family and a friend traveled to New
Zealand.  There, in the dead of their winter, we visited the famous
Franz Josef Glacier.
Of course I had heard of “global warming,” the heating of earth’s atmosphere primarily due to  burning  fossil fuels, which causes increased carbon dioxide in the air.  But I had never paid much attention to the problem.  Then, in July of 2001, my family and a friend traveled to New Zealand.  There, in the dead of their winter, we visited the famous Franz Josef Glacier.

Standing on the viewing platform (which was originally adjacent to the great ice mass), I saw the glacier had badly receded, about a half-hour’s walk away.  This experience suddenly made the problem clear to me.

Recently I attended a free showing of former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.”  It was sponsored by the Social Justice Committee of San Jose’s Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church, one of some 200 congregations where the film was being shown that week.

It was quite an impressive experience .  Through words and visual representations, the film makes a case for the existence of global warming.  Gore attempts to rebut some common misconceptions about the issue:

n There really is little debate about the existence of global warming.  More than 900 scientific studies have documented its presence.  According to a recent story in the San Francisco Chronicle, Gov. Schwarzenegger said, “The debate whether humans are changing the climate is over.” Sen. John McCain said, “The science linking human activity to global warming is overwhelming.” Even President Bush recently called global warming “a serious problem.”  Still, protesters after the movie distributed copies of an article decrying the warnings of global warming as “the Scare of the Century.”

n We don’t need to choose between the economy and the environment. Conservation of petroleum will lead to cheaper, sustainable  technologies, and it will free our country from relying on Mideast oil supplies.

n The problem isn’t too big to do anything about. We know how to move from dependence on petroleum, but we lack the political will.

The dramatic footage of problems caused by global warming were convincing: 

n Before and after photos of the Arctic and other locations suffering ice melting

n Invasive species damaging habitat because of warmer climates

n Bleached coral reefs causing changes in fish habitat.

This film presentation was part of a “religious response to global warming” being waged by Interfaith Power and Light, a nonprofit ministry that believes the religious community must lead by example and help save creation from its enduring impact.  Its work across the country has had many tangible effects, among them:    

n Twelve religious congregations in Illinois now purchase energy from a wind farm, eliminating 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

n In Michigan, the organization helped a Catholic church conduct an energy audit.  After investing $150,000 in new equipment, the church has cut its annual energy costs in half.

Another documentary is being offered to religious congregations. “Too Hot Not to Handle” is produced by Home Box Office and will be shown to 4,000 religious groups, including 368 in California according to a recent story in the San Jose Mercury News. 

The National Council of Churches, an ecumenical organization of 35 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches with 45 million members is also working on this issue.  A recent statement from the group says, “We believe that church stewardship includes a deep concern for God’s creation. Protecting communities from carbon pollution and the impacts of global warming is a moral and religious responsibility.”

For a list of California congregations that are participating in the global discussion, go to www.interfaithpower.org.