Climate Change Is a Spiritual and Moral Issue
Perspective From the Olympian August 8, 2009
Carol McKinley
During South Sound’s recent period of more than 90 degree weather, I sought relief in my favorite air-conditioned coffee shop, enjoying the cool air as I read and sipped a tall iced Americano. One fellow refugee from the heat turned to me and said, “This really makes me a believer in global warming!”
July’s heat wave may or may not be a result of global warming, but it is a dramatic reminder that this community, and this planet, are experiencing shifts in weather patterns – shifts that affect the lives of our neighbors in the Boisfort Valley and along the Chehalis or Skokomish rivers, as well as the lives of our more distant neighbors in New Orleans and, paradoxically, the drought-ravaged Sudan.
The impact of human-caused climate change, especially from carbon emissions, is not only reported in anecdotal accounts, but documented in numerous scientific studies. Increasingly, politicians as well as environmentalists are uniting to bring awareness to the climate crisis, rallying people to call on world governments to respond to the environmental and human impact of global warming.
Religious leaders also are speaking out, addressing the moral and spiritual implications of human-induced climate change. They decry the suffering of victims of drought, flooding, devastating fires, and famine. All religions follow the moral imperative: love your neighbor.
That perspective is shared by many activists working on environmental issues. Roger Gottlieb, professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, put this way: “Bringing our prophetic voices to the environmental crisis is part of what we do as religious communities. The way we treat the Earth is the way we treat each other.”
Here in South Sound, members of faith communities will come together to urge decision makers to act with urgency on the climate crisis. They will gather Saturday, October 24, for the International Day of Climate Action. Inspired by the work of environmentalist Bill McKibben, the mission of this event is create and build on a sense of urgency.
October 24 events focus on the number 350, which is the carbon dioxide parts per million that scientists have identified as the upper limit for Earth’s atmosphere. When world leaders meet in Copenhagen in December to draft a new global treaty on emission, faith traditions want their perspectives brought to the conference as well. Many October 24 activities will focus on encouraging people to speak out on the climate crisis, and to urge adoption of the 350 parts per million carbon dioxide limit.
In Thurston County, faith activists are planning to Bike and Walk for Climate Change Awareness on October 24. Organizers anticipate that at least 350 families and individuals will bike or walk a short route on the Chehalis Western Trail from Lacey’s Bush Park to the Chambers Lake trailhead, where an information fair and celebrate will occur. Participating groups are: Washington State Unitarian Universalist Voices for Justice, Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and Earth Care Catholics.
Adults and children from all faith communities and community groups are invited to bike and walk, as well as to participate in planning for October 24. For more information, contact Carol McKinley, 360 786-8074, coordinator@uuvoiceswa.org.
The Reverend Carol McKinley serves as Coordinator of Washington State Unitarian Universalist Voices for Justice, a statewide legislative advocacy organization, and is an affiliated community minister of Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation.