"The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." - Winston Churchill, 1936

In his recent movie, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore borrows this quote in which Churchill was referring to another looming crisis of our modern era, and applies it to the situation we now find ourselves in regarding global warming. You may remember that several months ago I posted my friend's review of the movie. Well, I just got the DVD myself as a present and had a chance to watch it the other day. While I already knew most of the facts presented, to see them illustrated with graphs and photos and hard evidence still just blew me away. Global warming is no longer just a theory, or a down-the-road possibility - it is a reality. We are already seeing the effects - from receding glaciers, to dried up lakes, to massive hurricanes.

In the past, for some inexplicable reason, this issue had gotten politicized into a liberal-conservative debate, with conservatives trying to deny that global warming even exists (or if it does, that it is just a natural cycle). While that opinion still exists, it is a rapidly diminishing minority. The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening, and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence. The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable. The question is not whether it is happening (the answer is yes) or whether we've caused it (again, yes), the question is what are we now going to do about it.

I'm glad to say that these days even conservative evangelical leaders are waking up to the urgency of this global crisis. This past year dozens of prominent evangelical leaders signed their names to the Evangelical Climate Initiative, affirming the following four statements:

1. Human-induced climate change is real
2. The consequences of climate change will be significant, and will hit the poor the hardest
3. Christian moral convictions demand our response to the climate change problem
4. The need to act now is urgent. Governments, businesses, churches, and individuals all have a role to play in addressing climate change — starting now.

It was the second of these statements that struck me the most when I saw the movie. It might be easy to see pictures of receding glaciers and shrinking lakes and think "So what? No big deal." But when you start to think about the human impact these changes are having, especially on the poorest members of the human family, suddenly it's more than just an environmental issue, it's a justice issue.

For instance, the receding glaciers in the Himalayas provide water for nearly 40% of the world's population, mostly in the developing world. If these glaciers disappear, there will be massive drought and water shortages across most of southern and eastern Asia.

And Lake Chad is right next door to Darfur, and has supplied water to that region for centuries. It is no coincidence that a region facing such dramatic climate change and the resulting resource shortages, is also plagued by ongoing war and genocide.

And I shouldn't even have to mention the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the poor and marginalized of our own society. Katrina was as massive as it was in part because the Gulf of Mexico is a lot warmer than it used to be - and warm oceans produce big hurricanes.

That's what I think a lot of people, Christian or otherwise, don't realize: caring for the environment isn't just for nature lovers and tree huggers. Caring for the environment is about caring for the least of these - for it is always the poor who suffer the most when we trash the natural wealth of Creation which God has given as a gift to all people - both rich and poor.

This global climate crisis is not something that can wait. We have to do something now. According to many scientists, we have less than 10 years before we start to see cataclysmic changes in the earth's climate. So what can we do? First, see the movie, if you haven't already. (If you live in my area, the Congregational Church out here in Yorkville is hosting a showing of it on February 18 that our church will also be attending.)

Second, spread the word. Host a showing of your own. Talk about it with other people. Write to your congressmen or women. Tell them that you care and you want them to do something about it. (They could start by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and repealing the grossly mis-named Clear Skies Act.) Personally, I'm working in conjunction with the Kendall Environmental Coalition to put on another Faith & Politics Forum in early March regarding Environmentalism and caring for God's Creation. Again, if you're in our area, come on out and join us for that.

Third, change your own habits to reduce your personal CO² output. The Inconvenient Truth website has a list of Ten Things to Do to reduce your carbon output. They include:

1. Using compact fluorescent light bulbs
2. Driving less
3. Recycling more
4. Checking your tires
5. Using less hot water
6. Not buying products with lots of packaging
7. Adjusting the thermostat
8. Planting a tree
9. Turning off electronic devices
10. Sending this list to others. Spreading the word.

If more and more people start to implement even a portion of this list, it could stem the tide and avert disaster. As they say on the website:

There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming. The time to come together to solve this problem is now!

Labels: social justice