I read the very recent report on climate change issued by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Just typing those words make me fear folks will roll their eyes and fast forward their reading or simply skip to a more interesting sports story. If you are old and perhaps in your 80s or 90s, you are safe. You probably can do nothing and have nothing to worry about. You will be dead before things get bad. But if you care about your grandkids and their future and all the rest of the kids in this world, then it is time to sit up, read and be ready to act. It is not too late, but the clock is ticking on real problems in our world.
I am not an alarmist and am basically an optimistic person. Now is not the time for fear, but for faith. And even more, it is time for faith to become action. And if you are capable of some leadership, this is a great time for you to move forward into that role. I know that reading about something as humongous as climate change can seem so huge, we shrink in the face of doing anything. However, this is not the time for shrinking, but for striking out on the road to our desired future. And this says nothing about what God might want from us. It is good to remember our call is to be co-creators, not sole destroyers!
To help me think about this, I was pleased to read the article written by Brian Roewe. He took the pulse of a number of religious and non-profits leaders immediately after the panel issued its findings. I would like a share some of their responses and suggest ways we might join our voices to theirs and, perhaps, find some ways to move into some action. Essentially what we face is the critical threshold of the point of impending change, “at which scientists say irreversible changes in ecosystems will occur, putting millions of people at risk.” It is time to step back from this suicidal spot.
I know there are many people much more aware of and capable of leading me into the thinking and action I see ahead for many of us. Some of these folks are religious leaders and others come from a scientific and/or activist background. I will share a few thoughts from them in order to help us see how to move forward. One person’s name that emerged is Fletcher Harper. I did not know him, but find him to be an interesting guy. He is an Episcopal priest and executive director of GreenFaith. GreenFaith is described as an “interfaith environmental organization that conducts education and advocacy, and provides sustainability services, to faith-based groups.” He seems legitimate, since he graduated from Princeton and then Union Theological Seminary---two very fine institutions.
In the article we are told that “Harper knows climate change presents an emergency to humanity, and that much must be done quickly to avoid mass catastrophe. But for him, the takeaway wasn't the end times the climate problem presents, but the good news that solutions represent.” I very much like this perspective and attitude. Right now does no good to yell about apocalyptic times and perceive God’s damnation in the making. We don’t need scare tactics; we need solutions and the ability to motivate folks to action.
Later in the article, Harper comments. “To me, the conundrum behind so much of this is that so many of those changes are possible and good…Everybody frets as if these changes represent the end of living well, when, in fact, the opposite is true. This is our pathway to a positive future.” It is encouraging to see a pathway. That gives us some direction and motivation to get with it---get moving. It does no good to spend valuable time complaining or being pessimistic. I can imagine God wants some changes in how we are living, but at the same time God wants us to figure out how to live well. Life is not designed to be miserable.
I like it that Fletcher Harper is involved in a spiritual community. I have waltzed in and out of Episcopalian circles for years, so I am good with that. I don’t mind taking my lead from some guy from Princeton! Listen to his admonition to us. “What religious communities need to do is to say we find hope in action on this…No more words. We know what needs to be done. Hope will come from action.” He cites two ways we can proceed. We can raise awareness about climate science. And we can begin “lobbyi!ng for stronger responses from society.” I can do both of these. In fact, simply by writing about this, I am trying to move off center and get with it.
I also know that individual action is compounded when it originates in and is supported by community. Not all of us will be Episcopalians nor join GreenFaith. That does not matter. But we will be better and stronger if we can be located with a group of folks who help us---in multiple ways. If you don’t have a community, create one or join one.
When I read this United Nations’ report early one morning as I sat alone drinking coffee, I felt some immediate alarm. But reading this article and bumping into someone like Fletcher Harper makes me feel better and hopeful. Climate change is an urgent, but doable, call to action. Climate change means time to change. I am ready and hopeful.
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. ...
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