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Class 1: Faith & The Climate Crisis

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1. Developing A Common Language

CLIMATE can be described as the average weather around the globe or a statistical description of global weather over a period of months, years, or decades. Climate measurements include temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, storm patterns, and other meteorological phenomena throughout the globe. Climate is naturally variable regardless of human activity. Scientific discussions have focused on the extent to which human activity can affect the climate. CLIMATE CHANGE refers to a significant change in the above statistical measures, such as changes in surface and ocean temperature, precipitation, storm and wind patterns, and other phenomena over a period of decades, centuries, or millennia. In the public debate, the term climate change may be used interchangeably with the theory that human activity contributes to and/or is responsible for global warming and subsequent changes in the climate since the Industrial Revolution. (
Climate 101 from The Climate Reality Project
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)
GLOBAL WARMING VS. CLIMATE CHANGE: Many people use these two terms interchangeably, but we think it’s important to acknowledge their differences. Global warming is an increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature from human-made greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, climate change refers to the long-term changes in the Earth’s climate, or a region on Earth, and includes more than just the average surface temperature. For example, variations in the amount of snow, sea levels, and sea ice can all be consequences of climate change. (The Climate Reality Project)
WEATHER vs. CLIMATE. It’s all about timing when it comes to differentiating
weather and climate
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. Weather refers to atmospheric conditions in the short term, including changes in temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, wind, and visibility. While the weather is always changing, especially over the short term, climate is the average of weather patterns over a longer period of time (usually 30 or more years). So the next time you hear someone question climate change by saying, “You know it’s freezing outside, right?”, you can gladly explain the difference between weather and climate. (The Climate Reality Project)
We, the authors, have chosen to use the term CLIMATE CRISIS in these classes to emphasize the urgency associated with global warming and climate change. You will see all three terms used interchangeably in the popular press.

2. The Biblical & United Methodist Church Mandate For Care Of The Earth

Video by Climate Scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
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What does the Bible say? Genesis 2:7-8 (New English Version)
“God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Thus, man became a living creature. Then God planted a garden. Then God took the man and put him in the garden….to till it and care for it.”
The human from the humus, a dusty creature blessed with a forever connection with the soil, called to be its caretaker.
What do the United Methodist Social Principles advise?
Following are quotes from the 2020 social principles regarding creation. These are scheduled to be adopted at the next general conference. We have lifted pertinent portions from COMMUNITY OF ALL CREATION:
From the Preface
Human beings, nonhuman animals, plants, and other sentient and nonsentient beings participate in the community of creation, and their flourishing depends on the care of all God’s creation. Rather than treating creation as if it were placed here solely for humanity’s use and consumption, we are called to practice responsible stewardship and to live in right relationship with the Creator and with the whole of God’s creation. ……
We acknowledge that unsustainable human activities have placed the entirety of God’s creation in peril. Further, we confess that the degradation and wholesale destruction of the natural environment threatens unprecedented harm, bringing danger to human and nonhuman life alike.
From Stewardship of Creation
A. Environmental Racism
We confess that the negative impacts resulting from the degradation of the natural world have fallen disproportionately on marginalized communities, including indigenous tribes, religious and ethnic communities, people living in poverty, and other vulnerable groups…..
B. Sustainable Policies and Practices
Sustainability is crucial to the development of ecologically sound policies and practices that seek to restore balance to the natural world and end the disruptive relationships between humanity and the rest of God’s creation…..
C. Food Justice
Food systems that are ecologically sustainable, locally oriented, and equitably distributed are urgent priorities……
D. Caring for All Creatures
We support the respectful and humane treatment of animals, who are crucial participants in God’s ongoing creation and of inherent worth…… We decry the mass extinctions currently underway and call for the adoption of sustainable policies and practices that allow both animal and human life to flourish.
F. Affirming Science and Traditional Wisdom
We affirm the value of science and reason in providing deeper understandings of the origins and functioning of the cosmos…...We also affirm the traditional wisdom found within indigenous communities…..This is just a small part of the social principles related to caring for creation.
From Creation in Peril
A. Destruction of Ecosystems……
Overconsumption, shortsighted policies, poor management of natural resources, and other unsustainable practices have severely impacted the fragile, natural ecosystems on which all of life depends… Further, the experiences and voices of people most at risk have largely been ignored.
B. Global Warming and Climate Change
Global warming and climate change are already creating extreme conditions that threaten the entirety of life on earth. Over-industrialization, widespread deforestation, and overreliance on fossil fuels are but some of the human activities that have contributed to the buildup of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the earth’s atmosphere……Without concerted action by individuals, churches, communities, shareholders, businesses, governments, and international organizations, the negative effects will become irreversible.
C. Dependence on Fossil Fuels
The burning of fossil fuels…. is the greatest single contributor to the buildup of greenhouse gases and the consequent warming of earth’s atmosphere.
We encourage you to read the entire document
HERE
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.:
What do our leaders preach?
The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church have voiced their concern and instructions for us through two letters, one in
2009
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and one in
2021
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3. How Can We Talk About The Climate Crisis?

Be curious. Come from the viewpoint of a learner rather than a knower. Be open to new ideas and willing to question what you believe.
Be respectful. Treat each person as worthy of your respect, even though they may have a differing opinion or belief.
Listen with your heart, as well as your head. Take time to hear what the other is saying.
Suspend your own assumptions and certainties.
Don’t interrupt (unless you are the facilitator and need to manage the time or the group dynamics to ensure participation.)
Maintain confidentiality. This helps to create a safe space for all to express their thoughts, feelings and beliefs.

4. An Introduction To The Climate Crisis

The world’s awakening to the climate crisis has emerged slowly but relentlessly. The crisis has not suddenly developed, but its understanding and clarity have increased and continue to increase. Following is an abbreviated history of key discoveries that have brought us to this point of understanding.
In the 1820s Joseph Fourier identified our planet’s natural blanket of greenhouse gases that makes life on earth possible by keeping it warmer than it would otherwise be.
In 1856 Eunice Newton Foote (followed three years later by John Tyndall) discovered the heat absorbing properties of carbon dioxide and water vapor.
In 1895 Arrhenius discovered that decreasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cools the earth’s temperature and increasing carbon dioxide warms the earth’s temperature.
In 1938 Guy Stewart Callendar published a paper noting a significant warming of the earth. He was the first to discover that the planet had warmed. This led to an interest in monitoring carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere.
In 1958 the Scripps Institution of Oceanography with Charles Keeling, a chemist, began to record carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This led to the development of the sawtoothed curve (think small up and down movements like a saw blade, and progressively moving up) showing a steady rise in carbon dioxide levels, today known as the Keeling Curve.
In the 1970’s computer climate modeling was introduced which projected that the doubling of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would increase the temperature by 2 degrees Celsius within the next century (2000-2100).
The early 1980’s saw a sharp increase in global temperature and 1988 recorded the hottest year on record at that time. Numerous droughts and wildfires were happening.
In 1988 the United Nations established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which brought scientists from all over the world together to provide a scientific view of climate change and its potential humanitarian, political, and economic impacts. The first report in 1990 underlined the importance of climate change as a challenge with global consequences requiring international cooperation. Studies predicted heat waves, drought, and more powerful hurricanes fueled by a rise in sea temperature, and melting of the glaciers at the poles leading to a sea rise that would by 2100 swamp coastal cities around the world. (We are now on our sixth IPCC report.)
In 1997 the world responded by adopting the Kyoto Protocol to stem the outflow of greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement among 41 countries plus the European Union was that between 2008 and 2012 each country would decrease emissions of greenhouse gases 5.2% below 1990 levels.
In 2001 President George W. Bush removed the USA from this treaty for fear it would hurt our economy.
In 2001 the IPCC issued its 3rd report on climate change. It included observed warming of the earth’s surface, attribution of observed warming to human activities, projected increases in future global mean temperature, rising sea levels, and increased frequency of heat waves. It emphasized the need for adaptation.
In 2006 An Inconvenient Truth, a book and a documentary, was published. It introduced global warming to the American public.
In 2015 the Paris Climate Agreement was signed by 197 countries that each agreed to set a target for carbon dioxide emission reduction and report their progress on an ongoing basis in order to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, considered a manageable level.
In 2016 President Trump withdrew the US from the Paris agreement.
In August 2018 Greta Thunberg, a young Swedish girl, started the “School strike for climate” in front of the Swedish Parliament which by November had grown to 17,000 students in 24 countries. Her actions have awakened many.
In October 2018 a new IPCC report indicated that rapid and far reaching actions were needed to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, enumerating changes in land use, energy creation, industry processes, buildings, transport and cities.
In August 2019 the UN Climate Summit in NYC agreed that 1.5 degrees Celsius is the socially, economically, politically and scientifically safe limit to global warming. And net zero emissions (emissions would be eliminated or offset by carbon reducing measures) by 2050 throughout the would be required to keep the increase to 1.5 degrees of warming.
In February 2022 the IPCC released its latest report (by 1000 physical and social scientists and approved unanimously by 195 countries) which said “that heat is killing more people, drought is killing more trees and warming oceans are killing more coral reefs. Without action, worse is coming and faster than scientists had thought. The good news is that a livable future remains within grasp…just. But the window of opportunity for action is brief and rapidly closing.” (The Guardian. Damian Carrington, Environment editor) The report stressed not only mitigation, but also adaptation.

Your Personal Understanding & Growth

For most of us, our personal awakening has been uneven, as well. As you can see from this small and incomplete history, voices as early as the 1800’s have offered information to draw attention to human impacts on our ecological system. Many of us, especially in the USA, have been insulated and isolated by the culture of abundance into which we were born. As we were living our lives, there seemed to be little to concern ourselves with beyond creating a full and blessed life. Few of us were aware of the cost of our lavish life-styles upon the well-being of the earth and all its inhabitants.
Many scientists, scholars, philosophers, inventors, entrepreneurs, religious leaders and others have and are now offering various predictions and potential solutions. Though they may differ, most agree that we are at a liminal moment, and our choices today will determine the future for humanity and the Earth.
“If people knew that the scientists say that we have a 5 percent chance of meeting the Paris target, and if people knew what a nightmare scenario we will face if we don’t keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, they wouldn’t need to ask me why I’m on school strike outside parliament. Because if everyone knew how serious the situation is and how little is actually being done, everyone would come and sit down beside us.” (Greta Thunberg, No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference. Penguin, 2019.)
Video: Project Drawdown’s "Climate Solutions 101, Unit 1, Setting the Stage"
This is one of 6 videos available
HERE
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Video: "The Tipping Point That Will Destroy The World" with George Monbiot
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Critical Beliefs Underlying This Curriculum

INDIVIDUALS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, ESPECIALLY AS PART OF A LARGE GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT WHICH YOU ARE HELPING TO CREATE BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS STUDY.
IN ADDITION TO INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY INFLUENCING GOVERNMENTS, CORPORATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH OUR VOTES, OUR VOICES AND OUR POCKETBOOKS.
TALKING ABOUT THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS CRITICAL. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND STORIES WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY, ACQUAINTANCES AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

Additional Resources For Further Study:

Video:
Joanna Macy: Climate Crisis As A Spiritual Path
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.
Website:
Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
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Climate Change Statements From World Religions
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Jewish Climate Action Network-MA
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“WHILE we struggle to cope with the COVID-19 Crisis, we cannot afford to ignore the ongoing Climate Crisis. Jewish tradition teaches that we humans are a single family, all related by common creation and descent, that we have responsibilities for the well-being of others, that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our sacred environment.”

Creation Justice Tips

The Creation Justice movement of the UMC is emerging to connect and support groups within the United Methodist church and beyond for the work of creation care, justice and regeneration. The Creation Care Tips are published on this website and you can access the entire list or sign up for a monthly email of tips and much more information about this important movement at
THIS WEBSITE
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Crys Zinkiewicz is the author of these tips. She created them as her project during her participation in the EarthKeepers training. You may want to check out the EarthKeepers training at
THIS WEBSITE
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:
It’s lunchtime! Do you hop in your car and head to an eatery? Lunch time traffic is the third “rush hour”! Could you walk somewhere, bring your food, or take four colleagues in one car? Lighten your stress! Lighten the load of carbon emissions Earth has to deal with.
Take the Last Straw Campaign Pledge (
creationcare.org
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). Unless you have a disability and need a straw, you can decline ones at restaurants. Just politely say, “I’m avoiding single-use plastics.” You’ve done two things: 1) The straw doesn’t end up in the ocean or landfill forever, and 2) your words get someone else to think about the problem—and a solution.
Plastic bottles or aluminum cans—does it matter which you choose? Yes! Technically, both are recyclable. However, due to multiple factors beyond putting it in the recycling bin, plastic is less likely to make it into new products. On the other hand, the systems for recycling aluminum are much more effective. Choose aluminum whenever you can.
Stop throwing away your single-use paper napkins. Instead use cloth ones and simply throw them in the wash with another load. Find some distinctive napkin rings to mark each person’s and reuse the napkins a day or two before washing. If you visit garage sales, you can likely rescue napkins and rings from being trashed.
Trees not only produce oxygen and clean and cool the air, they also absorb carbon dioxide, lessening the effects of burning fossil fuels. Assess your space at home and at church. The earth needs us to plant more trees!
A scientist steeped in the data of climate change grieved over the lack of action at the policy level. In the face of something big she couldn’t change, she committed to walking her children to school two days a week and also to riding her bike to work. She then put solar panels on her roof. She chose to take action where she could. “Little” things add up.
The #1 contributor to climate change is the drastic increase in the last 70 years in greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) for electricity, heat, and transportation. Drive less AND advocate for new laws at local, state, and federal levels that shift us to renewable energy sources.
Go low-flow! Conserve water by installing low-flow toilets, shower heads, and faucet aerators. Or place a jug of water or sand or a brick or two in the toilet tank to the lower the amount of water used.
Why wait for action at the national level? Go local. Over 100 Cities have committed to a timetable that moves them to 100% renewable energy. Read about the challenge and the response at
addup.sierraclub.org
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. Move your community to action.
Let there be light! LED (light emitting diode) bulbs are brighter, don’t produce heat, and use 90% less energy than incandescent ones. Costs are coming down, and the bulbs last longer. Retrofit your home and challenge your church to do the same.

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