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Wake Up World

Introduction

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“Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awake ……. So let us not return to what was normal, but reach toward what is next.” from New Day’s Lyric by Amanda Gorman.

Our intention is to provide a curriculum that can be distributed to local faith communities and taught by volunteers with no particular expertise in climate science. We hope to provide the basic science agreed upon by the majority of climate scientists, plus additional resources for those who would like to delve deeper. We sense a moral, economic, and national security imperative for all of us to become educated on this important topic. Our belief is that a basic education of the current situation leads to greater motivation to action, rather than greater despair. A 2021 UN global poll found that 2/3 of the world’s population know that climate change is a global emergency. And from that same poll, that in Europe 90% of the young people know it is the world’s greatest threat. And yet a study at Yale University showed that only 35% of the US population ever talk about it. Our hope is that this introductory study will help people move beyond awareness and despair to hope and action. We remember that each part of the problem is also an opportunity for action.

The Authors

Anita Dygert-Gearheart, MSW, ACSW, LCSW
From early childhood my parents instilled in me a deep love of the natural world. My life experiences instilled a deep love for humanity and led to my becoming a clinical social worker. This ecological crisis combines my love for nature and humanity, understanding that we are all part of this incredible home we call Earth. It is my hope that this small study will motivate others to join in responding to this crisis.
Dr. M. Robert Dygert-Gearheart, Ordained United Methodist Minister, Doctor of Ministries
I was ordained a United Methodist minister in 1969 where I served in the Indiana Conference for 42 years. Now I realize that we are awakening to a new scenario, one that will determine the fate of the global community. While we weren’t aware, now we are awake to a defining moment in human history. This existential crisis of our ecological system demands we step through in unity, all together. I have always believed faith communities to be portals where we, together, can bind the broken and heal the injured. Let us look together at what we face as a global community as, truly, this is a moment of liminality (standing on the threshold).

How This Curriculum Came To Be

One day in early 2020 we were driving through rural southern Arizona and happened to tune in a podcast by Terry Patten interviewing Peter Russell. We were introduced to the idea that the earth is on a collision course with destruction without much hope. Later we heard Margaret Wheatley say the same. Finally, we checked out the website of Michael Dowd, a retired minister who was sounding the alarm. Now we were standing at attention and by 2021, in lockdown mode from the corona virus, we decided to spend some time tackling for ourselves an understanding of the so-called climate crisis. Was it nothing to really worry about, a gentle warming of the climate, an existential crisis, or actually a predicament beyond solution? We were concerned at various moments in our lives when we heard about acid rain, a hole in the ozone, etc., but life always got in the way and we assumed others would solve the problem.
Now we had time to delve more deeply, and it seemed a good endeavor for 2021. We contacted friends and family from various parts of the U.S. and started a book study which would illuminate our understanding and, in many ways, change how we live our lives. We devoured books, podcasts, documentaries, articles, hungry for understanding. We wanted to sort out the science from politics, realizing the issue was becoming more politicized each day, so we were careful in our selection of books. Reading a book written in 1980 by an ecology professor seemed counterintuitive, but it had been so highly recommended, we forged ahead with William Catton’s book, Overshoot, the Ecological Basis of Evolutionary Change. This book gave us language for our concerns, a better ecological perspective on what is happening with our world, and where we as humans fit in. We began to see ourselves as “Homo colossus” living in an “age of exuberance” in the “anthropocene era”, “fouling our nest” in the name of “perpetual progress” (all terms used by Dr. Catton). This book was to be our introduction to the connection between the human experience and the earth’s ecosystem. Professor Catton awakened in us a desire to more fully understand how we, as humans, fit with all forms of life and with the current ecological crisis.
The second book we read, “There is No Planet B, A Handbook for the Make or Break Years” by Mike Berners-Lee, published first in 2019 and revised in 2021, offers a clear perspective of the challenges at hand and the impact of our daily life choices.
When we read and discussed “How Change Happens: Why Some Social Movements Succeed While Others Don’t” by Leslie Crutchfield, we felt a strong affinity with the need for a true grassroots movement to educate in order to motivate many of us to action. Having been involved in the United Methodist faith all of our lives, our first thought was of faith communities as one vehicle for education.
Other books, podcasts, sermons, documentaries, articles, and classes offered us a plethora of ideas and opinions regarding causes and outcomes related to this crisis. Many authors are looking at the science and projecting outcomes. Some, like Bill Gates, predict that human ingenuity and technological advances will lead the way to solutions. Others, like Charles Eisenstein, suggest that a major cultural shift is needed. And there are those more pessimistic about the probable outcomes. A list of books and documentaries can be found in the additional resource section on our website
www.wakeupworld.earth
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, and we hope it will help you in selecting reading, listening, watching and study materials, should you desire to explore further.
After a year of reading, watching, listening, exploring, discussing, taking classes, while we are certainly not subject matter experts and have a lot more to learn, we are clear that the climate crisis is real and increasingly a part of all of our lives. For the sake of this and future generations, we believe we collectively have the responsibility and ability to confront this crisis. This prompted us to develop a curriculum for adult education programs. We offer it with the wish that we all might learn and act together. We join the well-known climate scientist, Katharine Hayhoe, in saying: “climate change is real; humans are responsible; the impacts are serious; we need to act now.”

A Word about Language:

In this introduction, we have used various terms (ecological crisis, global warming, climate change, climate crisis, existential crisis) to describe the impact that the warming of our atmosphere is having and will have on our entire ecosystem. From here on for simplification we will use the terms climate change and climate crisis. Each class will include a glossary of terms specific to the climate crisis and relevant to that class. Feel free to browse ahead and take a look at those terms, if questions come up as you review this introduction.

This Isn’t a Question of Faith, Or Is It?

We have attempted to create a curriculum that can be helpful to persons of any faith, religious belief, or spiritual tradition. If you are a human being living on planet earth, then you have the requirements for participation in this 6-class study. Whatever your belief system, it will likely have the potential to encourage your faithfulness in learning about the crisis at hand and what you can do to mitigate it, adapt to it, and preserve the earth for future generations.

Why Would We Choose the Adult Laity of Churches For Education About The Climate Crisis?

Our answer is four-fold:
Churches represent a large established community of people who can talk and study together.
Adult education is an established part of most churches.
A social and organizational structure is in place providing a place to meet and resources.
The UMC and most other faiths have social principles and support from their leaders regarding our human responsibility to care for the earth, as well as a Biblical/theological understanding of our role as caretakers of God’s creation.

Is This Curriculum for You As A Facilitator?

It is our intention to provide all of the materials you will need to facilitate this class without becoming a climate scientist. Additional resources for you can be found on the website
www.wakeupworld.earth
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. What you do need is interest in the subject, curiosity to learn more, and a willingness to share with others. We anticipate that it will take you a couple of hours of weekly preparation time to become familiar with the lesson material and preview the videos, plus 1 ½ to 2 hours of class time. Participants should also have this material in paper or e-format. To reduce the length of the classes, participants can read the material and view the videos ahead of time and meet for 45-60 minutes of discussion. You are welcome to experiment to find ways to make it more available to your community.

Is This Curriculum for You As A Participant?

We have developed this curriculum for those who are concerned about what is happening with our world, for those who see and hear ideas and words bantered about in the media and are looking for a place to be responsibly introduced to the topic. It will require a couple of hours of your time for each class, an openness to new ideas, sharing and listening to others, and perhaps a willingness to move through despair to hope. It is for anyone who wants to begin the process of waking up to the reality of the climate crisis. If you would prefer to study this curriculum on your own, an individual study guide is included on the website
www.wakeupworld.earth
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.

Intended Outcomes for This Curriculum

Participants will finish with a basic understanding of what the majority of climate scientists today agree is happening to our ecosystem.
Participants will be able to better understand and critically evaluate what they see and hear regarding the climate crisis.
Participants will be able to see how the breadth of concern also provides breadth of opportunity for action in our everyday lives and decisions.
Participants, though initially they may feel fear or despair, will be moved to take actions that will lead to a sense of agency and hope.
If your participants have children or grandchildren, they will be able to talk to them in a meaningful way about the climate crisis, realizing that young people are often further along on the road to understanding the climate crisis than many adults. They need us to be educated and help them find meaningful action which can reduce the fear, anxiety, depression and hopelessness many of them are feeling.
Participants will begin to become comfortable talking about the climate crisis with friends and families.

In Addition, These Are Hoped for Outcomes:

Individual learning could lead to individual, family and church actions that affect the climate crisis. Green teams could be established in your faith community.
Communities of concern could be created that would impact larger systems beyond the church, such as governments, corporations and organizations. Many such communities exist in the form of organizations and connections to some of those organizations can be found on the website
wakeupworld.earth
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.
Mitigation and adaptation could become a part of parishioner and church life, changing the way we live, growing in harmony with the needs of the planet and all of life. Many of us could become “earth advocates” and “earthkeepers”.
This is not a Bible Study and Biblical reference only occurs in the first class. This is intentional to make it ecumenical among various faiths. Please feel free to add other worship materials to the classes, as seems most meaningful for your group. We recommend six two-hour meetings to cover this material, although you may find other ways to divide up the classes. Additional scripture references, poetry, songs, and quotes can be found on the website
www.wakeupworld.earth
⁠
.
We are creating this in 2022. Much new research is underway and improved understandings and discoveries are happening daily. If you find information in this study that conflicts with new data being reported, that is to be expected. Rather than becoming overwhelmed with the complexity of the situation, adjust your own learning as you delve more deeply into the climate crisis. Use your critical thinking skills and move to action.

A Preface for Beginning This Study

The two-hour time allotment suggested for each class is an estimate. The facilitator may want to encourage participants to read through the class material before coming to class, and to make a few notes regarding the questions for discussion. This is a lot of information to absorb. We have tried to simplify it, but it is a complex subject and one that can be emotionally challenging. You may find it helpful to add an extra half hour after the class for those who would like to stay around and chat to help process their emotional response. We have found that our emotions changed as we progressed through study and increased understanding. Initially, we felt overwhelmed, depressed, discouraged, anxious, guilty and ready to give up. But as we gained greater understanding of what we could do about this crisis, we began to feel hopeful, energized, encouraged and challenged to take action. Four steps you might consider are:
Wake up: open our eyes and ears and minds to understand the problem before us.
Take Heart: find support for our emotions of guilt, overwhelm, depression, anxiety and others.
Connect: with nature, friends, family, your faith/spiritual community.
Take Action: to care for yourself and others, to mitigate the crisis, to adapt. You can be a part of the solution.
Find what you love and begin to fix what we have broken. We believe that knowledge leads to power and action to a sense of agency. We hope you will join us on this journey.
Underlying this curriculum are the following beliefs:
Individuals can make a difference, especially as part of a large grassroots movement which you are helping to create just 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. Sharing our thoughts and stories with friends, family, acquaintances and on social media can help bring about needed change.

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