Environmental Justice & Global Warming

Introduction

Our Seventh Principle calls us to affirm and promote "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." More than just a recognition of ecological interdependency, the seventh principle affirms our spiritual value that all beings are all mutually dependent. Where some of us suffer disproportionately, we are all diminished.

Our misuse of our world and its resources affects us all, in polluted air, water, and food and loss of arable land, species diversity and beauty. Often, many of us view such degradation as a trade-off for the benefits that we enjoy. Environmental justice is the recognition that this degradation disproportionately harms the poor and marginalized even though they have less access to the benefits and less to little control over how such resources are used. The harm is long-lasting, affecting the health, livelihoods, and cultures of people of color and the dispossessed. Thus, sustaining the environment is a social justice issue.

This is especially true of global warming/climate change. As weather patterns change, causing drought in some areas and flooding in others, poorer peoples lack the resources to compensate for/avoid these disasters and bear the brunt of suffering when they happen. Our spiritual values call us to act on both the personal, local, and national levels to adopt practices that will stem/reverse environmental degradation in general and global warming/climate change in particular.

History

When Henry David Thoreau lay on his deathbed with his loved ones gathered round him, one of them anxiously asked him whether he was ready for "the next world." Thoreau replied, "One world at a time." Our historical emphasis on this world has led Unitarians and then Unitarian Universalists to care about sustaining the resources of this world and promoting social justice in this world. Environmentalism, both in personal living practices and political activism, has been one of the hallmarks of Unitarian Universalism. Indeed, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA), through its annual General Assembly (GA) and its Board of Trustees, has passed over a dozen resolutions in support of environmental justice since the merger of the Unitarians and Universalists in 1961. The recent passage of the Statement of Conscience on Global Warming/Climate Change represents a renewed commitment to taking action on one of the most important environmental issues of our time.

Why We Act

"Our environmental problems will not be fully addressed until we come to terms with the moral and spiritual dimensions of these problems, and we will not find ourselves religiously until we fully address our environmental problems." Steven Rockefeller interviewed in Fugitive Faith by Benjamin Webb, Orbis Books, 1998

Our legacy of General Resolutions, Statements of Conscience, and actions pertaining to environmental justice documents where Unitarian Universalists have stood on these issues and provides the theological/moral basis from which we act.

• 2006 General Assembly Statement of Conscience: Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change
• 2001 General Assembly Statement of Conscience: Responsible Consumption Is Our Moral Imperative
• 1997 General Resolution: Earth, Air, Water and Fire
• 1994 General Resolution: Environmental Justice
• 1992 General Resolution: Safer Sources of Energy
• Other UU Environmental Justice Statements can be found under Ecology
• Environmental Justice Statements Summary 

Take Action

Congregational Implementation of Global Warming S.O.C.—Our 2006 Statement of Conscience on The Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change has garnered positive attention (see article in The Christian Century ) and motivated many UU congregations and individuals to get informed and get involved to reverse the of global warming/climate change. Below are some suggestions on what you can do, mostly taken from the Study/Action Issue Resource Guide on Global Warming .

The Greening of GA: A Case Study 

As individuals:

• Make lifestyle changes that reduce our impact on the environment.
  • Consume less fossil fuel by choosing fuel-efficient appliances, using alternative, renewable energy sources, choosing the most energy efficient transportation, reducing waste and recycling. (For ideas, see the Global Warming Action Kit  from UU Ministry for Earth.)
  • Pledge to reduce your "carbon footprint" (the amount of carbon you produce) through Carbonfund.org 
• Use financial resources to encourage corporate social responsibility with respect to global warming/climate change. (See UUA Committee on Socially Responsible Investing for suggestions.)
• Advocate for environmental justice
  • Support the "Climate Stewardship Act" (CSA), which calls for a reduction in emissions of heat-trapping gases to 2000 levels by the year 2010 and creates a market-based system of tradable allowances to achieve this reduction. Sign up for action alerts on this and other issues at the UUA Washington Office  website.
• Commit to continued education about the science, impact, and mitigation of global warming/climate change and sharing this knowledge with others.

As congregations:

• Develop congregational policies/practices that reduce our impact on the environment
  • Practice environmentally responsible consumption in planning congregational events and development and create an atmosphere that encourages individual congregants/families to do the same.
  • Seek certification through the Green Sanctuary Program  from UU Ministry for Earth
• Use financial resources to encourage corporate social responsibility with respect to global warming/climate change. (See UUA Committee on Socially Responsible Investing for suggestions.)
• Join or create an interfaith community group devoted to environmental justice
• Incorporate reverence for life into congregational worship. (See suggestions from UU Ministry for Earth )
• Incorporate reverence for life into religious education programs (See resources below.)

Contact Susan Leslie, Director of the Office for Congregational Advocacy and Witness, at sleslie@uua.org or (617) 948-4607 to learn about what other congregations are doing and to share your congregation's story!

UU Resources

• Commission on Social Witness Study Guide on the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change  (in PDF format )
• UU Ministry for Earth 
• UUMFE Science Resource Guide 
• Earth Day 2006: "Honoring the Blue Green Hills of Earth"
• Lifespan Faith Dev Earth Day & Global Warming FAQ
• UUSJ Climate Change Task Force 
• UUA Committee on Socially Responsible Investing
• UUA Washington Office 
• UUA/UUMF Greensanctuary email list
• UUA Globalwarming email list

Other Resources

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Spiritual

• Earth Ministry
• Interfaith Climate Change Network
• National Religious Partnership for the Environment
• Religious Witness for Earth
• Earth Day Worship Planning Resource

Green Consuming and Investing

• American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
• Carbonfund.org
• Center for a New American Dream
• Energy Star
• Green Guide
• Green-e Renewable Electricity Certification Program
• Interfaith Power and Light

General and Scientific Information

• Climate Action Network
• Environmental Defense
• EPA Global Warming Site
• Greenpeace
• League of Conservation Voters
• Pew Climate Center
• Union of Concerned Scientists
• World Resources Institute

Education

• US EPA materials for kids
• Interfaith Climate Change Campaign curriculum guide (pdf)
• North American Association for Environmental Education

Unitarian Universalist Association
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