Thom Bridge AP
Montana Climate Win
FILE - Youth plaintiffs in the climate change lawsuit, Held vs. Montana, arrive at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse, on June 20, 2023, in Helena, Mont., for the final day of the trial. A Montana judge on Monday, Aug. 14, sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP, File)
A United Methodist Insight Column
There was rejoicing this week among the members of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Helena, Mont., where supporters of the 16 youth plaintiffs in the landmark climate trial Held vs. the State of Montana celebrated the judge's decision siding unequivocally with the young people.
St. Paul's member Dave Hemion told United Methodist Insight in a Facebook message that he and his fellow creation care advocates celebrated with lots of social media rejoicing. Dave and several other St. Paul's members supported the youths with signs and demonstrations outside the courthouse during the trial in June.
As for the trial's impact, climate scientist Peter Gleick wrote in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists:
"In a remarkable decision in a Montana District Court this week, a judge ruled that human-caused climate change is real, happening, and poses a clear and present threat to human health and the health of the environment. The case brought by 16 young people challenged the constitutionality of provisions in Montana’s Environmental Policy Act that forbade the state from considering the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions or climate change in environmental reviews, thus perpetuating a fossil-fuel based future. After hearing testimony from climate, health, and energy experts, from the youths themselves about how climate changes were already harming them, as well as state officials and climate deniers, the judge ruled definitively in favor of the youth, science, and future generations."
For more detail on what the Held vs. Montana decision could mean for future creation care, see an article by Amber Polk of Florida International University from The Conversation republished here on Insight. Gleick also writes: "For readers interested, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law maintains a database of current climate court cases, and the number is likely to increase in the future."
Beware TikTok 'granfluencers'
I don't do TikTok, but I know lots of United Methodist folks who do. The TikTokers who follow certain "granfluencers" such as Nora Capistrano Sangalang were dismayed by a report from DeSmog, an investigative climate website. Maxine Joselow writes in The Washington Post's newsletter, Climate 202, writes:
"Sangalang, who also goes by 'Mama Nora,' is not alone. She is one of more than 100 influencers who have used their platforms to promote fossil fuel companies since 2017, reaching billions of people around the globe, according to new research by DeSmog, an investigative climate website.
“'They are trying to win the trust of a younger generation,' said Sam Bright, DeSmog’s U.K. deputy editor. 'They’re not just promoting a particular product, but trying to alter their perception in the public eye and maintain their social license.'”
What a contrast to our lead item on young climate advocates in Montana! Fortunately, some young TikTokers aren't falling for the scheme. Joselow reports:
"Youth climate activists have also taken to TikTok to mobilize against fossil fuels. In March, the hashtag #StopWillow became a trending topic on TikTok, as young environmentalists tried to stop ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil project in Alaska. (The Biden administration ultimately approved the project.)"
What do the young people in your congregation think about the climate crisis and creation care? How do they use TikTok and other social media? Might be a good time to find out.
Latest on Maui disaster
With great sadness, I quote from The Washington Post's "The 7" newsletter:
"The toxic aftermath of the Maui fires could last for years.
"Why? Last week’s wildfires sent toxic fumes and material spewing throughout Lahaina and into the sea. The next big storm will flush more contamination into local waters.
"The latest: The death toll from the fires has risen to 111. Desperate families are using sticky notes in their attempts to track down hundreds of people who remain missing." Read this story
In addition, I've read several news stories about longtime Lahaina and Maui residents fearing that big-money tourism interests will buy up devastated land and build high-end hotels and other domiciles, pricing the original residents out of the housing market. Housing on Maui was already in crisis before the wildfires. Since affordable housing is one of United Methodists' major concerns, this is an issue that bears close attention.
More on Maui from The Guardian: Devastating Hawaii fires made ‘much more dangerous’ by climate change
Please heed these words from Insight's collaborators at Covering Climate Now: "Drawing this connection [from the Maui fires to the climate crisis] requires only 15 words: 'Extreme heat is driven by climate change. Climate change is driven by burning fossil fuels.' Or perhaps you can do it in even fewer; as Al Gore put it in a new TED Talk: 'The climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis.'”
Media Mentions as of Aug. 17, 2023
What membership challenges does a United Methodist church face while others disaffiliate? - KWCH
'Making Room for Anybody': Cullman church remains United Methodist while others depart – WAFF
Churches focus on fun and fellowship for kids | News - The Villages Daily Sun
5 local family support groups—addiction, teen mental health + more | Bham Now
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An award-winning religion journalist who has reported on The United Methodist Church at all levels for 35 years, Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, an online journal she founded in 2011. "Crisis Watch" forms part of Insight's participation in Covering Climate Now, an international collaboration of some 500 news outlets around the world committed to enhance climate coverage. To reproduce this content elsewhere, please email Insight for permission.