A United Methodist Insight Column
The old song "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" seems apt with smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing much of the eastern United States. Wildfire conditions have been intensified because extreme heat episodes are drying out forests everywhere, making them prime fuel for the smallest of sparks.
United Methodists and other faith-based advocates are paying close attention this summer as wildfire and extreme heat episodes seem like to rise. NPR has an excellent article on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the effects of wildfire smoke.
In addition, here are notes from some of the latest reports on how the climate crisis is exacerbating weather events:
ProPublica: "As conditions that best support life shift toward the poles, more than 600 million people are already living outside of a crucial “climate niche,” facing more extreme heat, rising food scarcity and higher death rates.
"Climate change is remapping where humans can exist on the planet. As optimum conditions shift away from the equator and toward the poles, more than 600 million people have already been stranded outside of a crucial environmental niche that scientists say best supports life. By late this century, according to a study published last month in the journal Nature Sustainability, 3 to 6 billion people, or between a third and a half of humanity, could be trapped outside of that zone, facing extreme heat, food scarcity and higher death rates, unless emissions are sharply curtailed or mass migration is accommodated."
The ProPublica report and the study it mentions should be of concern to United Methodists, not only for its overall impact but because local churches everywhere will be affected by climate crisis conditions.
World Oceans observance
Climate Central: World Oceans Day June 8 reminded us that "oceans play a key role in livelihoods, food supplies, and climate:
- "Oceans remove roughly 26% of the CO2 from burning fossil fuels and store it in marine life, seawaters, and on the seafloor—as described in Climate Central’s new report, Ocean Carbon.
- "But human-caused warming and continued carbon pollution put tremendous pressure on marine ecosystems and processes that remove and hold carbon long term.
- "Restoring and protecting oceans can be a climate solution but must be paired with deep and rapid cuts to carbon pollution.
Net-zero commitment reviewed
The next Movement Cafe June 21 from the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement will focus on the Just and Equitable Interagency Commitment to Net-Zero out of the UMC. Speakers are Rev. Jenny Phillips, senior technical advisor on Environmental Sustainability at General Board of Global Ministries, and Jake Barnett, managing director of Sustainable Investment Strategies at Wespath Benefits and Investments. Learn more and register.
Avoid scams and cyber criminals
Churches have valuable information that cyber criminals would love to exploit. Now the General Council on Finance and Administration is offering a free webinar on safety measures churches can take to protect their ministries, donors and staff. Join the UMC Support IT experts for cybersecurity tools, trends, and best practices on Wednesday, July 19th at 12:00 p.m. CDT via Zoom. Register.
BTW, did you know that the UMC's General Board of Church and Society holds a non-governmental, consultative status with the United Nations? This status allows UMC representatives to participate in UN meetings, consultations and conferences. "Through this ministry, the church joins God in the work of social transformation," said GCFA's The Collaborator newsletter.
Earthquakes modulated by water
Research into why the southern section of the fabled San Andreas fault hasn't had an earthquake in 300 years has discovered a surprising correlation between quake activity and the water level in the Salton Sea, a remnant of ancient Lake Cahuilla that filled and evaporated over a millennium. Seen through the lens of faith, the report in Nature points to the amazing ways in which God's creation functions interdependently.
The article also predicts a major earthquake will occur within the next 30 years if plans move forward to refill the Salton Sea, a reservoir for southern California's water supply. This could be a warning to churches in southern California: get your buildings earthquake-proofed if they aren't already.
About Media Mentions
If you've noticed that Crisis Watch hasn't included many "media mentions" lately, it's because most secular reports are focusing on the numbers of churches leaving United Methodism. Most of these articles are not given in context, especially lacking comparisons between the relatively low numbers of disaffiliations with the total number of United Methodist churches in an area. Consequently, until the media furor over disaffiliations settles down, we're sharing articles that balance the wave of church exits with stories about remaining United Methodist churches and the countless ways they serve their communities.
Why 1 Myrtle Beach church is staying United Methodist while 100 others in SC are leaving – Yahoo News
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A veteran 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.