Insomnia
Global warming has an effect in the bedroom, as rising heat prevents people from sleeping, posing risks of many illnesses. (Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash)
A United Methodist Insight Column
It's August, and we're all tired of the relentless extreme heat. This issue of Crisis Watch is devoted to the latest news in climate protection and repair efforts that will inform and shape United Methodist creation care ministries.
The big news in the United States is that the Senate passed climate care legislation for the first time in 30 years, according to the Washington Post's article, The Senate Finally Passed a Climate Bill. Now what? Maxine Joselow writes:
"For many climate advocates, the bill is far from perfect. While it contains a record $369 billion in new spending to fight global warming and bolster clean energy, it also includes several provisions that would prolong the life of polluting fossil fuel infrastructure — a concession to Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), the Senate's most conservative Democrat.
"But after months of working to secure Manchin's elusive vote, Senate Democrats presented a united front in support of the measure, which they said would still make a significant dent in the emissions that are dangerously heating the Earth."
Read on for more climate news.
If congregants are cranky, it could be hot in the bedroom
Axios Dallas newsletter, written by Michael Mooney Tasha Tsiaperas and Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi, reports that "rising temperatures are chipping away at our sleep time, according to a study of global trends."
The bottom line, says Axios writers: "Less sleep increases the risk of chronic health problems. It also modifies our brain function, lowering our impulse control, making us more irritable and undercutting our decision-making." That's to say nothing of contentious church meetings, sweaty worship services, nurseries of bawling babies, Sunday schools full of overheated children, and hazardous mission trips, too.
Global warming not good for health in other ways, too
The Conversation also has an article on how climate change affects our health:
Beyond global warming, the article by scholars Tristan McKenzie, Camilo Mora and Hannah von Hammerstein cites: "Flooding, for example, can spread hepatitis. Rising temperatures can expand the life of mosquitoes carrying malaria. Droughts can bring rodents infected with hantavirus into communities as they search for food.
"With climate change influencing more than 1,000 transmission pathways like those and climate hazards increasingly globally, we concluded that expecting societies to successfully adapt to all of them isn’t a realistic option. The world will need to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change to reduce these risks."
These findings and others like them will have significant effects on The United Methodist Church's health-related missions such as reducing malaria and providing vaccinations. See the next item for more implications.
Lizard
New research shows that global warming is causing lizards to be born with DNA that shows aging. (Photo by Jelle Taman/Unsplash)
Lizards are being born "old"
Stress of climate change is aging lizards before they’re even born, according to The Washington Post: "Researchers in France found newborn lizards with prematurely aged DNA, a potential sign of how climate-related stress passes from one generation to the next.
"The findings add to the growing body of research showing the menace that climate change poses to reptiles and other wildlife as hundreds of thousands of plants and animals are threatened with extinction in a warming world. Hotter summers are not just a human problem: Around the world, heat waves send wildlife scrambling for shade. Scorched vegetation deprives animals of lifesaving cover from predators. In some cases, droughts get so bad that populations die en masse of dehydration."
Center people of color in climate justice
Speaking of affected populations, Anti Racism Daily (ARD) contends that the environmental movement has a racist background that ignores the needs and agency of communities of color in Countering the Racist Roots of Evironmentalism with Climate Justice. Among the actions ARD recommends to reduce racism among environmental organizations:
- "Support PODER, the Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint, and the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy.
- "Read about Just Transition, the transformative framework for change promoted by many climate justice organizations.
- "Hold your local environmental organizations accountable. Who is on the board? What communities do they center? Who do they exclude?
- "Climate justice is a grassroots movement that centers BIPOC and those most affected by climate change, communities historically ignored by environmentalism.
- "Climate justice promotes transformative, far-reaching change— a shift from our current extractive economy to a regenerative economy."
Work differently and lower carbon emissions
Here at United Methodist Insight, we work a variable schedule across many days that probably totals more than a four-day work week. A Washington Post article proposes, How a four-day work week could be better for the climate. Allyson Chiu writes:
"Reducing the workweek to four days could have a climate benefit, advocates say. In addition to improving the well-being of workers, they say slashing working hours may reduce carbon emissions.
"Over the years, studies have documented a link between fewer working hours and lower emissions — reductions that experts explain may be the result of changes to commuting, energy use and lifestyle habits. One analysis of data looking at more than two dozen countries from 1970 to 2007 predicted that if work hours were reduced by 10 percent, there could be drops in ecological footprint, carbon footprint and carbon dioxide emissions by 12.1 percent, 14.6 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively.
“'The one thing we do know from lots of years of data and various papers and so forth is that the countries with short hours of work tend to be the ones with low emissions, and work time reductions tend to be associated with emission reduction,' said Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College who researches work, consumption and climate change."
While we're waiting for a four-day work week to take hold, consider another WashPost article, 10 steps you can take to lower your carbon footprint
Full-service cooling centers in future?
Axios PM's Mike Allen reports: "Some cities are replacing bare-bones cooling centers with full-service hubs offering everything from comfy A/C and phone charging to social services and emergency training, Axios What's Next co-author Jennifer A. Kingson writes.
"'Climate resilience hubs' are particularly aimed at low-income residents and people of color, who tend to suffer disproportionately as temperatures rise."
Could these cooling centers be a new ministry venue for local congregations? Stay tuned.
It's not all bad news on the climate front
Happily, we can close out this issue of Crisis Watch with some encouragement from The Guardian's Damian Carrington. Some tidbits from his article "Why it's not game over for the planet" in The Guardian's "Down to Earth" newsletter:
"In the UK, where I live, work began on the foundations for the huge Dogger Bank windfarm off the coast of Yorkshire. When the 277-turbine array is complete, it will power 6 million homes.
"We also learned that in the first quarter of 2022, cheaper wind and solar at the expense of UK gas-fired power compared with the previous year. 'This trend is only set to continue with [new] wind projects four times cheaper than current gas,' said Jess Ralston, at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.
"... In Portugal, the government is accelerating the construction of solar parks to replace gas power. In the Netherlands, the huge hub airport Schiphol will cut the number of flights it operates from next year.
"... In Australia, a climate laggard until the recent change in government, a major climate bill is now set to pass having won support from the Greens. In the US, after its own legislative breakthrough covered in Down to Earth last week, we learned that green energy jobs have grown to employ 3.3 million. In particular, jobs in low-emissions vehicles rose 25% while jobs in coal fell 12%. Globally, renewable energy financing rose 11% in the half of 2022 to a new record level.
"So, climate action is being taken. Is it enough? Not yet. The real question is whether measures such as these and many others can be scaled up fast enough to finally start bringing global emissions down and put us on the path to net zero emissions, the point at which humanity’s heating of the planet will end?
"People across the world are ready. A new poll in 192 countries shows most people are worried about climate change and say it should be a priority for their government. Only time will tell, though there is little of that precious commodity left."
So don't slack off now, faith-based climate advocates. God's creation is counting on you to build on this new momentum.
Media Mentions as of Aug. 9, 2022
Hearing set for 2 teens in pastor's killing in Memphis - AP News
Methodists in midst of split: Churches diverge | Tideland News | carolinacoastonline.com
Bishop assesses Methodist division - The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Storm Lake UMC B.L.E.S.S. Ministry gives school supplies to hundreds of students
Storm Lake Times
Sharon United Methodist Church collecting stuffed animals to donate | RA Community
Community - Republican-American
Funeral held for Memphis pastor killed in carjacking - WREG.com
Unity in Community renews call for removal of Confederate statue | Cornelius Today
Walking a new path together towards Christian unity | The Lutheran World Federation
Worship or Activism? Allendale UMC Asks, 'Why Not Both?' - The Gabber Newspaper
First United Methodist Church Builds Future for Family - Murfreesboro Voice
St. Luke's United Methodist Church to break ground on community center in Gulfton area – The Business Journals
Mechanicsburg church to offer free school supplies at annual yard sale event – Carlisle Sentinel
United Methodist churches could split from denomination: What to know - Greenville Online
Thank you for speaking up, Grace United Methodist | PennLive letters
Jonesboro First United Methodist Church members torn by split from national denomination – The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
JESUS IN A JIFFY: Hawkins United Methodist Church provides drive-in prayer service – The Vicksburg Post
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Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. This column is part of Insight's participation in Covering Climate Now, a worldwide collaboration of some 500 news outlets committed to enhanced coverage of the global climate crisis. To reproduce this content else, please email Insight for permission.