A United Methodist Insight Column
This summer's extreme weather highlights how renewable energy can make a difference in power supplies. Maxine Joselow, writing in the June 29 Climate 202, The Washington Post's climate newsletter, sums up the current Texas environment:
A punishing heat dome is putting unprecedented strain on Texas’s power grid, as residents crank up their air conditioners to cope with triple-digit temperatures.
But the nation’s top oil-and-gas-producing state has managed to keep the lights on — at least so far — because of abundant solar panels, wind turbines and giant batteries that store this clean energy.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the grid serving most of the state, reported a record amount of renewable energy production yesterday (June 28). Solar and wind farms generated 31,468 megawatts, helping to offset the 9.6 gigawatts that were lost when natural gas and coal plants were knocked offline.
...Texas is uniquely vulnerable to blackouts because it cannot draw power from its neighbors. It is the only state in the contiguous United States disconnected from the national grid, a deliberate move to avoid federal regulation.
It’s largely renewables that have helped residents stay cool. On Tuesday evening, when demand soared to an all-time high, wind and solar farms accounted for about 35 percent of the state’s energy supply. And at one point yesterday, wind turbines were generating more power across the state than any other source, including gas plants.
Dharna Noor, writing for The Guardian's Down to Earth climate newsletter, also reports:
"Texas is known for its hot summers, but these temperatures are far from normal. The climate crisis, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, made the current heatwave at least five times more likely, a recent analysis found."
Noor adds that "concerns (are) that 2023 will be the Earth’s hottest year in recorded history – China is already facing an historic heatwave, sea surface temperatures are at record levels and Vietnam and Laos broke temperature records in May."
A word to wise church leaders everywhere: even in Texas, explore renewable energy options for your church buildings. You may be surprised at how quickly the up-front cost of installation can be recouped in lower power bills, as well as doing your part to be good stewards of God's creation.
Climate Coach says: Keep an eye on rubisco
Michael Coren, The Washington Post's Climate Coach, made a remarkable discovery recently:
When I stirred rubisco into a glass of water, it tasted like nothing at all. That’s the point. The colorless, flavorless all-purpose protein can serve specific needs depending on who’s using it.
What's rubisco and why does it matter to the environment? Here's Coren's take:
"Meat, at least how most of it is raised today, is the driver behind 57 percent of all food production emissions. Advising people to eat less of it isn’t likely to do much. The challenge, then, is how to make plant proteins taste better than their animal counterparts. But as anyone who has eaten a vegan brownie or an Impossible burger knows, plant proteins aren’t a perfect substitute.
"Plants use rubisco protein — technically known as Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase — as the catalyst for photosynthesis, combining CO2 from the air with the building blocks for sugars and carbohydrates.
"It’s also one of the world’s most versatile proteins, shape-shifting into forms resembling egg whites, meat, milk, gluten or even steak. 'Rubisco does live up to a lot of the hype,' says Grant Pearce, a protein chemistry researcher at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand."
Think of all the places around the world where people are starving. Now imagine if mission projects could incorporate rubisco-based food products to feed those hungry people and reduce food-based emissions that are contributing to global scorching. It's worth keeping an eye on this development.
If you like Coren's tips for how to adapt to the world's changing environment, click here to sign up for his twice-a-week newsletter.
UWF Climate Survey: Your input on climate matters!
United Women in Faith is conducting a survey on United Methodist views on climate matters. Here's the invitation:
"In cooperation with Blessed Tomorrow and the American Climate Metrics Survey, United Women in Faith is encouraging members and all United Methodist Church friends to answer this short questionnaire. It will help to better understand UMC members' views on climate and inform climate justice efforts of the faith community."
Click here to take the 5-minute survey! Responses will be taken until July 14.
The latest on faith-based creation care
The Rev. Richenda Fairhurst, a United Methodist clergywoman working with Faiths4Future and Climate Cafe Multifaith, is doing a terrific job with her recently begun Just Creation blog/newsletter keeping track of faith-based creation care efforts. Click this link for a free trial subscription.
Here are some excerpts from her latest issue:
Solar for Congregations. If you missed the ‘solar for congregations’ webinar from IPL, you can find it here on youtube. There are other great links from the webinar, including the story of Hope UMC’s solar install, a special page for faith communities and federal funding information, and another webinar upcoming Climate and Energy Resources for Faith Communities: A Briefing with the U.S. Department of Energy on July 18th.
Be a UM Earthkeeper! Global Ministries seeks U.S.-based United Methodists to lead grassroots environmental projects that are action-oriented, antiracist, bold and entrepreneurial. Is this you? Find the application and more information here. The next training begins in October.
Movement Cafe July 19. The next Movement Cafe from the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement will speak to Disaster Response and Resilience within the UMC denomination. Learn more and register.
Fossil Fuel Subsidies & the Transition Economy. A new report from the World Bank shows that the millions-each-minute paid in subsidies globally needs to be redirected to fight climate change. Read an article about the report from The Guardian Vast fossil fuel and farming subsidies causing ‘environmental havoc’ Read another article from Common Dreams: World Bank Confirms Reallocating Fossil Fuel, Factory Farm Subsidies Key to Solving Climate Crisis. Read the World Bank Press Release: Trillions Wasted on Subsidies Could Help Address Climate Change. Read the report.
Gender Equity & Climate Change. Women’s health and empowerment is an essential component to address climate change. Yet there is a lot of work to bring gender equity globally. A new report details the issue. Read an article about the report from CNN Nine out of 10 people are biased against women, UN report finds and from the UN A Decade of Stagnation: New UNDP data shows gender biases remain entrenched. Read a quick reminder as to why women’s empowerment is essential. Read the report.
Keep up the great work, Richenda!
Media Mentions as of June 29, 2023
United Methodist Church of Red Bank to pray for LGBTQ+ youth - Asbury Park Press
A profound question as Kansas Methodists take different paths: How do we care for one another? – ctnewsonline.com
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Veteran award-winning religion journalist Cynthia B. Astle has reported on The United Methodist Church at all levels for 35 years. She serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, an online journal she founded in 2011 as a media channel for marginalized and under-served United Methodist news and views. "Crisis Watch" is part of Insight's participation in Covering Climate now, a global collaboration of more than 500 international news outlets committed to enhanced reporting on the climate crisis.