Car engine
Cars are one of the biggest sources of carbon dioxide emissions. ((Photo 128317603 © Dmitrii Melnikov - Dreamstime.com)
NEW YORK – United Methodist Women, the largest denominational organization for women, celebrated the lead up to Earth Day with a Climate Justice Federal Legislative Day on April 14.
The group asked during the legislative visits, which coincided with Earth Day, made three requests of Congress:
- transition to 100% renewable energy that doesn’t include biomass and nuclear energy;
- address crumbling infrastructure, which includes clean transportation; and
- ensure a just transition to renewable energy that preferences workers and impacted communities.
The group also urged President Biden to ensure that the nation’s clean energy future was truly clean in that it should not harm communities. In Biden’s American Jobs Plan, there is funding for nuclear energy, which is cause for pause for United Methodist Women and other environmentalists.
“From Moses and Esther to the persistent widow, God’s people have a history of crying out for justice and challenging the rulers of their day,” said Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee, climate justice lead and executive for economic and environmental justice at United Methodist Women.
“United Methodist Women seeks to live into this prophetic legacy and speak to those in power, and urging justice, especially for women and children. While many may not consider the need to switch to renewable energy a justice issue, it is an issue that adversely impacts creation and therefore we must speak and urge legislative action.”
“We know that the adverse impacts of global climate change disproportionately affect individuals and nations least responsible for the emissions,” Lee said. “The transition to renewable energy must therefore be equitable, preferencing these communities.”
The Climate Justice Federal Legislative Day was designed to allow women of faith to contact their elected leaders and make the case to switch to renewable energy in a process that is equitable and fair to frontline communities. In total, more than 300 United Methodist Women members from almost 40 states held 80 meetings with congressional offices. For many of the participants, this was their first time participating in a legislative advocacy day.
“Our goal is to inspire women of faith to powerfully advocate for just and renewable energy, and to beat a continual drum for change,” Lee said.
“We are urging the president as well as Congress to support women of faith as we continue to care for creation and to respond to the challenges of frontline communities in order to urgently respond to the climate crisis. All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings.”
In addition to their congressional advocacy, several members of United Methodist Women expressed their hopes for an equitable transition to renewable energy and reductions of greenhouse gas emissions ahead of President Biden’s virtual climate summit April 22 where he set Nationally Determined Contributions for emissions in keeping with the Paris Climate Agreement.
According to the United Nations Climate Change website, “Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of these long-term goals. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving the objectives of such contributions.”
“As women of faith, we are called to speak out for all of God’s children and be good stewards of creation,” said Lee, the UMW executive for environmental and economic justice, and climate justice lead. “That is why over 300 United Methodist Women members and friends from 40 states recently met with Congressional offices to ask them to pass infrastructure and energy legislation targeting 70% greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2030 and 100% by 2050 economy-wide that prioritizes climate justice through a just and equitable transition.”
Even as scientists, business leaders and other environmentalist groups urge Biden to set an aggressive 2030 goal, United Methodist Women is urging that workers and frontline communities be equitably included in the transition to truly clean renewable energy.
“Our faith guides us to care for God’s creation as well as whom the Bible calls the ‘least of these,’ Lee said. “The production, transportation, and combustion of fossil fuels are causing extreme and catastrophic changes to the planet’s climate system and harming the health of women and children in the U.S. and around the world. Currently, 80% of the energy consumed in the U.S. comes from fossil fuels, but we must urgently transition to a 100 % renewable energy economy across all sectors that is centered on equity and justice. The Biden Administration has pledged to reduce emissions by 50-52% by 2030, but the science is clear that to stay under 1.5C U.S. emissions reduction must be more ambitious. The U.S. is the largest historic polluter of greenhouse gas emissions, and as women of faith we urge the Biden Administration and Congress to commit to its fair share and pledge to reduce emissions by 70% by 2030 using only truly clean energy sources like solar and wind.”
Several members of United Methodist Women from West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Florida and Iowa commented on the president’s plan.
“These issues are important for the health of our country and by acting on them Congress shows their concern for their constituents,” said Elizabeth Bailes of Ravenswood, West Virginia. She is a UMW Social Action Coordinator for the West Virginia Conference of UMW.
“The impact of climate change effects ALL of us and we must All urgently act to reduce carbon emissions,” said Jana Jones from Centennial, Colorado and UMW national director. “This is a shared individual, corporate, and government responsibility. We need Congress to enact legislation that moves our country to use 100% renewable energy, move to a clean transportation system and provide a just transition to these goals which will impact workers and frontline, marginalized communities.”
“We ask our elected officials to: ‘Support only energy sources that are renewable, such as wind and solar, and avoid energy sources that have adverse health, climate, environmental and societal impacts such as nuclear and burning of wood chips, wood pellets, solid waste, or construction and demolition debris,’” said Pamela Davis from Deerfield Beach, Florida. She is the Florida Conference UMW dean of Mission U, the annual training session.
“We know that moving to 100% renewable energy with adequate infrastructure involves a big cost, but many people and communities are already paying the costs of not going forward now in terms of impacts from fossil fuels,” said Rita Carter from Windsor Heights, Iowa. She is a local Unit UMW president and member of UMW’s national Program Advisory Group.
“Congress must work together and make it a bi-partisan effort to solve our climate change issues. We want to be 100% renewable as quickly as possible,” said Lori Chambers from Westfield, Indiana and UMW President for Indiana Central District.
Yvette Moore serves as communications director for United Methodist Women.