Climate Pilgrims
Climate pilgrims on the move through North Shields to Blyth. The pilgrimage, affiliated with the World Council of Churches, concludes Oct. 20, 2021, before the start of the global climate crisis conference, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland Oct. 30-Nov. 11. (Photo: Chris Böer/Klimapilgerweg 2021)
A United Methodist Insight Column
Faith-based climate activists are heading to Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations’ climate conference, COP26, scheduled Oct. 30-Nov. 11.
Probably earliest to arrive will be the 5th Ecumenical Pilgrimage for Climate Justice from Poland to Glasgow. The pilgrims crossed the English Channel from IJmuiden in the Netherlands to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England on Oct. 11. They’re making their way up England’s northeastern coast via Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and will stop along the way to visit sites that are making headway in reducing the adverse effects that are causing the climate crisis, according to WCC News.
What’s at stake for churches – and everyone – in COP26? Here’s a sampling of what news outlets are saying about the conference, along with Insight’s suggestions for church leaders to consider:
From the Guardian: “When leaders meet at the Cop26 summit next month, the focus will be on what may seem like small temperature rises – 1.5C or 2C hotter than the preindustrial era. But the last time it was hotter than now was at least 125,000 years ago, and the difference between these numbers is a ‘death sentence’ for countries such as the Maldives. Covering heatwaves, floods, wildfires and crop failure, this bracing piece sets out what is at stake as the planet’s warming ‘hits a curve we’ve never seen before.’”
What would such climate changes mean for your community, your congregation, and the administration, ministry, and mission of your local church?
From The Associated Press: “WASHINGTON (AP) — Crucial U.N. climate talks next month are likely to fall short of the global target for cutting coal, gas and oil emissions, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says, after nearly a year of climate diplomacy that helped win deeper cuts from allies but has so far failed to move some of the world’s biggest polluters to act fast enough.”
What’s the level of planet-warming carbon emissions in your community and state? Check out the interactive graphics at Climate Central to find out.
From Axios AM: “A White House report out this morning [Oct. 15] says climate change poses ‘systemic risks’ to the U.S. financial system, Axios Generate co-author Ben Geman writes.
“Why it matters: The administration will increasingly weave climate risk into policies and regulations throughout the government.
“A White House ‘roadmap’ aims to build a ‘climate-resilient’ economy:
- “Climate change will be considered in long-term budget forecasts.
- “HUD plans to factor climate risk into federally insured or guaranteed mortgages.
- “FEMA will revise building standards in flood zones.
- “Labor Department retirement fund managers will weigh climate change in investment decisions, reversing Trump-era policies.
How will moving toward a “climate resilient” economy affect your church members’ livelihoods, their financial contributions to your congregation and your congregation’s upkeep?
From the Washington Post*: “At least 85 percent of the world’s population has been affected by human-induced climate change, new study shows. Researchers used machine learning to analyze more than 100,000 studies of weather events and found four-fifths of the world’s land area has suffered impacts linked to global warming.”
Has the climate crisis affected any local or international missions supported by your church?
More from the Washington Post*:
"WATCH: A climate disaster will likely affect you one day. Here’s how to prepare. People who never considered themselves at risk from climate change are waking up to floods and fires."
What’s your church’s risk of enduring a climate disaster? How well are you prepared to get through a climate crisis event? Check out the Louisiana Annual Conference’s booklet, “Disaster Preparedness Manual.”
"White House launches climate initiatives to arm communities against floods, extreme weather. FEMA is seeking public input on revising federal flood standards, which have not been meaningfully changed in 45 years."
What’s your church’s flood danger status?
From Covering Climate Now’s The Climate Beat newsletter:
“[Climate activist Greta] Thunberg … said that the only way world leaders will do better, including at the COP26 summit in Glasgow starting October 31, is if civil society brings ‘massive public pressure’ to bear. A newsworthy example has been unfolding in Washington this week, as thousands of Indigenous-led demonstrators rallied outside of the White House as part of the ‘People vs Fossil Fuels’ protests. Their demands? President Joe Biden should use his executive powers to declare the climate crisis a national emergency and put an end to all new fossil fuel projects.”
What has your congregation or your members done to push local officials to enact climate-care public policies? What is your public witness on the worldwide climate crisis?
“$11 million a minute. The fossil fuel industry receives subsidies amounting to $11 million each minute, according to a new International Monetary Fund study. That’s about $5.9 trillion a year for an industry burning oil, gas, and coal at a time when fast cuts in emissions are needed. Jeff Goodell uses this fact as a jumping off point to deliver a brutally honest summary of the last 30 years of global climate politics: 'The rich pollute. The poor suffer. And the rich really don’t care.'” By Jeff Goodell at Rolling Stone... “
How much common good could be enacted if fossil fuel subsidies were redirected to human needs across the United States? Ask your congressional representatives about fossil fuel subsidies.
These are only a few of the many questions United Methodists ought to be asking ourselves now about caring for the Earth, of which God appointed us stewards. Check out these organizations for more resources on the “code red” climate emergency the world is facing that will directly affect churches everywhere in days to come.
United Methodist Creation Justice Movement.
General Board of Global Ministries Sustainable Development
General Board of Church and Society Environmental Justice
How is your local church responding to the global climate crisis? Email your stories to United Methodist Insight.
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Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. "Crisis Watch" is part of United Methodist Insight's ongoing participation in Covering Climate Now, a worldwide collaboration among some 450 news outlets to enhance reporting the global climate emergency.