Climate Justice
Activists display a banner at the COP25 climate conference in December 2019. (Photo by Albin Hillert/WCC)
UPDATED 9:45 p.m. July 6 with new link below
A United Methodist Insight Column
Journalists traditionally are considered to be society’s watchdogs. However, in the words of a Roman adage (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes) that has been adopted by a famous comic book, who watches the watchers? My answer to this age-old question is: alert and responsible Christians.
Over the first six months of 2020, we’ve discovered that the coronavirus pandemic is accompanied by another plague: the plague of misinformation, often spread unthinkingly through social media. One way that Christians can benefit themselves and their communities is to promote better media literacy. Consider these observations from the Covering Climate Now newsletter:
“The news business waits for news to happen when, in fact, we shouldn’t need another Black person to be shot to start reporting on racism in the police force. Nor should we need yet another Category Five hurricane to flatten yet another community before we sound the alarm that the planet is on the brink of climate collapse.
“These are deep, structural stories that are all linked. Novel viruses like COVID-19 often begin in wild animals, many of which are coming into closer contact with humans because their habitats are being destroyed by deforestation, mining, and other extractive activities. The first line of infection is often among disadvantaged communities. The heat waves, droughts, storms, and other effects of rising temperatures almost always punish the poor and people of color first and worst.”
The Covering Climate Now Initiative was founded last fall by the Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation in partnership with The Guardian. United Methodist Insight is one of some 400 news outlets in 50 countries that are part of the initiative. We see our role in this effort as two-fold: first, to remind United Methodists that God commands humans to take care of Creation, and second, to enlighten both believers and non-believers that caring for the environment has spiritual foundations.
It’s becoming clearer as we move through the pandemic that coronavirus isn’t merely a one-off unexpected event. It’s tied directly to humans’ degradation of the earthly environment, and yet while public opinion recognizes the situation's urgency, public policy lags dangerously behind. Again, from the Covering Climate Now newsletter:
“While we have been heartened (and grateful) to see so many of our colleagues join this effort, we still don’t sense the urgency that the climate emergency demands, especially as the 2020 election approaches. Our window to prevent catastrophe is closing fast. In some respects, it has already shut: at least three feet of sea level rise is inevitable by 2100, and possibly much sooner, scientists say, compelling the relocation of millions of people and trillions of dollars worth of coastal infrastructure around the world.
“Journalism now has a window of opportunity to get these interconnected stories right.”
So here’s my suggestion: Encourage your favorite media outlet to do a better job of covering the climate crisis, its relationship to the coronavirus pandemic, and its effect on poor communities and communities of color. Congratulate publications when they write substantive stories about the interrelated climate issues and share those articles with others. For our part, United Methodist Insight will do our best to keep up with faith-relevant climate stories.
Time is short, because people and species are suffering and dying. Right now we're facing wildfire season in the Northern Hemisphere, and Arizona is already burning. We mustn’t be overcome by the enormity of the challenge, but neither are we absolved from doing something about it. Remember that however small an action may seem to us, God uses the smallest efforts to work great good.
Why cops turn violent during arrests
Over the July 4 weekend, I read a Facebook post about a traffic stop of a Black motorist outside a park that could easily have turned into a deadly situation. Click here to read the post. When multiple police cars drove up to confront one driver, a bystander chose to use her white privilege to video the encounter for over an hour despite enduring verbal abuse from a park employee. The motorist was released with a ticket, but the bystander didn’t let the video suffice; she followed through with contacts with both the park authorities and local law enforcement about the experience. In my estimation, her actions were an appropriate and beneficial use of white privilege.
So why does it seem that police so often resort quickly to a show of force? Here’s one explanation from The Marshall Project:
“’You have to use a lot of force, or you are going to die.’ There is a strong consensus among police officers, and those who routinely defend their conduct, that police culture is built on a code that rewards the exercise of dominance over suspects during arrests. And most cops have a ready-made response to critics who wonder why so many officers still use so much force, including so much excessive force, on the street: don’t resist an arrest and we won’t have a problem. But of course it’s much more complicated than that. Black civilians, for example, are far more likely than their White counterparts to experience police violence during arrests. And de-escalation training is slow going. TMP’s Simone Weichselbaum and Jamiles Lartey have our story, with data reporting by Humera Lodhi. THE MARSHALL PROJECT”
After reading the Marshall Project’s report, what opportunities do you see for your congregation to become involved with local law enforcement oversight?
On the COVID-19 front
COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, As of July 6:
Total Cases 2,886,267 New Cases 44,361*
Total Deaths 129,811 New Deaths 235*
The Marshall Project reports that “nearly 49,000 prisoners and prison employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to our updated tally through June 23. At least 585 prisoners have died of the coronavirus.” Mask, wash, sanitize, distance, repeat.
Media Mentions as of July 6, 2020
'More than individual sin' — Black pastors urge evangelicals to admit systemic racism – Religion News Service
Michael Hickson, man with disability, dies after Texas hospital ends COVID treatment – Religion News Service
‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ hymn ignites hope across nation – The Associated Press
Montgomery area pastors work together on church reopening plans – WSFA
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.