Hot in Pittsburgh
Climate Central Illustration
Those climate crisis alarm bells we mentioned last time are getting louder. Here's the latest for churches to know:
From the Washington Post: "Scientists detect sign that a crucial ocean current is near collapse" by Sarah Kaplan:
"Scientists have long seen the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, as one of the planet’s most vulnerable “tipping elements” — meaning the system could undergo an abrupt and irreversible change, with dramatic consequences for the rest of the globe. Under Earth’s current climate, this aquatic conveyor belt transports warm, salty water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, and then sends colder water back south along the ocean floor. But as rising global temperatures melt Arctic ice, the resulting influx of cold freshwater has thrown a wrench in the system — and could shut it down entirely.
The study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications suggests that continued warming will push the AMOC over its “tipping point” around the middle of this century. The shift would be as abrupt and irreversible as turning off a light switch, and it could lead to dramatic changes in weather on either side of the Atlantic."
From The Weather Channel, July 26 video, "Key Ocean Current Is Close To Collapse, Study Suggests," explains why the collapse of the AMOC would be devastating. In addition, another video, "Florida Records Hot Tub-Like Water Temperatures," reports that the water temperature off southern Florida between the peninsula and the Keys reached 101 degrees on July 24.
From The Conversation: "Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults, and an aging population and climate change are putting ever more people at risk." Do you know what's happening to the older adults in your congregation and community as extreme heat persists, not only in the United States but around the world? Does your church serve as a cooling center? Does your city or town even have cooling centers for the unhoused and vulnerable seniors? The Conversation, a news site that features academic experts, also offers suggestions for how to get people to change their environmental habits in another article Persuading businesses and people to reduce climate emissions is key to slowing climate change – research-based techniques and new approaches from the behavioral sciences can show how to do it
Hot in Dallas
Climate Central's index show how much temperatures in Dallas, Texas, have been affected by climate change.
Climate Central's "Climate Shift Index" allows you to check on how much the climate crisis is affecting the weather in your immediate area. The illustration at top with this column shows how the July heat has affected Pittsburgh, Pa., and of Dallas above as examples. It's essential to use the chart that comes with the map to determine how much effect climate change is having on your region (see below).
Climate Index chart
United Methodist Insight Screenshot
Why do we keep repeating these scary climate stories that seem to have no overt relationship to The United Methodist Church's inner workings? We focus on the worldwide climate crisis because it's affecting everything for which the church of Jesus Christ is supposed to care: God's creation of plants, animals and humans and how they live together. Without recognizing how serious the climate crisis is, churches and their communities will burn up or wash away without understanding fully how their environment has affected and shortened their lives when they could do something about it.
People of faith must not only "reduce, reuse and recycle;" we must also advocate on behalf of Planet Earth and the most vulnerable living beings who are dying off because of the climate crisis. To get a clearer picture of what the UMC believes about creation care, see the excellent series now running on the Ask the UMC site, "Our Living World."
United Methodists also can join the UM Creation Justice Movement, become a Global Ministries EarthKeeper or be an advocate in your local church for climate-friendly policies to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving up the world's temperatures.
The climate crisis isn't coming, it's here; we're living through it this summer, and it will only get worse. We must act now.
Season of Creation workshop in North Carolina
United Methodists in both North Carolina and Western North Carolina conferences still have time to join a July 29 workshop on observing the Season of Creation in September. From the Western North Carolina Conference website:
"On July 29, 2023, we will gather in Dixon Chapel at the NC Conference Building from 9:00a.m. to noon to discuss with one another what plans we can make in our local churches for Season of Creation. We will look at preaching and teaching on creation in a biblically accurate way, how to incorporate elements of creation into our worship services, starting creation care teams, and more.
"For more information and to register, visit https://nccumc.org/creation/2023/06/upcoming-season-of-creation-workshop/. Questions may be directed to CreationCareWNCC@gmail.com."
Media Mentions as of July 25, 2023
No, we haven't gone back on our pledge to stop running disaffiliation "tally" headlines. These links and others like them seek to go behind the numbers to get a sense of the motives and effects of disaffiliation.
Congregations leave United Methodist Church over defiance of LGBTQ bans - NPR
For East Charlotte church and its neighbors, meals are a common language – United Methodist Foundation of Western North Carolina
Cobb County Finds Itself At Ground Zero In The Methodist Disaffiliation Battle – Cobb County Courier
Preacher tells congregants to cut ties with LGBTQ+ children while shouting slurs – LGBTQ Nation
Concord starts delivery ministry - Davie County Enterprise Record
East Cobb faith communities take part in new Habitat project – East Cobb News
N.J. church packed 10K meals for the needy in 2 hours - nj.com
United Methodist Church Turns to Agriculture for Sustainability - Liberia – Liberian Observer
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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.