Climate Justice

 

Let me sing for my beloved
 my love-song
 concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
 on a very fertile hill.
 He dug it and cleared it of stones,
   and planted it with choice vines;
   he built a watchtower
   in the midst of it,
 and hewed out a wine vat in it...

        -Isaiah 5:1-2a

 

 In the name of God, Source of all Being, eternal Word, and holy Spirit: Amen.

What do justice and righteousness look like to us? How are we to let justice roll down like waters and righteousness flow like a mighty stream? 

We are inheritors of the original inhabitants of the land, caretakers, stewards, and, when the time comes, harvest helpers and celebrators of its providence. Among us are those descended from the earliest days, and those who have come from the four directions, from north, east, south, and west, to this place inhabited for countless millenia and cultivated for now over four thousand years. But change is coming.

Change we have ourselves instigated, and inherited, from the well-meaning and the obtuse, the greedy and the generous, as they in their best lights (and worst) built the city we know today as Tucson.

And in it, even as the power company tears down its coal barn, are the effects being felt of all those generations, over the past 250 years particularly, that have led us to a point near the point of no return.

There is a pretty silly movie called the river of no return. A small group of people shoot the rapids in a cumbersome raft. Not something you want to do twice. And in our case not something you can repeat.

Because the climate is at a tipping point. In 50 years we might not recognized the landscape, for the changes in weather pattern, vegetation, growth or decay of civilization. There are some things we can do, non-exclusive responses.

Here are three we will be discussing at this year's convention, one you can watch if you have internet access.

1 : We can sharply reduce carbon emissions. We can reduce carbon emissions that cause the Greenhouse Effect and combat climate change. We can employ efficiency and conservation and move toward a low-carbon economy (and yes burning less coal and oil helps).

We can tackle climate change at its source by taking coordinated, aggressive action to reduce the CO2 we put into the atmosphere.

2 : We can prepare and protect our communities, assessing the risks ad taking care of the most vulnerable. 

We can work together now to secure our communities and strengthen our resilience in the face of climate-related impacts.

3 : We can accelerate innovation, promoting clean energy and creating new technologies.

While climate change represents a serious long-term challenge, it also presents unique opportunities for ingenuity and innovation.

How shall we meet the challenges of a warming planet?

The challenge of climate change is daunting. 

But this is the challenge we face, us and our generation, and we are called to face it. 

 

Remember then that a loving God is behind us, a God who is sovereign over all Creation, and that in his Spirit we find guidance and strength. As we have been promised, in the words of the prophets, he has a plan for us, a plan for good and not for harm, a future with hope.

 

To all earth's creatures God has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests, giving the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in water, giving abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but as common to all, amply and in rich measure.
- Gregory of Nazianzus c.329-c.389 (quoted in http://edgeofenclosure.org/proper22a.html)

 

Options and suggestions from  

Climate Choices: How Should We Meet the Challenges of a Warming Planet?  National Issues Forums Institute. 2016. ISBN: 978-1-943028-03-0 (www.nifi.org)