A Tangible Gospel. The Case for Decisive Action in Response to Global Climate Change. Olivia J Dalke. 741 SW Natalie St.

Transcription

1 A Tangible Gospel The Case for Decisive Action in Response to Global Climate Change by Olivia J Dalke 741 SW Natalie St. Dallas, OR ojdalke@gmail.com Salem Mennonite Church Dallas High School Junior

2 Symbiosis: a mutualistic and interdependent relationship. This is what we, as humans, are tasked to safeguard. We depend on the earth for survival. We owe our breath to the earth and its intricate biological cycles. The earth, on the other hand, is subject to the whims of human progress. In the words of Pope Francis, it is our moral and religious obligation to search for a decisive mitigation for the sake of our planet and for the sake of the vulnerable communities all around the world who are directly affected by the earth s changing climate. While this is a problem that encompasses people of all religions and nationalities, we, as a community of Mennonites who profess a unique calling to reconciliation, are presented with the opportunity to practice this calling by seeking to reconcile humanity's relationship with planet earth right here and right now. We have a responsibility to our fellow human beings and to all those suffering from the effects of climate change to become better caretakers of the earth, and in so doing, spread a message of love and community with our hands a tangible gospel. Over the past decades, carbon emissions have grown exponentially causing rising global temperatures and drastically changing weather patterns. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the 20th century global temperature average (measured in the month of October) was By the year 2015, it had risen 0.98 ("Global Analysis"). This significant rise in global temperature has caused more frequent and serious natural disasters that have affected a huge number of vulnerable communities around the world, including areas of the Philippines struck by Typhoon Haiyan, Pakistan floods, and overwhelming drought across many countries (Sauerborn, 2012). 1

3 Extreme weather systems have become a common occurrence. Disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2004 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 destroyed the lives of poor communities who did not have the resources necessary to protect themselves and their possessions in advance. The low income African American community of New Orleans was the most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. There were many fatalities and even more people left homeless without the benefits of community network. Many who lost their homes were unable to purchase any type of natural disaster insurance because of their low income situation, making this community particularly vulnerable to a natural disaster caused by an unstable and rapidly changing climate. On a less extreme scale, but one just as harmful, rising global temperatures have affected day to day maintenance and care of crops. Droughts in areas of the US (like California), and other parts of the world (like Zimbabwe), are becoming more frequent and their duration longer. In the Binga district in Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe inadequate rainfall during the month of February has become a huge issue for farmers. Since this season marks the critical reproductive stage for crops, the decrease in rainfall causes a corresponding drop in crop yields, thus forcing farmers to plant multiple times. This results in a fluctuating and fragile agricultural economic market and an even more vulnerable farming community. Crop failures, due to drought and other forms of climate change pressure farmers into finding a viable alternative. The development of drought tolerant seeds does have the potential to prevent crop failure and the resulting destitution. However, companies like Monsanto, who own the patent to many such genetically modified seeds, often take economic advantage of the desperate. Farmers are enticed with low prices for their initial seed purchase, but are required to 2

4 sign contracts that prevent use of the patented seeds in subsequent years (Natural Society 2014). This cycle of forced dependency continues to be the undoing of many farmers. One study, from the department of sociology at the University of Cambridge submitted by Kennedy and King, concludes that there is an undeniable correlation between the high suicide rates in agricultural India and the indebtedness of many marginal farmers to multinational corporations such as Monsanto (Kennedy and King). Changes in climate and resulting changes in yield are expertly exploited by such multinational corporations who care little for the livelihoods of the struggling low income farmers people whose vulnerability is intensified by desperation. In order to assist communities that are directly affected by climate change, 194 governments have established the Green Climate Fund. According to the GCF, the main priorities of their organization include working toward low emission and climate resistant agriculture, developing climate resilience in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), transforming energy generation into cleaner options, creating climate compatible cities, and raising funds (Funding). As of November 2015, the GCF has received 38 pledges amounting to 10.2 billion USD, including a 3 billion contribution from the US (Pledge Tracker). In addition to contributing to the Green Climate Fund, the US is working to reduce carbon emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in charge of emissions data collection. They record and publish information about individual facility s greenhouse gas emissions. Then, with the data collected they are able to pass regulatory initiatives like the vehicle greenhouse gas rules that should eliminate six billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 (What EPA is Doing). 3

5 In the Mennonite Brethren statement of faith, care for creation is described as a sacred trust ("USMB"). In the Brethren of Christ statement of faith, humanity as a whole is called to be the caretaker of the earth ("Brethren in Christ Church"). As Anabaptist Christians, we cannot ignore the suffering of our earth, or the the suffering of the people who live on it. The Mennonite emphasis on relationship and reconciliation should not be conditional. We need to pledge the same commitment to protecting our earth and the people who live on it as we do to the congregations we worship with on Sundays. The good news of our gospel is rendered irrelevant unless we help those already suffering from increased drought and natural disasters that are leading to conflict, migration...worsening poverty and the increased spread of disease ("Mennonite Central Committee U.S."). We must take action as a community to lower our impact on the environment. There are many obstacles facing policymakers in the White House and Congress. Some politicians have responded to this worldwide problem facing humanity with a political games. These politicians deny the reality of a changing climate in order to gain political support from those citizens who are either too afraid to believe in climate change, or do not want to sacrifice comfort and pay more taxes measures that may enable the government to lessen the country s collective carbon footprint. Since the first step toward effecting real change must be public awareness and acceptance that the issue is legitimate, public education is a process that should be taken very seriously. Movements like the Faith Climate Petition are vital to the success of Washington policymakers who are trying to pass resolutions to reduce our country s carbon footprint, because they display societal support ("Mennonite Central Committee U.S."). 4

6 In the long term, one of the solutions for addressing climate change in the U.S. and around the world should be a global effort to switch to clean, renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, and hydropower. We need to continue to pass global resolutions like the landmark Paris Climate talks of 2015 in which 195 countries entered into the first legally binding global climate deal in history that means to limit global warming to well under 2 in the next 20 years ("European Commission"). Toward this goal, increased effort should be put into research regarding additional environmentally safe energy sources. For this global issue, there is only a global answer. As a faith community that values relationship, reconciliation, and peacemaking, it is our calling, not only to advocate for the voiceless victims of climate change, but to act as mediators toward a global alliance with global cooperation on this important issue and its critical resolution. This is our calling a tangle gospel. 5

7 Works Cited "Globalization and Health." The Political Economy of Farmers' Suicides in India: Indebted Cash crop Farmers with Marginal Landholdings Explain State level Variation in Suicide Rates. Web. 22 Jan "Ventures." Pledge Tracker. Web. 22 Jan "Monsanto Caused 291,000 Suicides in India." Natural Society Web. 22 Jan "Ventures." Funding. Web. 22 Jan "What EPA Is Doing about Climate Change." What EPA Is Doing. Web. 22 Jan "God and Creation." Brethren in Christ Church. Web. 22 Jan "US Mennonite Brethren." USMB. Web. 22 Jan "Waiting for Rain Third Way." Third Way Waiting for Rain Comments Web. 22 Jan "Paris Climate Talks Could Be a Turning Point." Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Web. 22 Jan "Paris Agreement." European Commission. Web. 22 Jan "Global Analysis Annual 2015 Top 25 Monthly Temperature Departures from Average." Global Analysis. Web. 22 Jan

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