A call to action from the ELCA advocacy group

Hear is a way to let your voice be heard by the Obama administration from the folks at the ELCA advocacy network.


Help make creation a priority
Join us for a day of climate action on December 6 and sign a letter to President-elect Obama calling for climate justice! The open letter can be viewed below or at the National Council of Churches http://nccecojustice.org/presidentialletter.html website. To sign on to the letter, click here [http://nccecojustice.org/presidentialsignon.html].

The ELCA recognizes that the threat of "dangerous global warming, caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide" poses challenges to the entire world, and commits us as individuals, as a worship community, and as a public church, to address this serious threat to God's creation. Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice (1993).

Climate change is real and it’s happening now, with impacts ranging from rising sea levels that threaten small island nations to droughts and flooding that impact global food supplies, from increasingly severe storms to melting glaciers that supply drinking water for millions. Each of us will have to adapt to these changes in our world, but the impacts of a warming world will fall most severely on people living in poverty who have few resources to adapt to these perils and bear little responsibility for causing them.

Despite the many ongoing efforts to address this moral crisis, the U.S. has failed to engage in meaningful conversation with other nations and has done little to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions.

However, President-elect Obama has committed to taking action. This action would protect the most vulnerable in the U.S. and abroad from devastating impacts climate change would have on our communities and families if left unchecked.

In response to the growing need for effective action, individuals and communities around the world will be taking action on December 6 to call for just and effective climate action. This important day will be midway through the annual UN climate conference, taking place this year in Poznan , Poland .

We are inviting you to join your brothers and sisters around the world and call for climate justice by signing a faith community letter to President-elect Obama that will be delivered shortly after his inauguration. This letter calls for:

strong emissions reductions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change
financial assistance to low-income and working families to protect them from the rising cost of energy
international assistance to help vulnerable nations and communities adapt to the impacts of climate change
Read the letter, included below, and click on the link below the letter [http://nccecojustice.org/presidentialsignon.html] to sign it.
Ask your friends and family to join you! Click here to encourage a friend to sign!
October 8, 2008
Dear President-elect Obama:
Genesis and the Psalms tell the story of God as Creator and humankind as the stewards of Earth. The Prophets and the teachings of Jesus speak of justice for all, especially our neighbors who are voiceless and vulnerable. Inspired by the words of Holy Scripture, Christians are called to be stewards of Creation and to work for justice.
As Christians, we heed the call to be faithful stewards and caretakers of God’s creation by limiting the future impacts of climate change on God’s Earth. Already, global warming has damaged the precious balance of God’s creation causing long-term drought in Africa , increased disease in many of the world’s poorest countries, and an increase in natural disasters that are destroying homes and lives. Any steps we take to address climate change must follow scientific recommendations and focus on the short-term goal of reducing U.S. carbon emissions by 15-20 percent reduction by 2020 with a long-term vision to achieve carbon emissions reductions of 80 percent by 2050. Failure to meet these targets will put vulnerable communities in great peril from increase climate change impacts.
We are driven to act by our moral obligation to stand up for those living in poverty who have contributed least to the problem of climate change yet stand to suffer the most. Experts tell us low-income communities and people of color are at the greatest risk to the physical impacts of climate change and could bear the greatest burden economically from efforts to address this moral issue if not done appropriately. Any and all efforts that address climate change should therefore include meaningful and measureable steps to shield those living in poverty from the disproportionate dangers while limiting their increased financial burdens. The inclusion of financial assistance to low-income and working families who will be most affected by the rising cost of energy is necessary and must be considered as we move forward.
Global warming’s societal impact—floods, droughts, and the increased number of natural disasters— already falls most heavily on those around the world who are least able to mitigate the impact. To rectify this injustice, public and private efforts to address climate change must include mechanisms that provide adaptation assistance to the world’s most vulnerable developing nations and communities in order to assist them in their efforts to deal with the impacts of global warming. The US should work with these communities to provide appropriate low carbon technology and the needed support to create both adaptation plans and response systems.
For all to have enough requires that others address patterns of acquisition and consumption. We cannot achieve significant reductions in global warming emissions unless we make changes in our lifestyles and particularly in our energy consumption. Energy conservation must be prominent throughout our economy.
We remain committed to requiring that the tenets of justice and stewardship are incorporated as we address this moral crisis.
To sign on to this letter, click here.