CARE OF CREATION
The work of California Interfaith Power and Light is energized by the understanding that every major faith tradition call on us to be stewards of Creation. We have a responsibility to protect the earth for our children and future generations. For CIPL members, faithfulness to the care of creation is a spiritual mandate. We continually strive to nourish our commitment to the goal of living as responsible stewards. In so doing, we draw from the wisdom of Creation's many faith traditions.
See my works, how fine and excellent they are!
All that I created, I created for you!
Reflect on this and do not corrupt or desolate my world;
for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.
Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13
HOT TOPICS
Looking Again at Why Climate Change is a Justice Issue
“Earth's warming climate is estimated to contribute to more than 150,000 deaths and 5 million illnesses each year, according to the World Health Organization, a toll that could double by 2030.” Thus says Washington Post staff writer, Julian Eliperin, on November 17, 2005. Quoting from the journal Nature, Eliperin states that the instances of malaria, malnutrition and diarrhea are being driven up by climate change throughout the world. The WHO data also show that rising temperatures disproportionately affect poor countries that have done little to create the problem. “Our energy-consumptive lifestyles are having lethal impacts on other people around the world, especially the poor, ” says Environmental Studies expert, Jonathan Patz. According to Patz, the at-risk regions are the Asian and South American Pacific Coasts, the Indian Ocean coasts and sub-Saharan Africa. Big cities will be hit everywhere on the globe because of the “heat island effect” of urbanized areas.
South Asia has led to the worst outbreak of dengue fever there in years. The mosquito-borne illness, which is now beginning to subside, has infected 120,000 South Asians this year and killed at least 1,000, WHO said.
World health officials are calling global warming a major health risk. “Climate change makes it even more important to combat diseases of the poor, many of which are highly climate-sensitive,” said Campbell-Lendrum, who wrote the Nature paper with Patz. “We already have good evidence that there are a series of significant risks to health, which makes it even more important to curb greenhouse gas emissions in a short period of time.”
Global Warming Disasters High in the Himalayas
Glacial lake catastrophes in the Himalayas have increased in frequency by 10 times in the last two decades, according to scientists. In an article entitles, “Millions face glacial disaster ”, science editor for the Observer, Robin McKie told the story of Nawa Jigtar who witnessed his herd of cattle being swept away by a wall of water. Nawa's village of Ghat was destroyed when a lake high in the Himalayas burst its banks and glacial melt waters crashed down the mountainside, sweeping away everything in its path. Such disasters are on the rise. A lake near the Thorthormi glacier, for example, is in imminent danger of bursting. That could release 50 million cubic meters of water, a flood reaching to northern India 150 miles downstream.
According to a recent report, future disasters around the Himalayas will include 'floods, droughts, land erosion, biodiversity loss and changes in rainfall and the monsoon'. 95 per cent of Himalayan glaciers are also shrinking - and that kind of ice loss has profound implications, not just for Nepal and Bhutan, but for surrounding nations, including China, India and Pakistan.
In the short run, there will be more disasters like the one recalled here. In the longer run there will be water shortages that will affect hundred of millions of people.
Read the article in its entirety on The Guardian, http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1646656,00.html
Global Warming a Weapon of Mass Destruction
 As devastating as any terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction is unharnessed global warming. Threatening the lives of hundreds of millions of people and costing nations incalculable hundreds of millions of dollars, global warming is the biggest threat the planet faces today. This was the position articulated by the top British scientist, Robert May, president of the Royal Society, Britain's leading scientific organization. May made his pronouncement just at the opening of the U.N. Framework Convention in Montreal. The convention is being attended by an estimated 10,000 delegates from over 180 countries. As we are all aware, notably absent from the conference is the world's largest emitter of green house gases, the United States. To read the full article in Agency France Press, click on: http://news.yahoo.com
Global Warming a Royal Concern
In an address to prominent San Franciscans, England's Prince Charles said that we are all called to “care for Creation.” The avid environmentalist expressed his fears over the state of our warming planet in an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes, “You know, if you look at the latest figures on climate change and global warming ... they're terrifying, terrifying." Articulating his concern over and over again on his recent American tour, Charles links climate change with an over-dependence on technology. "If you make everything over efficient, you suck out, it seems to me, every last drop of what, up to now, has been known as culture."
Read more at http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1512363/posts
FACING FACTS:
* The International Energy Association (IEA) estimates that global greenhouse
gas emissions will rise by 52% by the year 2030, unless drastic measures are
taken to reduce energy consumption.
* In China, dirty-burning coal provides the country with 70% of its energy needs.
* There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point during
the last 650,000 years.
* Human beings are currently causing the greatest mass extinction of species since
the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If present trends continue
one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in 100 years.
(To read more go to http://www.well.com/user/davidu/extinction.html)
GOOD NEWS:
An article released through Reuters News Service on November 17 reported that DaimlerChrysler, which is the fifth largest automaker in the world, has pledged to help promote the use of biofuels by developing engines that would run on higher mixtures of alternative energy sources. "DaimlerChrysler is committed to creating the technologies that will ensure vehicles can run on fuels with up to 10 percent admixtures of biodiesel or bioethanol," it said after meetings with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
CIPL takes a glance around the world for similar signs of alternative fuel development:
ï North Dakota Biodiesel Inc. plans to build the largest biodiesel refinery in North
America capable of producing 100,000 tons of premium biodiesel annually from more
than 355,000 acres (144,000 hectares) of canola.
ï Austrian sugar, starch and food processor Agrana will build a 105 million-euro
bioethanol plant with an annual capacity of 200,000 cubic meters.
ï A 100,000-tonne biodiesel plant, owned by British supermarket giant Tesco and
renewable fuel maker Greenergy, is expected to come on-stream on England's east
coast by next year, expanding the potential for green fuels. Greenergy hopes to
sell up to 3 million tons of biofuel a year.
ï Saudi company Jazeera for Modern Technology will provide land to grow jatropha,
a non-edible plant producing oil for blending with diesel, while D1 will build
a processing plant in Saudi Arabia to come on-stream in the second half of 2006.
The plant will be able to process 8 million liters a year.
For a more thorough list of global biofuel development, go to http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/31183/story.htm
A Featured Denomination: Unitarian Universalists
“Whether driven by a concern about global warming or by the rising costs of fossil fuel, an increasing number of Unitarian Universalist congregations are becoming almost completely reliant upon renewable energy sources ranging from wind to solar to geothermal power. Several others are in the process of installing or investigating alternative sources.” This quote, taken from the UU World news, details the transference to renewable sources of energy of UU congregations all over the country, including the states of California, Illinois, Wisconsin and New York. In addition to congregational facilities involved in this switch-over, many congregates are following suit in their homes. Says the Rev. Rev. Suzelle Lynch, of the Unitarian Universalist Church West of Brookfield, Wisconsin, “The church may look no different, but you can feel the earth-honoring energy of this congregation in every room and see it in every face.” The Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth accredited this church as a green sanctuary in 2004.
More Switching Over
You can help save energy and protect the environment by taking part in the ENERGY STARÆ Change a Light Pledge. Changing just one light in your home to an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb or fixture has the same effect as not driving a car for more than two weeks. Everybody who takes the pledge will not only receive energy bill savings and the satisfaction of reducing pollution, but also will get a free "Change the World with ENERGY STAR" zipper pull and will be eligible for several offers available only durring this campaign. To take the pledge or learn more about ENERGY STAR, go to: http://www.energystar.gov/
China: Looking at Their Glass Half Full
In early November, China announced its plans to more than double its reliance on renewable energy by 2020. At a conference in Beijing, Chinese officials said it would aim to provide 15% of its energy needs from non-fossil fuels within 15 years - up from 7% today, and 50% more than its previously stated goal of reaching 10% by 2020. "The environmental situation is very grim and emissions of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and other greenhouse gases are very great," said Zhou Dabing, president and chief executive of state-owned China Guodian, one of the leading utilities.
It is encouraging to note these goals, however, environmentalists warn that these goals are not sufficient to make up for the damaging impact on the climate that China's spectacular economic growth is already having. Even so, current new goals would still make China the number one global player in hydropower, solar energy and wind industries. China's leaders are becoming increasingly more vocal about the serious consequences of continued reliance on dirty energy.
To read the full story on The Guardian web site, click on http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,1636753,00.html
CIPL NEWS
The IP&L National Movement is sending six delegates to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal, November 28th to December 9th 2005. Delegates will have the opportunity to review a large number of perspectives and solutions to the global challenge of climate change. The event, which will be covered by 1,000 journalists from around the world is bringing an estimated 10,000 people to Montreal. Two of the delegates are from California and are staff members of The Regeneration Project, housed at the Presidio in San Francisco.
COOL TIPS FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON AND BEYOND
* Georgia Interfaith Power and Light is selling kits for Advent and Hanukah
that come with a CFL for each lighting of the candles on Advent Sundays and
with each lighting of a menorah candle. The kit comes with prayers and a
study guide. With or without a kit, CIPL encourages you to include this
as a spiritual discipline to your practices during these days on the
liturgical calendar.
* Switch to LED holiday lights, which save over 95% energy costs compared
to C7 holiday lights.
* Give supplies of CFLs for holiday giving. A gift basket of CFLs saves
the recipient money and it is also a gift to the earth. A light bulb
can be a great stocking stuffer too.
* Use recycled holiday wrapping paper and save this year's batch for
next year. Get creative about all your gift wrapping in the days
ahead; the comic section of the newspaper makes wonderful gift
wrap for children and adults.
* Give a laptop for Christmas; It is 90% more efficient than a
desktop; it uses far less energy to operate.
* Make a contribution to CIPL or your favorite eco-friendly
organization in someone's name for Christmas or Hanukah.
* Give fuzzy-cuddly clothing for holiday giving and turn the
furnace down.
* Open the oven after holiday baking to send oven warmth into
your kitchen and turn the furnace down some more.
EVENTS
Sacramento CIPL Working Group
Monday, December 5th
Noon - 1:00 PM
St. John's Lutheran Church
2nd Floor Conference Room
1701 L Street
Sacramento, California
RSVP to Rev. Dexter McNamara
916-448-2212
dexter@isbsacramento.org
Greater Richmond Interfaith
Program Annual Meeting
Sunday January 22nd, 2006
3:00-4:30 PM.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
11150 San Pablo Ave.
El Cerrito, California
Inquiries: 510-233-2141
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Does your congregation have an eco-event coming up? Let us help you get the word out to all of our covenant congregations. Do you know of a great film or reading that you wish everyone would take advantage of? Let us know about it and we will include it in the Newsletter. Send us all copy by the 25th of the month for inclusion in the next month's edition. Email outreach@interfaithpower.org.
CLOSING REFLECTION
“
This universe is the creation of Supreme Power meant for the benefit of all;
Individual species must therefore learn to enjoy its benefits by forming
a part of the system in close relationship with other species;
let not the other species encroach upon the other's right.”
- Translated from the Isavasya Upanishad
The CIPL E-Newsletter is produced by:
California Interfaith Power & Light
www.interfaithpower.org
Rev. Sally Juarez
Outreach Director
Tom Bourne
Executive Director
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