Hope for Creation: A Live Simulcast Event: April 21
March 4, 2010
Participate in the live international simulcast event on Wednesday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Watch online or organize a group screening at your church, college, or organization. Experience special music and guests, an exclusive look at the new Blessed Earth video series, and engage others across the globe in an interactive setting.
EEN is an official co-sponsor of this Blessed Earth event.
View an excellent short film and sign up today at http://www.blessedearth.org/
The Church united around a Biblical vision for care of the planet. The conversation begins with you.
Las Gaviotas: Reforestation in Colombia
February 25, 2010
A fascinating case study of a reforestation initiative featured by the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) network can be found here: http://www.zeri.org/case_studies_reforestation.htm
A brief excerpt :
Imagine miles and miles of desolate savannah in Eastern Colombia, without a tree or bird or child in sight, a veritable no-man’s land. Over the last almost two decades now 8,000 hectares of trees have been replanted with Carribean Pine.
The Las Gaviotas reforestation project is not only about planting trees for climate stabilization; it is, primarily, about catalyzing a development program that will pave the way for creating a sustainable future for our children where society is able to provide for the basic needs of all in terms of water, food, human health, shelter, energy, jobs and education with local resources.
EEN President to speak at Dordt College March 3
February 25, 2010
PRESS RELEASE: Feb. 24 event
CONTACT: Jane Ver Steeg (712) 722-6053
Climate change and the church to be discussed at Dordt Wednesday March 3.
SIOUX CENTER, IA – “Environment, Creation, Climate Change, and The Church,” is the topic of Mitchell Hescox, President and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, who will speak at Dordt College Wednesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. in the Science and Technology Center Lecture Hall SB 101.
Rev. Hescox will discuss creation stewardship, including the biblical mandate for creation care; the light shed by science on climate change; and how Christians can make a difference.
This free, public presentation is sponsored by the Dordt College Environmental Studies Department, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, the Office of Social Justice of the Christian Reformed Church of North America, and the Evangelical Environmental Network.
Senator Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) remarks on energy independence, climate change, and jobs
February 8, 2010
Here is a thoughtful message from Sen. Lindsey Graham, given on February 3, 2010 in D.C.
The following transcript can be found at: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-02-03-sen.-lindsey-graham-on-the-importance-of-passing-climate-legesla/
Transcript of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) remarks today at the “Business Advocacy Day for Jobs, Climate & New Energy Leadership” in Washington D.C.
Thanks y’all. Thank you.
Hey everybody. It’s always good to be introduced by someone that can vote for you—just sounds better. Joe comes to every event I’ve ever had in South Carolina and he is on message with intellectual property and energy.
But to the South Carolina folks—thanks for coming up. Appreciate all the taxes you pay. Sorry about how we’re spending it. That’s applies to everybody by the way. I am here from the federal government and I’m here to help you. You’re supposed to laugh.
Well anyway, I don’t where we are going as a nation on a lot of issues. I know where we should be going, and that’s why we’re here right? We seem to be going at a snail’s pace on all the things that really matter. And finding common ground on hard big issues is not unknown to business, to families or to politicians. But eventually you have got to do something, because time is not on your side.
When it comes to social security and medicare reform, and the big entitlement programs, the baby boomers are retiring in droves. When I was born in 1955 there were 16 workers for every Social Security retiree. How many are there today? Three right? Two in 20 years. You know guys like me are the problem—I don’t have any kids. We have to come to grips with the fact that the demographic changes in America are real and Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid are $51 trillion underfunded when you add them all up. That’s not going to get solved just by arguing with each other.
We’ve got to find a pathway forward on entitlement reform. I just mention that as one issue on the economic side—long-term indebtedness that has to be addressed—only going to be solved when Democrats and Republicans come together we all say it, all 100 of us, we never seem to be able to accomplish much beyond saying it.
On the jobs side, we’re at 12 percent unemployment in South Carolina hardest hit that I can remember in my lifetime. Manufacturing in our state has really been hit hard. The textile industry that I grew up knowing and being around my whole life has really been hit. I can’t promise South Carolinians or people from Michigan or any other place that we can build a wall around America and that these jobs are not going to leave. But I can promise you there is a way to create jobs back here at home. One of the ways to create jobs back here at home is to become energy independent and clean up the environment. That is the best way.
[Applause]
This is so logical it is scary.
[Laughter]
Maybe that’s the biggest flaw with it, it just makes too much sense. It sounds too good to be true.
We send $1 billion a day overseas to buy oil, sometimes from countries that do not like us very much. We are in the middle of two wars. The war on terror has many tentacles to it, and what to do and how to do it is a reasoned debate I suppose, but eventually the way to win this war is to try to get to root cause of problem. The root cause of the problem is that there is a small minority of people out there who have a way of doing business, a religious view, that doesn’t accept moderate Muslims, Jews, Christians, anybody else and they are a minority within the world’s population but they have to be confronted on a multi-level approach, sometimes military action, sometimes economic aid. But this country would be in a better position to deal with that problem and other problems if we could go to Middle East and say we’d like to help you with your problems but we don’t need your oil. That would really be a game changer in terms of our domestic national security concerns.
[Applause]
Now, I’m speaking the day after the president spoke in New Hampshire. I like the president. I’m having a hard time finding common ground but we’re trying. One of the issues that I think we have some common ground on is trying to come up with a rational energy independence policy married up with climate change policy that will clean up the air but make money doing it and create jobs in the process and looking at old problems anew. There was this idea floating around yesterday—don’t know how serious it is—that somehow it would be wise for Congress to do an energy bill only. I don’t think that’s wise.
[Applause]
The reason I don’t think that’s wise is that “it is a kick the can down the road approach.” It’s putting off to another Congress what really needs to be done comprehensively.
I don’t think you’ll ever have energy independence the way I want it until you start dealing with carbon pollution and pricing carbon. The two are connected in my view—very much connected. The money to be made in solving the carbon pollution problem can only happen when you price carbon in my view.
So if the approach is to try to pass some half-assed energy bill and say that is moving the ball down the road, forget it with me.
[Applause]
If my Democratic and Republican colleagues—but the Democratic leadership—brings an energy bill to the floor, and that’s the only way we’re going to do things, you better get ready to vote for an amendment that allows offshore drilling with revenue sharing. Because you’ll never become energy independent in my view unless we start exploring for resources that we own in America in an
aggressive and environmentally-sensitive way. So this idea that the energy bill makes us energy independent doesn’t cut it with me because the bill that came out committee doesn’t have any revenue sharing for state of South Carolina or any other state who would agree to offshore exploration. So you’re not going to be to pass this bill and tell me we’ve done anything about energy independence.
On nuclear power side, the nuclear title in this bill is woefully inadequate to create renaissance in nuclear power. 82 percent of power in France comes from where? Nuclear. Surely we can be as bold as the French. French have found a way to produce nuclear safely, efficiently. It is cleaning up their environment, it’s creating jobs. If you want a job renaissance in America then you need a renaissance in nuclear power, that’s where jobs are going to come from. Trust me, you cannot be serious about cleaning up the environment unless you are serious about nuclear power. You cannot replace coal-fired plants with wind and solar—it’s 15 percent of the grid at most. I’m a serious guy. Honest to God’s truth is that nuclear power has been put in the backseat in this country in an irrational way.
But nuclear is just one part of the solution Wind and solar does matter. We have 250 years of coal—we should use it, but it just should be cleaner
At the end of the day we need a comprehensive approach that would allow this country to jump start its economy and lead the world to a cleaner environment
Every day we wait in this nation China is going to eat our lunch. The Chinese don’t need 60 votes. I guess they just need 1 guys vote over there—and that guy’s voted.
[Laughter]
He has decided to do two things: First, kind of play footsie with us on emissions control stuff but go like gangbusters when it comes to producing alternative energy. The solar and wind and battery-powered cars is an amazing thing to watch. And we’re stuck in neutral here.
So my message to you—you’re up here to advocate—advocate. Let the Congress know that you want a comprehensive approach to two serious problems. You don’t have to believe that Iowa is going to become beachfront property to want to clean up carbon. It is not about polar bears to me, it’s about jobs. I like the polar bears as much as anyone else but I want to create jobs.
If just a fraction of what is being predicted about global warming is true, that’s enough to motivate us all. But if worse thing you did—as Tony Blair would say—is you provided a cleaner environment, I don’t think you’d go down in history in a bad way.
The key in my view to those who believe we should address carbon pollution is to make sure that the energy initiatives that will get us there are done in a package.
If you break this apart you’ll have a watered down solution on both fronts.
Health care was big, it was controversial—I didn’t like the bill—but that doesn’t mean you can’t do other hard problems.
If the lesson from health care is let’s not do anything hard, then why don’t we all go home, which might be good for the country by the way.
But if we go home, China won’t.
The world is moving, pollution is growing, we’ve got a chance to get ahead and lead. If we wait too long and if we try to take half measures as the preferred route on all these hard problems they just get worse.
My challenge to you and to myself is to not let this moment pass. This is the best opportunity I’ve seen in my political lifetime for a Republican and Democrat to do something bold and meaningful.
Why did I get involved in this? I ask myself that a lot. I saw an opportunity. I’ve become convinced that carbon pollution is a bad thing, not a good thing, and it can be dealt with, and we can create jobs.
This is the time, this is the Congress, and this is the moment. So if we retreat and try to just go to the energy-only approach—which will never yield the legislative results that I want on energy independence—then we just made the problem worse.
What Congress is going to come up here and do all these hard things? Who are these people in the future? Because we constantly count on them. I don’t know who they are. I’ve yet to find them.
So I guess it falls to me and you.
So let’s do it.
Thanks.
[Applause]
An Open Letter to the President
December 16, 2009
President Obama
The White House
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President,
We write to you on behalf of the businesses and millions of Americans we represent to urge you to lead at this historic moment and secure a fair and ambitious plan for global cooperation to combat climate change. In particular, we ask that you reprioritize American policy to phase out the sizable taxpayer subsidies we provide the fossil fuel industry and instead significantly increase the U.S. investment in global efforts to protect tropical forests, provide humanitarian assistance to protect vulnerable communities from climate impacts, and speed the deployment of clean energy technologies. With strong leadership and new proposals in the coming days, the United States can and should secure additional financing commitments from other nations as part of a broader agreement from major emitters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A Copenhagen agreement should include a landmark global plan to protect tropical forests from the destruction that causes approximately 15% of the emissions that contribute to global warming. Backed by a broad coalition of businesses and conservation groups, many in Congress have already supported measures to finance global efforts to protect tropical forests in climate legislation. The House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act includes strong financing for efforts to reduce emissions from global deforestation by 720 million tons annually by 2020 – emission reductions that are above and beyond the emission standards in the bill. Similar provisions are included in the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act that has been approved by the Senate Environment Committee. You have an opportunity to offer this as a supplemental commitment here in Copenhagen and ask other nations to match it.
From Biloxi to Bangladesh, poor families get hit first and worst by the effects of climate change. We must help the poor in poor countries adapt to the impacts of climate change, including increased water scarcity, extreme weather events, increases in diseases, and declining agricultural productivity. Since climate impacts act as “threat multipliers,” such destabilization and the increase of refugees also will lead to security threats. Just as climate legislation in Congress must address impacts of climate on America’s poor, a global agreement should make sure that such impacts do not make it more difficult for the world’s poor to create better lives for themselves. The good news is that the solutions can help them climb out of poverty.
There are several opportunities to generate the necessary financing from innovative sources. At the G-20 and at the meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations, you helped lead an effort to phase out the subsidies of fossil fuels globally. These subsidies have been costing American taxpayers $10 billion annually. International transport emissions from aviation and shipping were left out of the Kyoto Protocol. The loophole for these fast growing sectors should be closed through a global sectoral cap, and revenue generated should be directed to these priorities.
A successful Copenhagen outcome will include global targets for both emissions and climate finance. The United States should encourage and support a strong global commitment through 2020 for public finance of forest, adaptation and technology initiatives, backed by specific options for securing this funding. This effort will help advance global cooperation toward a more ambitious and fairer global deal that involves all nations.
We stand ready to support your leadership.
Sincerely,
Maggie Fox
President & CEO, Alliance for Climate Protection
Michael Eckhart
President, American Council On Renewable Energy
Daniel Magraw
President, Center for International Environmental Law
Mindy Lubber,
President, Ceres/BICEP
(Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy)
Jeff Anderson
CEO, Clean Economy Network Inc.
Fred Krupp
President, Environmental Defense Fund
The Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox
President/CEO, Evangelical Environmental Network
Benjamin K. Homan
President and Chief Executive Officer, Food for the Hungry, Inc.
Gene Karpinski
President, League of Conservation Voters
Larry Schweiger
President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation
Frances Beinecke
President, Natural Resources Defense Council
Carl Pope
Executive Director, Sierra Club
Stephen Smith
Executive Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Bill Meadows
President, The Wilderness Society
Kevin Knobloch
President, Union of Concerned Scientists
Jonathan Lash
President, World Resources Institute
Carter Roberts
President, World Wildlife Fund
Gillian Caldwell
Campaign Director, 1 Sky
Our evangelical voice in Copenhagen Post #2
December 15, 2009
One in a series of updates from Rev. Jim Ball of EEN from Copenhagen where he is attending the international climage change talks. This one was sent Tuesday, December 15, 2009.
Good afternoon from Copenhagen,
Yesterday (Monday) the talks were suspended due to disagreements between the developing and developed countries, losing valuable time. Thankfully the negotiations have resumed. But some are worried that precisely because we have over 120 heads of state coming by Friday — including President Obama — the talks are “doomed to succeed.” What is meant by this is that a weak deal with plenty of loopholes will be announced as a major success to avoid the appearance of failure.
No one wants to be seen as the country or group that led to the failure of the talks. But a weak deal certainly will not be supported by those outside of government whom others turn to to confirm whether the deal is a good one or not — including climate-friendly businesses, environmental groups, national security groups, and faith groups.
So it remains to be seen whether whatever the countries are able to put together will find the support it needs. Of course, whatever political agreement is affirmed here will have to lead to a legally-binding treaty to be negotiated in Mexico City in 2010.
On our special concern with international adaptation funding, we’ve been told by a senior State Department official that the US won’t agree to specific long-term number. My view is that they won’t because they feel they can’t — and they feel this way in part because they haven’t built the support necessary in Congress. We have been doing this for several years and have achieved some limited success. But we need the Administration to provide leadership on this with Congress. My hope is that it will be crystal clear to both the Administration and Congress that without funding that meets the criteria agreed to by all the countries — i.e., funding must be “adequate, predictable, and sustainable …” and “new and additional” — there won’t be an international deal. Only in concert with an international deal will our domestic actions lead to a situation where we have started down the road of overcoming global warming.
And in so doing will we give glory to our Creator by loving God and our neighbor.
Rev. Jim Ball
from Copenhagen
A Prayer for Creation
December 14, 2009
A stewards’ prayer from Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia
“Most gracious God, creator of all good things, we thank you for the precious gift of life, for the intricate cycles and the beautiful balances that sustain it, and for the unfolding story of planet earth and all creatures that share it. We thank you for all earth’s people. You have inspired us to do much that is good and beautiful and true, but we have also chosen to act in ways that are destructive, selfish, ugly and false. Through ignorance and carelessness we have poisoned clean air and pure water. For monetary gain we have reduced verdant forests to barren wastes. In our craving for more we have plundered your beloved creation and driven many of our fellow creatures to extinction. Only recently have we begun to realize the dangerous future into which our current patterns of consumption and waste are driving us, especially in relation to earth’s climate. Only recently have we begun to see our need to find a wiser and better way of life in the future, before it is too late and our choices are limited by the consequences of inaction.
We who join in prayer today believe the time has come, Lord. Please guide us now, our God, at this critical moment in history, to better fulfill our role as stewards of this fragile planet. Inspire us and empower us to turn from thoughtless consumption and greedy destruction, to embrace and choose instead lives of caring protection and sacred regeneration. Help us discover again a wholesome and sustainable way of life that reflects your wisdom, your compassion, your justice, and your love. Help us reject the lie that there is no alternative to greed and careless exploitation, and help us believe your truth — that true prosperity, life in all its fullness, can only come from wise stewardship, mutual responsibility, and mutual care.
Guide the leaders of nations who (will) gather in Copenhagen (on December 6). Give them courage to set noble goals that reach beyond short-range political expediency, short-term economic profit, and short-sighted self-interest. Grant them foresight into a troubled future characterized by rising sea levels, spreading droughts and deserts, melting glaciers, suffering families and displaced populations, ravaging diseases, and catastrophic famines. Move them to choose a better future. Impress upon their conscience our sacred duty to bequeath to our children and grandchildren a healthy and thriving environment rather than a world in climate crisis.
If our leaders fail, Lord, if they fail to take the necessary action, they will violate both our trust and your calling to use their power for the common good. If they fail, every person will be affected, including generations not yet born. Please, God of justice and compassion, do not let the poorest and youngest among us, who have done the least to create this crisis, to suffer the unchecked consequences of the reckless greed and arrogant complacency of the wealthiest and most comfortable. Instead, move the prosperous nations to bear their fair share of the solution, in just proportion to their contribution to the problem. Rouse us all to action for we are all woven together in the fabric of creation.
This is the moment, God, when a great turning of hearts must begin. So through this prayer, we of many traditions who follow Christ — joined by friends and neighbors of many faiths – unite our hearts in a cry for change. At first a few of us, and then hundreds, and then many thousands, join together as one to pray to you on behalf of our leaders, in solidarity with the poor, in strong hope for the healing of this beautiful world, your creation and our home. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray in the name of Christ, through whom you have given yourself to the whole world in incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Amen.”
Tim Costello, is CEO of World Vision Australia. You can follow his blog here.
350, a number to know (October 24, 2009)
October 23, 2009
350.org spearheaded by author, speaker, and fellow brother in the Lord, Bill McKibben, is getting the word out about parts per million as it relates to climate change.
350 parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere.
On October 24, 2009, people, families, and communities will unite behind the 350 goal in a planetary day of action
To learn more, read, watch, laugh or find events in your neighborhood click here.
