From the Executive Director's Desk...
Climate change calls us to make all things new

September 2007
By Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO, Church World Service

Government officials from around the world will meet in early December in Bali, Indonesia to review international commitments related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While other leading nations have made formal promises through the United Nations and are implementing them, to date the U.S. has not. The U.S. is the largest producer of these emissions, while those who are most harmed by our actions live in developing nations.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” Revelations 21: 1

A Bold Vision for the Future

Global warming (the rise in the Earth's average surface temperature) and its related consequences due to changing climate patterns are dramatically reshaping everyone's life on this planet. These changes affect every aspect of our being – from where we can live, the food we grow and eat, the existence of particular species of plants and animals, the prevalence of hunger and poverty, the ability of people to earn a living, what diseases we are exposed to, as well as whether we can continue certain cultural and spiritual practices.

In thinking about global warming, I am reassured that Christianity is a religion of hope. As Christians we are called to live into and to act out of hope. The Book of Revelations offers us a bold vision of the future. Central to its message is reassurance of God's love and care for us, as all that is old and life-denying falls away while all that is new and life-affirming comes into being.

Revelations underscores the point that God will always be with us and has already begun the great work of renewing heaven and earth. God intends a new earth full of justice and joy. Global warming and its consequences call us as Christians to see the world as God does and live in ways that hasten its transformation.

The Nature of the Problem

Several types of gases contribute to warming the earth's surface – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, water vapor, ozone and nitrous oxide (NOX), among others. They trap the energy from the sun so it can't escape into space. As a result of the increased concentration of these gases, our atmosphere is now on average about one degree Fahrenheit hotter than 100 years ago. In turn, this creates all kinds of shifts in weather patterns.

Green house gas emissions have been increasing since the Industrial Revolution. One of the primary ways human activity contributes to this problem is through CO2 emissions created by burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. Deforestation has made this situation worse because trees remove CO2 from the air.

The international climate change agreement brokered through the United Nations is known as the Kyoto Protocol. The protocol covers emissions of CO2, methane, NOX, and some other types of gases. The Bali meeting later this year will be the 13 th annual “Conference of Parties” to review progress on implementing the Protocol. To date, 175 governments have signed the treaty. Since 2001, the U.S. has been the most notable exception, saying it was “fatally flawed” and would harm the U.S. economy.

The Moral Challenge

Changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, and the myriad of related other alterations occurring around the globe are not equal opportunity events. The foremost international experts who comprise the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) note that “the impacts of climate change will fall disproportionately upon developing countries and poor persons within all countries.”

Here are two stark examples of how some of the most economically and politically marginalized people will bear this burden. About 90 percent of the agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa depends on rain to water crops and livestock. Changing rainfall patterns will be devastating to a region where malnutrition, food security, and rural livelihoods are already often tenuous. Entire cultures and nations may become extinct as a result of rising sea levels. Located in the Indian Ocean, the Republic of Maldives – where 65 percent of the land is less than one meter above sea level – has already permanently evacuated residents from four of the lowest lying islands while the government of the island nation of Tuvalu has negotiated an agreement to allow phased relocation of its entire population to New Zealand.

Those who stand to be the most heavily affected are not those who bear the greatest responsibility for contributing to the problem. In terms of historical emissions, industrialized countries account for roughly 80 percent of the carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere to date. The U.S. is the world's biggest contributor. We have roughly 5 percent of the world's population and emit about 25 percent of the world's carbon dioxide.

People of faith in the U.S. have an important role to play in helping to create the political will needed to energetically, thoughtfully, and compassionately address the impacts of climate change in the U.S. and on developing countries.

Early World Bank estimates indicate that something on the order of $50 billion annually will be needed to help developing countries cope. This is over and above already committed foreign assistance levels. The U.S. share of this amount should be appropriately proportional to its role in contributing to the problem.

The Direction Forward

Church World Service has joined an emerging coalition of development, faith-based, and environmental groups in the U.S. looking at appropriate U.S. foreign policy. Together with coalition partners, CWS will be promoting the following U.S. actions in advocating for justice around climate change:

The U.S. agree to substantial, time-bound commitments to cut greenhouse gases.
U.S. policies to cut emissions be equitable and ensure that adaptation costs are borne by those most responsible for the emissions.
The U.S. provide substantial assistance to enable developing countries to adapt to the serious consequences of climate change; this assistance will be above and beyond current responsibilities and financial commitments for development assistance.
Adaptation funds be distributed through channels that are open, accountable, and fully responsive to the needs of affected communities in developing countries.
The U.S. work collaboratively with other nations to address climate change and the critical linkages between global warming and global poverty.

CWS advocacy efforts

At the UN and in Washington D.C., CWS advocates for the U.S. to become a responsible and responsive member of the global community at the United Nations and other venues where global warming strategies are collectively and fairly developed. It is important that climate change meetings and processes convened and sponsored by the U.S. Administration reinforce rather than dilute existing United Nations processes related to the Kyoto Protocol.

Currently, the House of Representatives included an amendment in the energy bill that requires that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other government agencies collaborate in evaluating the impact of climate change on developing countries and develop a diplomatic and funding strategy to address their resulting needs. Advocacy work needs to be done to ensure that this is included in the final conference version of the bill. In the coming weeks CWS will be issuing Speak-out action opportunities.

Looking ahead to next year, global warming must become a major issue for the upcoming elections. It's heartening to see that some members of Congress and presidential candidates are willing to initiate serious debate about U.S. energy policy, and I hope that many people of faith will ask them about their positions and commitments.