Devin Carroll 9-18-2015 World Religions Join Campaign for Climate Policy

  World Religions Join Campaign for Climate Policy

Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home.  With this Encyclical Pope Francis charges Catholics to act to slow climate change and mitigate its harm to all life and people, especially the poor.

With support from both science and scripture, Francis frames this as a moral issue.  The causes of the crisis come mainly from wealthier nations and people, but the most catastrophic harm will fall on the poorer nations and peoples of the world. 

Francis is in good religious company.

Orthodox Christianity, the World Evangelical Alliance and the World Council of Churches all joined Francis in the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.  Many Christians have signed the Evangelical Climate Initiative.

This year in Istanbul, the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change called for oil producing states and wealthy nations to phase out emissions and help poorer nations develop clean energy.

Rabbis from all branches of Judaism signed the Jewish Environmental and Energy Imperative in 2012.

Ba’hai, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and especially indigenous peoples, are urging world leaders to act decisively.

Valley people of faith, I ask you to call on Congress to pass effective climate policy now.

Devin Carroll

Published in Fresno Bee on 9-18-2015

http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article35469333.html