Scripture tells us that God created human beings from the very soil of the Earth and charged us to be cultivators and caretakers of all Creation so that all may experience life, not death (Genesis 2:7-9; 15 CEB). Yet, we have failed to live into this role as evidenced by our voracious consumption of natural resources. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report stated that emissions from human activities are “unequivocally” responsible for the rising temperatures inducing climate change. Fueled by our dependence on fossil fuels the planet is burning up and the record-breaking heatwaves, devastating derechos and hurricanes, and longer and drier droughts will only become more frequent and severe unless we take rapid action to cut our carbon emissions and transition to a renewable energy economy within this decade.
Despite the dire urgency, our elected officials continue to fail in their moral obligation to protect the integrity of creation. The budget reconciliation bill had several critical provisions to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and build a greener and more equitable economy. But instead of investing in these planet saving measures, they’ve been cut from the bill. Congress continues to play political games and choose greed and avarice at each turn, unable or unwilling to see how their petty political squabbles are dwarfed in magnitude by the fact that the fate of all life on this planet hangs in the balance. We are already living in a climate emergency and are all being impacted by it, but particularly people of color, the poor, Indigenous and tribal communities, and rural communities. It is not just unacceptable to continue inaction on this immediate threat, it is disgraceful.
That is why we, not only as citizens and residents of the nation that is one of the largest contributors to the devastation being wrecked upon our planet, but also as people of faith, cannot stop speaking truth to power. We cannot be discouraged and surrender hope. We must continue to demand that all our leaders take immediate and bold action to address the climate crisis. They must pass legislation that transitions us fully to a renewable energy-fueled economy so that we can reduce our emissions by 2030. This should be done by including the climate change investments in the reconciliation bill. Congress must also ensure environmental justice while doing so and pass the Environmental Justice For All Act (H.R. 2021).
Now is the time for us to come together and lift our collective voice to hold Congress to account to meeting the needs of the people. We must also call on our neighbors to join us. There is simply no time to waste.