3 items

• 

  Presbyterians and Climate Change
  

  This article posted on Yale Climate Connections discusses grassroots efforts of Presbyterian organizations, and notes specific time frames of salient Presbyterian accomplishments with regard to climate change. The following excerpt provides a general overview of their goals and mission:
  
  "Presbyterians are engaged in many activities to combat climate change, from Earth Forums to hunger programs addressing food and climate crises and protests against practices that encourage reliance on coal. Since 2010, the Presbyterian Church has given 80 congregations an Earth Care Congregation Certification for demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental care."
• 

  Episcopal Church, Church of Sweden, ELCA commitment: "Sustaining hope in the face of climate change"

  The heads The Episcopal Church, the Church of Sweden, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) signed a joint commitment to climate statement. The following are five salient points from their commitment:
  
  "1) Advocate for national and international policies and regulations that enable a swift transition from dependence on fossil fuels to clean, safe, renewable energy, and for economic systems that are fair and just.
  
  2) Sustain an interfaith, international conversation around climate change and social and economic justice while working to keep climate change in the public’s attention.
  
  3) Encourage our faith communities to deeper theological reflection on the moral and ethical response to climate change, and then to make public witness about climate change through advocacy at the local, national and international levels.
  
  4) Invite our communities to prayerfully consider how their own actions, lifestyle choices – particularly our energy consumption -- affect the environment.
  
  5) Offer our communities continued opportunities to learn about climate change and the universal church’s response to this crisis."
• 

  Lutherans Reflect on Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

  This article discusses some of the sentiments regarding proceedings from the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. While some attendees expressed disappointment in the outcome, others were more optimistic about steps which may lead to more effective action for climate change in the future. The following excerpt provides a brief description of the event:
  
  "More than 3,000 ELCA members, along with a coalition of U.S. faith leaders, sent some 20,000 postcards to President Barack Obama, urging him to be at the meeting, she said. Obama attended the conference and urged leaders of Brazil, China, India and South Africa to join the United States 'to fund developing nations' projects to deal with droughts,
  floods and other impacts of climate change, and to develop clean energy,' among other agreements, according to a U.N. news release."