OUUC has designated 2018 as “The Year of Environmental Justice”
The goal is to include in the justice work of the Faith In Action ministry, a congregational awareness of the link between Climate Action and the well-being of all people.
We each are being impacted by the climate emergency, but vulnerable, marginalized populations are the MOST affected. Their challenges will only be made worse as our temperature trends warm, sea levels rise and the weather becomes less stable – there will be more homelessness, more scapegoating of minority groups, more civil unrest, wars, refugees, more hunger and more poverty.
By slowing and mitigating the pace of climate change we will work to address each of these social issues. It no longer makes sense to think of social justice and environmental activism as separate and distinct. They are immutably linked.
Throughout 2108 the congregation can take part in and learn from a number of activities and opportunities in the areas of Education, Partnerships, and Action.
It is time to take action and let our voices be heard on this issue.
The Tide Is Rising – So Are We!
Organizations with local presence:
Thurston Climate Action Team (Local meetings, projects)
350.ORG (International organization; Tacoma chapter)
Citizens Climate Lobby (National scope – Carbon “Fee and dividend”; local chapter)
Sierra Club (National organization; many projects, local chapter)
Black Hills Audubon Society
Climate Solutions resources; (resources, work with business)
Resources:
Books
Cooler Smarter The Union of Concerned Scientists, 2012; The Island Press
Drawdown Paul Hawken, ed; 2017; Penguin/Random House
COOL IT The Climate Issue National Geographic Magazine November 201
The Cartoon Guide to Climate Change Yoram Bauman, 2014
What We’re Fighting For Now is Each Other, 2015 Wes Stephenson
Websites:
City of Olympia Sea Level rise planning
NOAA – or Climate.gov icon 2nd from top of menu, see “teaching’ for tutorials
350.org (Big website, lots of resources)
Movies:
An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore 2006)
An Inconvenient Sequel (Al Gore 2017)
From the Ashes Leonardo DiCaprio (National Geographic)
YouTube: Tony Seba: Clean Disruption – Energy & Transportation
Partner Churches:
Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church, Des Moines WA
The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepard, Olympia WA
Topics:
CO2 sequestration – The Economist Nov 18 2017 p11; pp 20-22
Antarctic Ice National Geographic July 2017 p 30-49; p50-73
Sea Level Rise – NOAA website
Warming & Greenhouse Gasses – NOAA website
Clouds; Scientific American Dec 2017; pp 72-77
IPCC (The Paris Agreement)
US Gov’t Climate Change Report (draft) June 2017
