Leadership Alliance Presentation Abstracts
September 20
Ms. Pamela P. McVety: Presbyterians Move Toward Climate Neutrality
This summer the Presbyterian General Assembly passed a resolution calling on all Presbyterians, Presbyterian governing bodies and institutions to go carbon neutral. This dramatic step is in response to the ongoing and predicted devastating effects of climate change on God’s Creation caused by our burning of fossil fuels. (Carbon neutrality requires our energy consumption that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere be reduced and carbon offsets purchased to compensate for those carbon emissions that could not be eliminated.)
Our denomination in rewriting and updating its 25 year old energy policy realized that climate change will overwhelm all of its efforts to care for the poor, feed the hungry and work for peace if it is not solved. Further it recognized that we have the resources and creativity to act now in a bold manner to help avert the impacts of climate change by reducing our energy usage.
Our greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for energy are changing the world’s climate and the effects are already being felt from melting glaciers that raise sea levels to extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and hurricanes. Unfortunately the people most affected by these events are those least able to respond. They are our brothers and sisters who live in Africa, Asia, the Arctic and on Pacific Islands who are dying from droughts, floods and extreme weather events. Entire island nations are planning to relocate and thousands of year old native cultures are dramatically changing as the Arctic warms.
By passing the resolution, Presbyterians accept responsibility for their contribution to these problems and are taking the bold step of going carbon neutral in order to eliminate their greenhouse gas emissions.
Going carbon neutral requires three simple steps:
- Calculate your carbon emissions.
- Reduce your energy usage as low as you can, and
- Offset your remaining carbon emissions.
Other denominations and individuals are invited to take responsibility for reducing their carbon emissions by going carbon neutral.
For additional information on this resolution please see www.pcusa.org/hunger/features/climate.htm.
