Religious Groups Push for Action on Climate

A new coalition of faith leaders is speaking up about global warming and
its effects on those least able to adapt.
 
"On the sixth day God created us, and he made us stewards of his creation,"
said Katie Paris,
communications director, Faith in Public Life. How are religious groups
reshaping that stewardship? "Those who are hurt most and worst should not be
helped the least and last," Paris said.
 
A broad partnership of religious groups, including Catholics United, and
the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, launched the Day Six campaign to
compel the U.S. Senate to pass a comprehensive energy bill with dedicated
funding for developing nations struggling to adapt to flooding, droughts, and
other effects of global warming.
 
"We met with Sen. Kerry a couple weeks ago, and he told us he was going to
be working very hard to increase the funding from what it is in the [House]
bill," said Reverend Jim Ball, senior director of the climate campaign for the
Evangelical Environmental Network. "We're asking him to be a leader."
 
The push for aid is part of a broader awareness and outreach campaign which
endeavors to highlight the ethical responsibility to regulate carbon pollution
and mitigate its worst effects-and the need to support those who do.
"[The campaign is] also part of our responsibility to then support people
who are going to lead on morally important things," Ball said.
Published: October 14, 2009