Blog Action Day – Climate Change
Destroying the earth is not a human right.
There I said it.
Today is Blog Action Day and the topic is climate change. I thought about writing well reasoned pleas as to why we all need to be aware and care for the earth. I thought about addressing the Christians who even in their gnostic rejection the earth can find reason to care for people. But I’m tired and I’m fed up with self-centered excuses. So I’m just going to say that we need to get over ourselves. Our profit, our laziness, our pleasure are not sufficient reasons to do whatever the hell we want with the earth. Listening to Fox News and Christian radio give the minority opinion that climate change is a fable shouldn’t change anything. We either act like responsible mature human beings or we act like spoiled brats. We either clean up after ourselves, take care of what we have been given, and choose to respect the poor in our global community or we might just as well tattoo “It’s All About Me” on our foreheads (cuz that seems like a fairly appropriate mark of the beast imho).
Sure, we’ll struggle. Sure, we’ll stumble. Of course it’s going to be hard. That’s life. We just deal, pick ourselves up and move along. Our inability to be perfect should never become our excuse to be self-centered jerks.
I really don’t care if that is harsh. I don’t care if that is unpopular. That’s not the point. The point is to love God by stewarding his creation. And to love all people – including those that live next to refineries or smelting plants or whose islands are sinking or whose fishing economies have been destroyed. It’s not about what is easy or profitable. It’s about what is just and loving.
So let’s cut the crap and call it like it is – we can act out of selfishness or out of love. But we have to choose and we have to own our choice.
julieclawson(at)gmail(dot)com 
Amen!
You are so right, Julie. The earth doesn’t have time to waste trying to convince the deniers. We need to move forward.
Here’s a disturbing report:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48791
I accepted a new call a little over a year ago, and began attending the morning men’s group, where different people in the group take turns leading the discussion. I quickly realized that if I ever volunteered and showed up unprepared, all I would have to do is say, “Climate change.” The rest of the hour would take care of itself.
But something happened in one discussion on the subject I found interesting, and this is why I and most of the people in this group would agree with everything you are saying.
Someone brought a statement from our denomination (PCUSA)on global warming and read it to the group. Some people were nodding their heads and some were shaking them. However, when we read it again and substituted “pollution” for “global warming”, everybody was nodding.
Now, I’m not commenting to argue that global warming isn’t occurring. What I am saying is that even in a room where people disagreed on that matter, they all did agree that we use too much, consume too much, pollute too much, and take advantage too much.
This is my very tired roundabout Friday way of saying I agree with you.
Patrick – While I fully think climate change is a reality, I see it far too often become a red herring that gets in the way of actual change. If practical reality is to shift, we might need to find new ways to phrase the discussion.
Thanks for your prophetic voice.
Patrick articulately stated.
Global Warming discussions have unfortunately provided both sides the platform to see their scientific views often based by gleaning information based on world views that are reflected on other subjects .
Julie taking a shot at Christian Radio and FOX news . Much media in todays 24 hour news rooms need verification.
CNN is doing an investigation on Saturday Night Live Skit because it made our President look like he has not done anything . As Stewart says , whats next a report on the Shark and telegrams from Saturday Night Live Will CNN be trusted to give a fair report on Global Warming policy by PresdidentObama based on science ?
Thepresident had a joke made about him in a skit . The world is falling apart , bring out the investigators . LOL
This polarizing world views enshrined in news presentations hurt the way the subject has been viewed by ALL of us. News Sites
make sure someone is presented as THE WORSE PERSON in THE WORLLLLLLLLD based on political party not on personal morality or integrity.
Thus if you want to make more people aware , people who are really concerned about Global Warming need to confront the folks who see the world falling apart, blame sterotypical boogey men ” Christians, Fox , Gays, etc” and confront some quick non scientific solutions that hurt people.
Hope you understand Julie ,If speaking to the choir is as far as you want your view points to go disregard . Not to challenge and engage all of us then just Blame Fox and Christian radio is a quick route to popularity , and even a quicker route to loosing creditability over all.
Could it be that you can be concerned about Global Warming , believe in the value of Human Life, thought out solutions that promote the envirnoment and the people who use it ? Perhaps take a look of what the blogs promoting awareness of global warming are saying on other subjects, such as the political site Don referenced. That site only promotes an agreed upon world view on a wide range of topics.
I write this as a recent convert from the Right to at least left of center Christian. I am into organic farming and a moderately Green person.
Here are some of the issues that cloud things.
Having Al Gore as an unofficial spokesperson is not good. Al has a huge house (probably more than one huge house.) Al drives around in HUGE vehicles and gets flown around in HUGE planes. His movie had several errors of fact and he bumbles and fidgets when confronted about the errors. If Shane Claiborned speaks out for the envirnment I will listen because he lives it. When Al Gore does it I will change the channel.
If you are going to pontificate…don’t be driving a fossil fuel driven vehicle, don’t buy anything encased in plastic, in fact don’t buy anything plastic. Buy ALL local. Make all your own clothes.
The rub is that enormous corporations dwarf any footprint a family leaves by a factor of a billion fold. I am all for putting pressure on big companies for doing things cleaner, but whining and wagging fingers when maybe 1 in a thousand “greenies” leaves virtually no footprint does nothing but make those you disagree with move to more extreme positions.
I understand the need to vent, but it REALLY came off as whiney and self serving.
My 2 cents worth.
You might enjoy this essay by Rowan Williams.
http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2563