Global Warming/Climate Change
ELCA Policy Base
"The earth is a planet of beauty and abundance; the earth system is wonderfully intricate and incredibly complex. But today living creatures, and the air, soil, and water that support them, face unprecedented threats. Many threats are global; most stem directly from human activity. Our current practices may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner we know." The ELCA recognizes that the threat of "dangerous global warming, caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide" poses challenges to the entire world, and commits us as individuals, as a worship community, and as a public church, to address this serious threat to God’s creation.
SOURCE: ELCA, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice (1993); ELCA Churchwide Assembly Action CA01.07.57 (2001).
BACKGROUND
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
WHAT INDIVIDUALS AND CONGREGATIONS CAN DO AND WHAT THE ELCA IS DOING
IMPORTANT LINKS
What is global warming?
Carbon dioxide and other global warming gases are collecting in earth's atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to grow warmer. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), issued a report in 2007 that confirms human use of fossil fuel is the main source of these gases and the primary cause of global warming. Every time we burn fossil fuels by driving a car, using electricity from coal- or gas-fired power plants, or heating our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the air.
Since pre-industrial times, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31 percent. Over the same period, atmospheric methane, another global warming gas, has risen by 151 percent, mostly from agricultural activities like growing rice and raising cattle.
As the concentration of these gases grows, more heat is trapped by the atmosphere and less escapes back into space. The increase in trapped heat changes the climate, causing altered weather patterns that can bring unusually intense precipitation or dry spells and more severe storms.
Though Americans make up just 4 percent of the world's population, we produce 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil-fuel burning—by far the largest share of any country. Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution—they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually.
SOURCES: Union of Concerned Scientists "Authoritative Report Confirms Human Activity Driving Global Warming" (2007); Pew Center on Global Climate Change, "Climate Change 101" (www.pewclimate.org); Union of Concerned Scientists, "Frequently Asked Questions About Global Warming" (www.ucsusa.org).
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Hasn’t the earth’s climate changed before?
Although local temperatures fluctuate naturally, over the past 50 years the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history, and scientists confirm that this is due not to natural causes, but rather to human activity. And experts think the trend is accelerating: eleven of the last twelve years rank among the hottest years on record. Global average temperatures have risen over the twentieth century, and when scientists have attempted to reproduce these twentieth-century trends in their climate models, they are only able to do so when they include emissions from human use of fossil fuels in their models in addition to natural fluctuations in temperature. And scientists say that unless we curb global warming emissions, average U.S. temperatures could rise 10 degrees by the end of the century.
SOURCES: Union of Concerned Scientists, "Authoritative Report Confirms Human Activity Driving Global Warming," "Global Warming 101: 2005 Tied 1998 As World's Hottest Year," and "Frequently Asked Questions About Global Warming" (www.ucsusa.org); Pew Center on Global Climate Change, "Climate Change 101" (www.pewclimate.org).
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What are the impacts of global warming now and in the future?
Global warming is already causing damage in many parts of the globe. In 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe. In many parts of the western United States, severe drought has led to increases in wildfires and drops in water reserves. The 2007 IPCC report confirms that the intensity and extent of droughts have increased in the past four decades "particularly in the tropics and subtropics." Droughts have been linked to changes in sea surface temperatures, wind patterns, and decreased snowpack and snow cover. The IPCC report also confirms that the Arctic ice area has shrunk by about 2.7 percent per decade since 1978 and that "average Arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average rate over the past 100 years.
"If nothing is done to halt this warming trend, we will see even more serious impacts around the globe, including severe drought in many areas with accompanying disruptions in food and water supplies, rising sea levels and coastal flooding, warmer sea temperatures leading to more intense hurricanes and typhoons around the globe, the unchecked spread of pests and diseases, and the extinction of many plant and animal species.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a group of leading scientists from around the globe who have been studying data on climate for decades. Early in 2007, the IPCC began releasing a series of reports that reflect the current state of scientific knowledge about the causes of climate change, the impacts it is already having in communities around the world, and what we can expect to occur if steps are not taken to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that are causing the earth's climate to grow warmer.
The first report concluded that it is "unequivocal" that earth's climate is warming, noting changes such as the shrinking expanse of Arctic ice, later dates for first frost a
nd earlier dates for last frost in northern climates, and increases in the length and intensity of droughts in many regions of the world. The report also concludes that it is "very likely" that human use of fossil fuels is the primary cause of observed increases in temperature.
The second report outlines what is already happening due to earth's warmer temperatures, from droughts to more severe weather to changes in migratory patterns for birds and other creatures. It also paints a picture of what could happen to God's creation if we do not take steps to curb our emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The impacts will be greatest in some of the world's poorest countries--increases in violent weather such as hurricanes and typhoons; decreasing rainfall in much of Africa leading to shortages of food and water; rising sea levels that will threaten the very existence of small island nations and low-lying countries like Bangladesh. Wealthy countries like the United States will be better able to adapt to these changes, but as Hurricane Katrina proved in 2005, even in our country, the "least of these" are highly vulnerable.
SOURCES: Environmental Defense, "Global Warming Myths and Facts" (www.fightglobalwarming.com), and "The Latest Myths and Facts on Global Warming" (2005); Union of Concerned Scientists, "Authoritative Report Confirms Human Activity Driving Global Warming" (www.ucsusa.org); IPCC, "Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policymakers" (February 2007) (available for download at http://www.ipcc.ch/); IPCC, "Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Summary for Policymakers" (April 2007) (available for download at http://www.ipcc.ch/)
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Learn more
Why should people of faith be concerned about global warming? The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Programs offer resources for group study, worship and sermons, including "It's God's World: Christians, Care for Creation and Global Warming," a five-session study guide on global warming that interweaves information on Climate Change with relevant biblical passages.
The ELCA social statement, Caring for Creation, states our concerns about global warming and its potential impacts on God's creation and calls us to act. The and a study guide for congregations are available online.
Learn more about the science of global warming, how, where and why it's happening, and what we must do to stop it. The Union of Concerned Scientists, the Pew Center on Climate Change, and Environmental Defense all have detailed education materials on their Web sites.
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Advocate for change
Businesses, farm groups, scientists, state governments, environmentalists, and the faith community have all spoken out about the immediate need to address climate change. In order for the United States to take a leading role in addressing climate change, Congress must pass legislation that puts mandatory caps on U.S. emissions and supports research and development of sustainable renewable energy technology. Find out more about ELCA advocacy on this issue.
You can raise your voice on this and other critical issues by joining the ELCA e-Advocacy Network. By joining, you can learn about the latest legislative developments on global warming and be informed of timely opportunities to urge your members of Congress to support helpful legislation on this and other issues.
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Make changes in your life and your community
Global warming is a big issue that will require individuals, communities, businesses and local, state, and national governments around the globe to make a serious commitment to change their behavior. But the magnitude of this issue, though daunting, should not prevent us from acting: even though this is a big problem, individual and community actions can make a difference and help to halt global warming.
"Our tradition offers many glimpses of hope triumphant over despair. In ancient Israel, as Jerusalem was under siege and people were on the verge of exile, Jeremiah purchased a plot of land (Jeremiah 32). When Martin Luther was asked what he would do if the world were to end tomorrow, he reportedly answered, ‘I would plant an apple tree today.' When we face today's crisis, we do not despair. We act." ELCA, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice (1993).
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What individuals can do
You can take action, in your home, church and community, to reduce global warming emissions by reducing your energy use—changing from conventional bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps; weatherproofing your home, and buying more energy-efficient appliances and fuel-efficient cars. The Department of Energy offers excellent consumer guides to saving energy. Tax credits and other programs may even be available to help pay for energy-efficiency upgrades or the installation of renewable energy systems in your home (check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency).
You can become a "zero emissions" supporter by calculating your annual emissions of global warming gases (www.environmentaldefense.org has a good calculator) and then buying emissions "credits" to offset your individual emissions. These "credits" support renewable energy development and other projects that reduce global warming emissions (Environmental Defense has a list of projects that they have evaluated on their Web site).
In your community, you can support local agriculture through farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture (CSAs). Most food travels long distances to reach our plates and those travels require a significant consumption of fossil fuels. Find a farmers' market or CSA in your community with the Local Harvest searchable database.
In some communities you can choose to buy electricity from renewable sources like wind or thermal energy, which do not generate any emissions of global warming gases; check with your local utility company to see if buying renewable energy is an option for you. To find out if green power is available in your state, check the Department of Energy's clickable map.
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What congregations can do
Connect with an "Interfaith Power & Light" (IPL) organization in your state. Visit the Regeneration Project's Web site to find out if your state has an IPL organization. IPL works with congregations to offer energy assessments, consultation on energy efficiency steps, and provide support for forming congregational "Earth Care" or "Green Teams." The Web of Creation's Green Congregation Program also has resources to help in forming such teams. Another source of information on reducing your energy use (and other environmental impacts) is the ELCA Environmental Audit Guide.
Consider organizing a carpool for congregation members, to share rides to worship or to congregational events and meetings. Every gallon of gas saved helps make a difference!
Congregations can take steps to reduce their energy use (and, as an added bonus, their utility bills!) by making more energy efficient choices. Changing light bulbs may seem like a small step, but if every household in the United States replaced just five conventional light bulbs with compact florescent lights, it would keep more than one trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of our air—equal to the emissions of more than 21 coal-burning power plants. Think of what could happen if every ELCA congregation in American replaced their conventional light bulbs with energy-efficient lights! Find out more about compact florescent lighting from the government's Energy Star program.
Congregations can also save money and help care for God's creation by making better choices when they replace appliances and heating and cooling systems. Energy-efficient appliances, furnaces and air conditioners can save thousands of dollars in utility bills while keeping tons of carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Agency has an excellent guide to help congregations reduce their energy use. Reducing energy use is not only good for the environment, but also good for your congregation's bottom line!
Congregations can help prevent global warming when they make decisions about remodeling or adding on to church buildings. "Green" buildings are built with care for the environment in mind, using environmentally-friendly and often money-saving techniques that also can reduce emissions of global warming gases. Find out more about green buildings from the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program and the National Green Building Council.
State and federal tax credits and grants may be available to help your congregation install energy-efficient building upgrades or to install solar panels or other renewable energy systems. Local utility companies often have programs that may help to defray the costs of these projects. A good resource for finding out what's available in your state is the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.
In some communities you can choose to buy electricity from renewable sources like wind or thermal energy, which do not generate any emissions of global warming gases; check with your local utility company to see if buying renewable energy is an option for your congregation. To find out if green power is available in your state, check the Department of Energy's clickable map.
The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Programs have announced their 2008 Earth Day Sunday resource, focusing on global warming. Copies will be available February 1, 2008. To obtain a copy visit www.nccecojustice.org . To pre-order a copy contact the Eco-Justice Program office at info@nccecojustice.org or 202-481-6943.
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What the ELCA is doing
In 2003, ELCA Corporate Social Responsibility published an issue paper on global warming and climate change.
On Earth Day 2005, Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson confirmed our church's commitment to addressing global warming. You can read his Earth Day letter on the ELCA Web site.
In January 2007, Minneapolis Area Synod Bishop Craig Johnson testified before the Minnesota State Legislature about the moral and human impacts of global warming. Watch the testimony here. (This is a 2 1/2 hour unedited video.)
In February 2007, three ELCA college presidents signed the "American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment," a pledge to take a leadership role in addressing global warming. Two presidents who signed as members of the commitment's "Leadership Circle" are Dr. Richard L. Torgerson of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, and Dr. Loren J. Anderson, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.
In April of 2007, Southwestern Minnesota Synod Bishop Jon Anderson wrote an editorial for the Minneapolis Star Tribune urging people to take action on climate change.
In a written message for Earth Day, April 22, 2007, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), discussed the effects of global warming on people living in poverty and urged Lutherans to respond with advocacy and action. Read the ELCA News story
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IMPORTANT LINKS:
Printer-friendly version of the full global warming fact sheet 
Printer-friendly version of July 2007 one-page global warming fact sheet
Printer-friendly version of 2-page global warming background section
Printer-friendly version of 2-page global warming "take action" section
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