"Though the climate has always been subject to some change, the facts show how dramatic global warming depends on human practices. With God’s help humanity can turn from the present course, take loving and just action, and live more harmoniously within God’s beautiful and verdant creation."
-ELCA Social Message on Earth's Climate Crisis
Understanding the Climate Crisis"According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), "Since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact."1
From global temperature rise to melting ice sheets, the evidence of a warming planet abounds." -NASA Facts of Climate Change |
What Can We Do?"While systemic change is essential, individual actions matter enormously. When millions of people take practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint, the collective impact is transformative. Additionally, personal action builds momentum for policy change and inspires others to act." -Earth Guard Mission)
6 Actions to Fight Climate Change |
Adopting Plant-Based Diet"Population growth and an increasing demand for meat and dairy results in the need to clear land and deforestation in order to make room for animal farms and growing animal feed...Switching to a plant-based diet can reduce an individual’s annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons with a vegan diet or up to 1.5 tons for vegetarians." -United Nations: Act Now
Practical Tips for Starting Out |
DIY Non-Toxic Cleaners"According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air pollution ranks among the top environmental dangers, much of which comes from everyday cleaning products...Despite the effects of exposure to indoor air pollutants, the safety of cleaning products isn’t regulated or assessed." -Healthline
18 Easy and Green DIY Recipes to Clean All the Things |
Videos for Further Learning
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Environmental Racism and Climate Justice
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Eco-Crisis from Animal-Agriculture
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PBS Documentary on Plastic Waste |
Documentary on Renewable Energy
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Online Resources
Creation Care
Resources from BlessedEarth.org for: children, students & churches; scriptures, quotes & articles, books and tip sheets from a faith-based point of view.
Climate Equity
Resources and articles from The Greenlining Project supporting climate justice by focusing on the intersection of climate action, racial justice, and economic equity.
Degrowth
An online movement made up of international academics, activists and practitioners critiquing the global capitalist system which pursues economic growth at all costs, causing human exploitation and environmental destruction
Resources from BlessedEarth.org for: children, students & churches; scriptures, quotes & articles, books and tip sheets from a faith-based point of view.
Climate Equity
Resources and articles from The Greenlining Project supporting climate justice by focusing on the intersection of climate action, racial justice, and economic equity.
Degrowth
An online movement made up of international academics, activists and practitioners critiquing the global capitalist system which pursues economic growth at all costs, causing human exploitation and environmental destruction
Books
As Long As the Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes)
The story of Native peoples’ resistance to environmental injustice and land incursions, and a call for environmentalists to learn from the Indigenous community’s rich history of activism
The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet by Leah Thomas
An introduction to the intersection between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and an acknowledgment of the fundamental truth that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people -- especially those most often unheard.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
The New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes.
The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions by Greta Thunberg
Thunberg has gathered the wisdom of over one hundred experts—geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and Indigenous leaders—to equip us all with the knowledge we need to combat climate disaster. Alongside them, she shares her own stories of demonstrating and uncovering greenwashing around the world, revealing how much we have been kept in the dark.
The story of Native peoples’ resistance to environmental injustice and land incursions, and a call for environmentalists to learn from the Indigenous community’s rich history of activism
The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet by Leah Thomas
An introduction to the intersection between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and an acknowledgment of the fundamental truth that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people -- especially those most often unheard.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
The New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes.
The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions by Greta Thunberg
Thunberg has gathered the wisdom of over one hundred experts—geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and Indigenous leaders—to equip us all with the knowledge we need to combat climate disaster. Alongside them, she shares her own stories of demonstrating and uncovering greenwashing around the world, revealing how much we have been kept in the dark.