BE IT RESOLVED; that this 2007 Iowa Diocesan Convention devote ourselves, in partnership with Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, to faith-based solutions to global warming that reduce the "carbon footprint" of every Episcopal church and member household, so that by walking the talk we set a genuine example to others in our communities, and can in good faith advocate for sustainable energy policy and programs at the local, state and national level that help heal the atmosphere by reducing the demand for fossil fuels and increasing the supply of clean energy; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; that our Episcopal lay and ordained leaders provide moral leadership equal to the civilizational challenge that global warming confronts us with, wasting no time in developing a "carbon footprint reduction" stewardship program in their churches, with the assistance IIP&L, that strives for a 10% reduction in 2007, both as an institution and as member households; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED; that this Convention extends it heartfelt gratitude for the moral courage our Bishop, Alan Scarfe, has demonstrated in Iowa by addressing this issue in public, thereby holding us all to a higher standard of religious conviction and spiritual hope.
RATIONALE: There is widespread consensus within the scientific community that global warming is real, is producing effects on the ground that exceed what complex computer models had earlier predicted, and that there is a clearly discernible human influence responsible for the warming from our burning of fossil fuels.
The burning of fossil fuels during the industrial period (primarily petroleum to power our vehicles and coal to produce our electricity) has caused a rapid buildup of heat trapping greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide) in the upper atmosphere, such that the rate of increase in earth's warming over the last 50 years has been most pronounced since the mid-70s yet getting worse by the decade.
If greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, atmospheric concentrations of CO2 will continue to rise and warm the earth by at least another 3.5 degrees in this century, bearing in mind that the earth has warmed by only 5-9 degrees since the depths of the Ice Age of 20,000 years ago.
The rapid melting of glaciers and polar ice is causing a rise in sea level that, together with increasing storm intensities, threatens low-lying island cultures and massive coastal populations, with disproportionate effects on the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable in the United States and around the world.
While global warming threatens the health of all creation, we also know that God loves the world so much that He sent His only Son to show us the way of Resurrection and Life -- which begins not in death but in baptism -- and then sends us out to be His hands and feet in the world, not as destroyers but as healers. We know that to keep the faith we must also keep the earth, and that wounded life – even the upper atmosphere -- is graced with a boundless capacity to heal and regenerate in response to human care and restraint.
The rapidly growing movement for a faith-based response to global warming, which first began as Episcopal Power and Light in California, has now become an interfaith movement with 18 state affiliates, the latest of which is Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, launched publicly on Oct. 8, 2006. This resolution calls for strong moral leadership from Episcopalians on global warming and urges the Diocese of Iowa and its member churches and households to partner with IIP&L in developing faith-based solutions to global warming.
SUBMITTED BY: Commission on Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (Rev. Anne Williams, Chair).
Additional signers include: Diane Ong, Jean McKinney, Cathleen Bascom, Linda Hughes, Bruce Blois, Wendy Abrahamson, Robert Schiesler, Maureen Doherty, Betsy Lee, Chuck Lane, Mel Schlachter, Sue Eades, Benjamin Webb