The world’s top scientists have released the most important projections and action plan for global warming in history. Part three of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate report spells out specific actions that countries must begin taking now. Only if we all act now can we avoid calamitous consequences to our environment, economy and the integrity of all Creation.
Prepared by over 800 of the world’s leading experts from all corners of the globe, the new IPCC report is the most thorough, comprehensive, authoritative and scrutinized assessment of scientific knowledge on climate change ever produced. But that doesn’t mean that climate deniers and the fossil fuel industry won’t try to obscure the facts – so we wanted to get this information to you so you can cut through the smokescreen.
Click here for Interfaith Power & Light’s summary of the U.N. climate change report.
As members of the faith community, it’s our responsibility to be aware of the impact humans are having on Creation and to the most vulnerable among us. We need to lead the way to a safe climate for our children and the generations to come.
This past Friday, I was a guest at the Shabbat service of one of our IPL member congregations in Los Angeles. As the rabbi spoke about preparations for Passover, which begins today, she invited members to contemplate the items from the vegetable, mineral and animal kingdoms that will be represented on Passover tables. “All of these are begging us to be their custodians,” she said. This is an important reminder of the crucial role we humans play in the survival of so many of our fellow creatures.
It’s an awesome responsibility, and opportunity, and the good news from the international scientific community is that we still have a chance to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
The first two scientific reports warned us that global warming is already causing irreversible damage to nature, and it will disrupt food supplies and economic growth in the coming years. This report offers a sliver of hope: if we act now.
