FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Contact: Bill Bradlee at bill@interfaithpowerandlight.org 415-506-8063
Statement from Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) on Paris Agreement
S.F., CA — President Trump has announced that he will take the United States out of the historic Paris Climate Agreement supported by nearly every other nation on earth. For the Trump administration to abandon our obligations as a global citizen and global economic leader, is unprecedented and tragic. This agreement is an example of international cooperation that would protect our common home.
Rev. Sally Bingham, founder and President of IPL said, “I am not surprised, but I am profoundly disappointed that President Trump doesn’t have more compassion for the poorest people of the world who are suffering from the changing climate and more respect for 97% of the world’s climate scientists who have concluded without a doubt that humans are harming the climate. Abandoning the Paris Agreement is a sin.”
“The Paris agreement was a ray of hope for those who heed the scientific consensus, and care deeply about the world of today and tomorrow. It’s painful to see the U.S. leaving the community of nations on this most important issue. As a moral matter, the backsliding on environmental protection must stop,” added IPL board member Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb.
IPL board member and Buddhist priest Linda Cutts explained that, “Compassion, illuminated by the wisdom that realizes our complete interconnection with all of life, is expressed as kind actions that create benefit for all beings. Abandoning the community of our earth and acting as if we are separate will create conditions for more suffering now and in the future.”
Across the country, faith leaders spoke out against this short-sighted decision but nonetheless provided hope as faith leaders do in times of crisis. In Iowa, IPL director Rev. Susan Guy said, “Regardless of President Trump’s decision on the Paris Climate Accord, the Midwest continues to reap the benefits of bi-partisan support for clean energy. We have seen this in states like Iowa, where wind energy has created more than 6,000 good-paying jobs and created economic opportunity for those in rural communities. We do not have to choose between what is good for our environment and what is good for our economy.”
Thousands in the faith community have signed IPL’s Paris Pledge to cut their emissions in half by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050. Our faith communities and religious leaders join thousands of businesses, cities, states, and organizations in saying “we’re still in” the Paris agreement. We will continue to care for Creation, support clean energy, and build a safe climate for our children.”
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Interfaith Power & Light has over 20,000 member congregations and affiliates in 40 states. The mission is to be faithful stewards of Creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. This campaign intends to protect the earth’s ecosystems, safeguard the health of all Creation, and ensure sufficient, sustainable energy for all. Learn more at www.interfaithpowerandlight.org
