Advocacy
Action Alerts
Call your Representative and Senators in Congress today:
Oppose cuts to clean energy funding in the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 is the most significant investment ever made by the federal government to combat climate change. Hundreds of billions of dollars (to be spent over a ten-year period) were appropriated by Congress to support the transition to a clean energy economy. This included everything from tax credits for rooftop solar, to rebates for home energy efficiency upgrades, to grants for major industrial clean energy projects.
Here are links to two excellent articles (first and second) from Citizens’ Climate Lobby focused on the tremendous positive impact the IRA has already had. Note that the largest investments have been in “red” states, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. Here is a link from E2.org with information on IRA funding by Congressional District.
In early April, the House and Senate agreed on overall spending targets for funding the federal government. Next, both chambers must pass dollar amounts for specific programs through a process called Budget Reconciliation. This is a procedure that allows Congress to set funding for federal programs and agencies with a simple majority in the House and Senate. It is in this process that decisions will be made about keeping or ending the IRA clean energy funding.
Leaders in both the House and Senate have said they want to do away completely with unspent funds in the IRA. If this were to happen, it would seriously undermine the fight against climate change. But this is far from a done deal. Many House and Senate members come from districts and states that have benefited greatly from the IRA. Again, this is likely to be a very close vote and could tip one way or the other.
So, we are asking you to please take a couple of minutes to call and/or email your representative in the House and your two senators. You can find their numbers and other contact information by simply putting their names into your web browser. It is okay to call either their national offices or their district/state offices. Many House District maps were redrawn after the 2020 census. You can find who your House Member is by zip code at this link.
Action: Call and/or email your representative and two senators.
Message: I’m calling to ask _____________ to oppose all cuts to Inflation Reduction Act clean energy funding in the current spending bill. Cuts to IRA funding would result in dirtier air and water and set back efforts to combat climate change. Also, the IRA has created hundreds of thousands of jobs that would go away if the program was ended. So, again, I urge ____________ to preserve this important funding. Thank you.
Tips: Be respectful. Give your name and address (so they know you are a constituent). If you feel comfortable doing so, share that care for creation is an important part of your faith and is a motivation for contacting them about this legislation.
Please make the calls and emails today!! Thank you!!
Guiding Principles for Public Policy Advocacy
The following principles were written to provide guidance for the Coordinating Team of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement in deciding what creation justice public policies to support or oppose. It was approved by the Coordinating Team in August of 2021.
“Affirmation of Faith” (United Methodist Creation Justice Movement)
“As disciples of Jesus Christ seeking the transformation of the world through the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to the healing of the earth and its many creatures and biosystems, of which human beings are a part, as we strive in hope for the earthly fulfillment of God’s reign of righteousness and justice. With the scriptures, we believe that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1). The New Testament witnesses to the reconciling ministry of Christ in whom “all things” in heaven and on earth are held together in peace (Colossians 1:15-20). God’s own Spirit, the source of life, groans through the whole of creation in eager longing for redemption (Romans 8:22). We affirm, therefore, that the vocation given by God to humans to “till and keep” the garden of creation (Genesis 2:15) is a call not to “dominion” (Genesis 1:28) understood as domination but to a reverent earthkeeping lived out in loving stewardship of the good earth in anticipation of the coming new creation of “all things” (Revelation 21:5). As heirs of John Wesley, we embrace anew the call to holy living – the loving of God, neighbor, and all creatures – in the whole of life. We acknowledge the interconnectedness of ecological well-being with social justice for all, heeding both the warnings from the scientific community regarding the environmental calamities we face and the cries of the poor and oppressed for political, economic, and cultural equity. Amidst the ecological crises of climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and more, we know that those of us already burdened by poverty, racism, colonial violence, and related forms of social injustice are already suffering the worst effects. We believe, therefore, that the going on to Christian perfection today must include an ever deepening and expanding growth in holiness expressed through concrete acts of personal, congregational, denominational, and public transformation for the sake of the world God so loves.”
In light of the foregoing scriptural/theological foundation, it is clear that love of neighbor (including just treatment of the most vulnerable) and care for all of creation are inextricably linked. The following principles for evaluating public policy flow from that basic recognition. The official stances of the United Methodist Church expressed in the 2016 Social Principles, the proposed Revised Social Principles (for next General Conference), and the 2016 Book of Resolutions were sources in their formulation. They are divided into categories for ease of reference, but are all interrelated and complementary.
Public policy principles of care for the whole community of creation:
Policies should:
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- Affirm the goodness, intrinsic worth, and interrelatedness of all of creation by prioritizing “the protection of all forms of life and natural ecosystems, while supporting human beings to live in a healthy balance with the earth.” (Proposed Revised Social Principles)
- Encourage changes in personal behavior while recognizing that threats to creation are systemic and require a systemic response at all levels of domestic governing bodies and through international cooperation.
- Align with our Wesleyan tradition that affirms the place of reason in the life of faith by supporting the scientific community in its work of identifying the causes of harm to creation and helping shape solutions to undo that harm.
Public policy principles of creation justice for the most vulnerable of our human brothers and sisters:
As ones who have been and continue to be harmed most by the degradation of creation, communities of color, indigenous peoples, and low-wealth communities (environmental justice communities) must not be harmed by but should instead benefit from and have a central role in shaping creation care/justice policies. Such policies should:
- Address past environmental harm and mitigate against future harm to these communities.
- Acknowledge the role that racism has played in environmental injustice and affirm protection from environmental harm as both a civil and a human right.
- Look to the wisdom of indigenous peoples who have a culture of profound respect for the natural world and uphold their rights under treaties and laws to protect their land, air, and water.
- End “sacrifice zones” defined as communities (often low-wealth and/or of color) chronically exposed to lethally-high levels of pollution.
- Provide opportunities for environmental justice communities to participate fully in and benefit from the emerging global clean energy economy through job training and other economic development strategies.
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- Provide redress to communities that are located near or are economically dependent on the extraction, refinement, production, or combustion of fossil fuels, aiding them with cleanup from legacy pollution related to that industry (including fossil fuel waste) and with transition to a clean energy economy.
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- Support poorer nations and indigenous people globally with financial, technical, and other assistance to repair environmental harm.
Public policy principles related to combating climate change and its impacts:
Recognizing that climate change is one of the most urgent threats to creation as a whole, with disproportionate and worsening impacts on communities of color, indigenous peoples, low-wealth communities, and countries around the world least responsible for the climate crisis, and confessing that the United States and other wealthy nations have historically been and continue to be a major emitters of greenhouse gases, these are additional principles related specifically to climate policy. Policies should:
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- Support the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon sequestration to keep global temperature rise to no more than 1.5C.
- Mitigate the harms of climate change to environmental justice communities and seek solutions that do not negatively impact those already disproportionately harmed communities.
- Provide aid to particularly vulnerable communities with adaptation to climate change that has already occurred or is now unavoidable.
Notes regarding application of these principles
- Depending upon the focus and scope of the policy being assessed, not all policies will need to fulfill all of these principles. It is, however, critically important that policies advocated for are in harmony with both the letter and the spirit of these principles where they apply.
- Knowing that we live in an imperfect world and that the UMCJM will very rarely, if ever, be the author of specific public policies, judgements will have to be prayerfully made on a case-by-case basis about when to support policies that align with most but not all of these principles.
UMCJ Faith Advocacy Webinar Series
Partners in Creation Justice Advocacy*
Interfaith or Christian Interdenominational Groups
The Evangelical Environmental Network
Interfaith Power and Light (Many states have IPL chapters.)
*This list is just a sampling of U.S. organizations. Most Christian denominations and major world religions have Earth care organizations.
Resources
Expand Your Impact through Social Media
If you’ve subscribed a few months, at least, to the UMCJM newsletter, you know that most of the Advocacy Team’s action alerts have consisted of encouraging you to influence our government officials directly, for the good of God’s creation. We’re called on you to...
Politics, Methodists, & Environmental Holiness
Slides by Rev. Keith Sexton from the September 2024 Movement Café on Politics, Methodists, & Environmental HolinessLinks Slide 3: https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/combating-the-climate-crisis-and-pursuing-environmental-justice/ Slide 4:...
Casting Our Votes with Creation Justice in Mind
The upcoming election with candidates running at all levels, from President to City Council Member, is an opportunity to be mindful of how our voting can impact care for God’s good creation. In this article you will find a description of key provisions related to...