The interfaith process arose out of the support of the Climate Stewardship Act--a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman--that would have set limits on greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Thirty-one Wisconsin religious leaders signed a letter to Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold July 6 urging them to seize “this moment of great moral urgency”. Before that, 100 Christian leaders had chastised President Bush’s air pollution policy, and, in an unprecedented alliance, prominent religious leaders from a broad range of religious belief, joined forces with eminent scientists to issue a call for action on global warming. The religious leaders acknowledged that they came from “many distinct faith perspectives,” but were united behind the belief that God’s people share a collective “moral obligation and urgency to protect human life, human health, and all of creation.”

The Rev. Dave Steffenson spoke on the necessity of recognizing our moral obligation to the earth: “Our scriptures teach us that we have a covenant with God and an obligation to future generations to protect the well-being of all life on Earth. This is the kind of moral principle that should be guiding public policy.”

His thoughts were echoed by Sarah Streed, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign (WICEC), who said, “Global warming is harming God’s creation. It’s one of the most important issues of our time. For Americans of faith, climate change is a moral and ethical issue in that we feel the need to protect creation as well as all of God’s children.”

The Wisconsin Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign (WICEC) is a group of people of all faiths working to reduce the emissions that cause global warming. They are concerned about the effects of climate change, especially the majority which are caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The combustion of fossil fuels not only releases carbon dioxide—the most common of the “greenhouse gases”—but a host of other toxins and carcinogens including nitrogen-oxides, mercury, sulfur-dioxide and particulate matter or soot. WICEC emphasizes that it is also our own future at stake. Studies have linked air pollutants to health problems: respiratory disease, asthma, heart and lung conditions and premature death.

All faiths profess the protection of creation in their teachings. For example, consider the teachings regarding the earth from the four following faiths:

•Christianity—“And God created the great whales, and every living creature that moveth …and God saw that it was good.” Also, “Justice, justice, you shall pursue, in order that you and your children may live.”
• Judaism—“…speak to the earth and it will teach you; the fish of the sea, they will inform you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Eternal has done this?”
• Islam—“And the earth We have spread out; set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.” (The Qur’an 67:1-4). “…and He has set up the Balance (of Justice), in order that ye may not transgress (due) balance. So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance.” (The Qur’an 55:7-9).
• Buddhism—“…a king banyan tree called Steadfast, and the shade of its widespread branches was cool and lovely. …Now there came a man who ate his fill of fruit, broke down a branch, and went his way. Thought the spirit dwelling in that tree, ‘How amazing, how astonishing it is, that a man should be so evil as to break off a branch of the tree, after eating his fill.’”
WICEC works for safe, reliable alternatives to our current energy problem, including conservation, energy efficiencies and the development of renewable energy in Wisconsin. Some of their current projects are:

•CARBON OFFSET—Wisconsin-India connection reduces GHGs
• CONGREGATIONAL COLLABORATIVE—Save on energy and your budget in your building
• CLIMATE CAFÉ—Cars, coffee, and climate connected - Get your kit! Read more (PDF)
• SCHOOL BUS RETROFIT—– School bus diesel exhaust reduced in ozone non-attainment counties in WI