Almost half the country's population is facing dry conditions. Soil is parched. Mountain snowpacks are producing less water. A warming and drying trend is pushing the nation's two largest reservoirs to record low levels, for the first time since 1930.
As of August 1st, there were 91 active wildfires raging across the country.
Extreme rainfall caused floods that washed away centuries-old homes in Europe, triggered landslides in Asia and inundated subways in China, taking the lives of more than 900 people.
An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns, in their recently published international climate assessment, that the water cycle has been intensifying and will continue to intensify as the planet warms (the warming temperatures raise the upper limit on the amount of moisture in the air, which increases the potential for more rain), increasing the rain intensity in some parts of the planet and droughts in others, reduction in mountain glaciers, which decreases duration of snow cover, causing earlier snowmelt.
Our planet is changing at an exceptional rate, and while some changes are irreversible, others can be, and need to be slowed down, if we care to leave a livable planet for our future generations.
When Caleb James, a young United Methodist EarthKeeper (a training program that equips United Methodists to lead environmental projects in their communities) from Washington DC, first learned of the climate crisis, his initial reaction was that “young people, people of color and low-income households will be hit hardest by the consequences of climate change,” and is committed to do his part, calling us to do ours. We all know what Caleb named, is the sad reality of our country. But we don’t need to accept it. We can join Caleb and be change makers in this world, so the big gap between White and POC is filled and we learn to live in harmony with each other and with the nature’s resources. So, here are some things we can do to protect our planet:
We must transition from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy like wind and solar energy.
Plant more gardens (thank you Tami Marron), refuse plastic products, use reusable bags and products.
Switch to energy efficient appliances.
Minimize gas usage.
Contact our elected officials and demand a solution that centers equity and justice for God’s people and God’s from planet, because climate crisis is a moral crisis.
Beloveds, Science tells us that we don’t have too much time if we desire to protect the earth. We need to use all its resources cautiously and conservatively. Let us do so -- and not be discouraged when we fail, but learn from the experience and try again -- so together we can work towards building God’s kin-dom here and now, and don’t forget, I continue to be your partner in this work! I look forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday!
