Climate Change, Why I Care
Members of Good Shepherd share their views concerning Climate Change
Waiting for the miracle? — by Richard Dlugo
We pray hard for God to save us from climate change, but sometimes I feel some of us think there’s going to be a great miracle coming out of the heavens that will suddenly reverse the catastrophic trend we’re on. Don’t get me wrong, prayer is a good thing. But if faith without good works is the path we’re on, then think again and pray a bit differently. Keep praying for the miracle. But let it be for the miracle that happens in our own daily lives where we are motivated by a loving God who has provided us with the gifts of this earth and requires us to do things that will help save it. Do we really need to cut down that climate friendly tree? Do we still choose to buy big-box toilet paper made by decimating the boreal forests? Do we really need to keep our engines running while waiting in line at a drive-thru window? But you say, “There’s only so much that I can do!” Maybe the miracle we’re waiting for is to see the word “only” disappear from that sentence so it becomes “There’s SO MUCH that I can do!”
Heal Our Planet — by Mary Jo Wilcox
As parts of our world become “climate deserts”, I feel that people of faith are called to do our part to heal our planet. AND to give aid to those who may be displaced as the result of drought, flooding or other disasters that are the result of climate change in various parts of the world. The task of reversing the effects of climate change is overwhelming, but Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said “None of us ever do great things. But we can all do small things with great love, and together we can do something.”
Climate Care, Why Should I Change? — by Helene Pearch
Climate change can become more “real” when you know the people or an area affected. In September, Typhoon Merbok impacted the western Alaskan coastline for 1,000 miles, inundating small communities with a 13 foot storm surge all the way to Nome, which received extensive flooding. Talking with our son who lives in Eagle River north of Anchorage, he said these storms are not uncommon. What was unexpected was the path of the storm that took it much further north before it turned east. When the jet stream changes its path because of climate change, this is the kind of devastation that can follow.
It Can Happen Here Too — by Marianne Dlugo
Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable nation to the climate crisis but responsible for less than 1% of planet-warming gases. It is one-third under water due to the severe drought followed by catastrophic flooding from the summer monsoons. People lost their homes, crops and livestock, plus one-third of the children are sick with cholera, dengue fever and dehydration. A staggering number of newborns are dying due to lack of sanitation and medical care. People are living in stagnant water.
The flooding that they are experiencing is not going to be exclusive to Pakistan. If we don’t stop climate change, it is only a matter of time where many other nations will experience this too. Usually it is the poor countries that have to deal with it first, but it can happen here too.
Climate Change, Why I Care? — by Rhonda Hunter
I care about climate change because for 70 years I have studied the living world in deserts, forests, marshes and oceans where God’s Creation is a miraculous interwoven web of awesome beauty and complexity. All living things depend upon the climate they have slowly evolved to inhabit and most cannot change as fast as the rising rates of drought, fires, and floods; including us. My own daughter was hit by Hurricane Sandy in NYC. My son was trapped in SE Asia directly in the path of a typhoon that killed thousands in the Philippines. My nephew lives in Tampa, now hit by Hurricane Ian. And my niece fled the raging fires of Ventura with her children. My own forest home of 50 years is now threatened with fire every summer, including this one which dropped only 1⁄2” of rain since July, instead of the usual almost 4”.
I care so much that I have added solar and an EV car to my home (thereby saving $$), no longer fly, and vote for a government to slow down this climate wreck which is too late to stop. I’ve spent my career fighting the denial and deception of fossil fuel companies bent only on profit at the expense of a livable climate for all God’s Creation, including us.
