By Leo Dee
Indiana still generates over 70% of its electricity from coal and has over 60 million cubic yards of coal ash stored in leaky pits. Some local wells have over 20 times the permitted amounts of arsenic and 3 times the amount of lead – the water is being poisoned.
Human caused climate change is behind this strange weather pattern as carbon dioxide released from fossil fuels insulates the earth and prevents natural cooling. The excessive heat also powers a much stronger water cycle, with more water evaporating from the oceans and being dropped on land. This means that some parts of the US are experiencing excessive heat, and some are experiencing record storms and rainfall and some are experiencing both.
So, what’s the solution?
Well, part of the solution is making people aware. And that’s just what Indiana’s religious seminaries are doing. The Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame University has a center for Theology, Science and Human Flourishing. The Christian Theological Seminary teaches courses on Eco-justice and Ecology. The Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary teaches a course on “Spiritual Practices: Water of Life” and the Earlham School of Religion teaches about Eco Spirituality.
Training religious leaders who will inspire their communities, in the future, with the importance of living a life that respects the world and climate, is an important step towards solving the climate crisis.
We are grateful for their initiative!
