By Leo Dee
June 11th 2019 was the hottest June 11th since records began! Wildfires, alone, cost Oregon a record half a billion dollars in 2018. And ocean warming reduced salmon numbers by 80% in just three years (from 2014-2016).
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 Portland’s religious seminaries are doing. Portland Seminary is teaching future religious leaders in sustainability with modules on church greening, environmental advocacy and American Indian land ethics. Portland also has a number of top eco-theologians, focused on how to articulate the climate crisis as a religious imperative.
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!
