By Leo Dee
May 2018 was the hottest May on record for St Louis – 2 degrees hotter than ever before. Meanwhile, April 2018 was the driest April on record too. In the less affluent neighborhood of East St Louis, residents have been campaigning against air pollution by large corporations.
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 St Louis’ religious seminaries are doing. Concordia Seminary is teaching future religious leaders in sustainability, with a course on “Care of Creation” focusing on our role and responsibility, as children of God, towards the rest of Creation.
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!
