Wednesday, September 18, 2013



Gasland, “Truthland,” and the CHPC Earth Care Team:
By Stephen Bartlett
The movie “Gasland” was shown at CHPC on Friday evening, August 30, to a rarified Labor Day weekend audience.  I wasn’t  able to make it at the last minute, after having agreed to write a review.  So in lieu of a proper review, and based on a survey of prevailing research on hydraulic fracturing, alias “fracking”, as well as reading through controversies swirling about the movie and the production of counter movies, such as “Truthland” (I smell a rat in that one.), as well as my own understanding of our current energy, climate and human civilization crises, I would like to offer some thoughts surrounding this issue. 

First thought:  we must proceed with caution when reading opinions about this volatile issue.  The profit motive for the energy corporations is so enormous, and the dependency of our society on fossil fuels so deep, that the debate is tainted by conflicts of interest at many levels, including the way mainstream media is controlled by corporations, as well as governmental agencies such as the EPA tainted by undue influence of corporate money in campaigns, revolving doors, etc… Knowing who is saying what and following the money are essential to discerning the truth.

On the other hand, purely emotional responses to the igniting of one’s water tap, a dramatic demonstration of something definitely wrong, could also be misleading, depending on the honesty of everyone involved.

Second thought:  debating whether natural gas may be a "solution" to the problem of the “far worse” coal and oil pollution may be the wrong question to ask.   The millions of dollars going into spinning that message also make me cringe.  Alternatively,  a question that might be worth asking is:  can the increased use of natural gas allow our society a temporary, less harmful transition from all forms of fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, OR NOT?  Related to that:  can we invest more time, money, etc… in energy conservation and reducing our carbon foot prints than in pursuing new fossil fuel use that is supposedly “better” for us, and runs all manner of risks to life and limb and our precious water supplies.  Tar sand production, for example, is without any doubt laying waste to vast areas of Canada and causing untold health issues and human suffering among the indigenous peoples living in that region.  The approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline would only add fuel to that evil fire!

Third thought:  Are humans justified in pulverizing rocks deep in the Earth on a massive scale through violent means including the injecting of diesel fuel and related contaminating chemicals, mixed in water, thereby releasing natural gas up to the surface (presumably up through pipes only), when it is the burning of fossil fuels that we know is tipping our planet’s climate over the brink of an abyss for our living systems?   Whether the fuel is natural gas, (which, yes, at least does not pollute with sulfur or cause acid rain), or it is coal which has such pollutants, or petroleum which also contains such pollutants in lesser amounts, all of them are contributing to global warming as surely as 1 + 1 = 2.   Any natural gas that leaks from fracking becomes a potent greenhouse gas 25 times more harmful than CO2.  Making a claim that natural gas is less polluting also begs the point.  We are still planning to continue burning coal and oil, in quantities to meet the growing world demand, as is China and other countries.  So this is not actually going to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere, at a time when we are challenged, morally and pragmatically required, I would argue,  to dramatically reduce such CO2 emissions. 

So regardless of whether the methane in someone’s tap was due to natural gas leaks caused by fracking, or this is because this house lies over a landfill producing methane or a manure slew brewing upstream, etc… I think for us the question is whether we are willing to tackle the most important question:  how are we as human society going to reduce our carbon footprints?  Are we willing to condition our bodies to withstanding hot summer temps at home with fans instead of AC, and cool homes and wood burning stoves in winter?  Are we willing to demand public policy changes to promote greater and faster conservation practices for all our major energy usages, and to find ways within our own community and congregation to further reduce our carbon footprints, to lead by example?   Can we get out of our heavy cars, SUVs and dramatically reduce our use of fossil fuels?   I see the beginnings of a barter economy among members of our congregation:  why just today I received at church hot peppers from a member and will repay in cucumbers delivered by bicycle.  One less trip to the supermarket.  The bonus if multiplied:  one less farmworker exploited in the agribusiness fields where such crops are grown and harvested!  Maybe, hopefully and by the Grace of God in our lives, one day that kind of revitalized local food economy multiplied across the U.S.  will add up to fewer immigrants forced to leave their countries due to agribusiness commodity dumping in their countries of origin, or one less military intervention launched at the behest of corporations perpetually thirsty for the minerals and fossil fuels that lie under their lands.  

Thursday, September 5, 2013

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 the session approved an overture that if passed by the Presbytery and the General Assembly in 2014 will lead to PC-USA divesting from stocks of fossil fuel companies. Crescent Hill thus became the sixth congregation to pass this overture (after 1st Pres Palo Alto, 1st Pres Oak Ridge, Church of the Covenant, Boston, Oakhurst, Decatur, GA, 1st Pres San Anselmo). 


The complete text of the overture follows.



DIVESTMENT FROM FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES

RECOMMENDATION

   The General Assembly expresses its profound concern about the destructive effects of climate change on all God’s creation. Climate change has had a disproportionate impact on those living in poverty and in the least developed countries, the elderly and children, and those least responsible for the emissions of greenhouse gases. General Assembly thus recognizes the moral mandate for humanity to shift to a sustainable energy plan in a way that is both just and compassionate. This mandate propels us to action as a denomination: to divest from the fossil fuel industry even as we reduce our use of fossil fuels and shrink our carbon footprint.

1.   The General Assembly calls upon the Board of Pensions and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation to:
a.        Immediately stop any new investment in fossil fuel companies and instruct asset managers in their work for the denomination to do the same; and
b.        Ensure that within 5 years none of its directly held or commingled assets includes holdings of either equities or corporate bonds in fossil fuel companies as determined by the Carbon Tracker list[1]; and
c.        Incorporate, into already existing financial reports, regular updates detailing progress made towards full divestment. These reports will be made available to the public.

2.   The General Assembly calls upon the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) to inform those fossil fuel companies of the passage and implementation of this resolution.

RATIONALE

Purpose[2]
The realities of climate change require prophetic and strategic action by people of faith seeking to be faithful to the everlasting covenant God has made with us, with every living creature, and with all future generations. If fossil fuel companies simply fulfill their business model, the earth will become irreversibly inhospitable to life as we know it. This overture urges the PC(USA) to divest from fossil fuel companies as part of a worldwide movement. Over the past three or more decades, many bodies of the Presbyterian Church (USA), including the General Assembly on numerous occasions, have recognized our moral obligation to be faithful stewards of God’s creation as well as acknowledging, in one way or another, that harming creation is a sin. This overture seeks to inspire and accelerate an unswerving commitment—as the 202nd General Assembly in 1991 affirmed in the Statement on Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice—to “insisting on sustainability––the ongoing capacity of natural and social systems to thrive together––which requires human beings to practice wise, humble, responsible stewardship, after the model of servanthood that we have in Jesus.”  The 217th General Assembly in 2006 resolved that “the urgency, injustice and seriousness of this issue calls us as Christians to act NOW and act boldly to lead the way in reducing our energy usage” and that “we should make a bold witness by aspiring to live carbon neutral lives.” Eight years later, the urgency has increased dramatically and the PC(USA) must act boldly by divesting from fossil fuels.

Biblical and Theological Rationale
The actions this resolution recommends are rooted in an expression of several of the most foundational theological and biblical principles of our Presbyterian identity. In Genesis 9, God makes a covenant not only with Noah, but with all of humanity; a covenant not only with all of humanity, but with every living creature; a covenant not only with all creatures alive today, but with all future generations. It is now clear that the past few generations of humans have burned so much of the earth’s energy reserves that we are on the verge of irreversibly rendering the entire earth inhospitable for life as it has existed for all of recorded history. By any measure, this is a violation of covenant with future generations and the rest of creation—an action that works against God’s covenant to never again destroy creation.

In Matthew 25: 31-46 Jesus calls us to care for the “least of these.” Climate change is creating a reality where there are more people than ever who are hungry, thirsty, and homeless. It is thus poised to create the most massive human rights violation the world has ever seen.  Furthermore it creates more suffering, directly at odds with caring for the least of these and loving our neighbor in response to Jesus’ commandments to us in Scripture.  If we are called to love one another, then it is morally and theologically wrong to profit from the destruction of creation.

Because we are a covenant people and affirm Jesus’ call in Scripture to love our neighbors as ourselves, we recognize our obligation as people of faith to take into account how our decisions and activities affect all of creation now and into the future.

Background Information
The leaders of 167 countries, including the United States, have agreed that any warming of the planet above a 2°C (3.6°F) rise would be unsafe, and we have already (as of 2012) raised the temperature 0.8°C, causing far more damage, in the forms of extreme weather events, drought, flood, and sea level rise, than most scientists had expected. Computer models show that even if we stopped increasing CO2 levels now, the temperature would continue to rise another 0.8°C, bringing the planet over three-quarters of the way to the 2°C limit. Scientists estimate that humans can pour roughly 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and still have some reasonable hope of staying below 2°C.

The proven coal, oil, and gas reserves of the fossil-fuel companies—and the countries (e.g. Venezuela or Kuwait) which act like fossil-fuel companies—equals about 2,795 gigatons of CO2, or five times the amount we can release and still maintain a 2°C limit to planetary warming.  The sole objective of fossil fuel companies is to make money for their shareholders by providing energy to the nations of the world using the resources the companies currently own or have rights to tap—and if they simply continue to carry out their business plan to fulfill this objective, they will raise the temperature of the earth far beyond what scientists have estimated can safely sustain plant, animal, and human life as they have been for thousands of years.

As a result of fossil fuel use, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has now been measured at over 400 parts per million (ppm), 50ppm over what many scientists say is the safe upper limit, and a 43% increase in the last 250 years. Almost half (44%) of this 43% increase has occurred in the past 25 years alone, and the amount of CO2 added to the atmosphere in the past decade is over three times the average addition per decade in the period 1950-80.  These numbers are the most concrete evidence we have that climate change is happening at an accelerating rate.

Why Divestment?
This overture is part of a worldwide movement focused on keeping as much of the earth’s carbon reserves as possible in the ground. As part of that campaign, this resolution proposes the PC(USA) divest from fossil fuel companies. The Carbon Tracker Initiative, a team of London financial analysts and environmentalists, estimates that proven coal, oil, and gas reserves of the fossil fuel companies, and the countries that act like fossil fuel companies, equals about 2,795 gigatons of CO2, or five times the amount we can release to maintain 2 degrees of warming.

From 1983-1989, General Assembly passed many resolutions[3] committing the corporate expressions of the PC(USA) to divest from companies doing business with South Africa as an expression of protest against apartheid in South Africa. Their action began as a prophetic witness, but once thousands of institutions and individuals joined together to divest from companies doing business in South Africa, apartheid came to an end, in part, because of pressure from divestment.

Following that path, what begins as a prophetic act of divestment from fossil fuel companies will:
a.   Drive public awareness of the massive damage being done by the fossil fuel industry as it generates huge short-term profits by moving carbon from the rocks of the earth into Earth’s atmosphere;
b.   Build public recognition of the urgent need to drastically and rapidly reduce humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels, ending the “business as usual” approach that continues and even accelerates extracting, marketing and burning fossil fuel;
c.    Lead to inspiring an urgent, accelerated and popular commitment to leave untapped 80% of the known carbon reserves, while developing renewable energy resources capable of meeting humanity’s needs – thus making possible that all life as we have known it might continue for future generations on God’s good earth;
d.    Call the denomination to reinvest a portion of the divested funds in initiatives to reduce the energy use and carbon footprint of PCUSA churches and in investments in companies primarily focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy;
e.    No longer allow the PC(USA) to profit from the destruction of creation and the suffering of humanity caused by climate change from burning fossil fuels.


[1]           The current list of 200 coal, oil and gas companies can be found at:
            http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/08/Unburnable-Carbon-Full1.pdf
[2]              Portions of this document were written in collaboration with and permission from the Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, UCC climate activist and Minister and President, Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ.
[3]           1983: The Fourteenth General Assembly adopts as amended the Resolution on Investment and Corporate Responsibility with Regards to South Africa. 1985: The Fifteenth General Assembly adopts the Proposal for Action "PCUSA Full Divestment of All Financial Resources from All Corporations Doing Business with South Africa."1987: The Sixteenth General Assembly adopts "Expanded Criteria for Divestment and Advocacy Related to South Africa" as amended. 1989: The Seventeenth General Assembly adopts the Resolution "Boycott of Royal Dutch/Shell Oil," as amended.