In 2015, events of tremendous scope indicated an immediate need for climate action and emissions reductions, recognized across many faiths and many nations. Through the National Religious Partnership for the Environment we have long joined with Protestant, Evangelical, and Catholic brothers and sisters in faith in our strong stand to care for creation. Pope Francis signaled this with the issuance of his encyclical Laudato Si, in which he wrote: “The climate is a common good belonging to all and meant for all.”  Building on years of religious-environmental teaching, his writings showed the world how deeply climate action is our moral obligation.  The groundbreaking Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change signed in Istanbul last August similarly recognizes the need for a multi-faith response to this universal challenge. We thank Pope Francis and faith leaders around the world for their leadership on protecting the environment, and agree that we must act, now.

In Paris last December, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 21st Conference of Parties marked a pivotal moment in the journey towards a clean energy future, climate change mitigation, and international security.  The Paris Agreement is a critical document marking an international commitment to collaborate in protecting our earth.  Its targets for emissions reductions will be made real by the actions and advocacy of people of faith and conscience.

The U.S. helped lead the way toward the success of the Paris negotiations. Here, such clean energy initiatives as the Clean Power Plan (recently stayed by the Supreme Court in North Dakota v. Environmental Protection Agency) and federal regulations on methane releases are instrumental.  We need to strengthen these concerted and unified efforts to reduce our national emissions, protect the safety of our children, build up clean energy industries, protect the poor and vulnerable from the ravages of climate change, and uphold the U.S. as an international leader.

For all these reasons, and with our long track record of supporting energy security and climate change mitigation, the Jewish Community must help ensure that the U.S. take serious and responsible measures to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. In so doing, Jewish community advocacy should recognize the United States’ need to maintain relative energy security based on security, economic, and social concerns.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs believes:

The community relations field should:

 

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