News, Boost, Updates
September 18th Climate news and events, Faiths4Future, Climate Cafe Multifaith.
People Marched to End Fossil Fuels all over the world this weekend as the UN Climate Adaptation Summit begins in New York City. Over 75,000 reported in NYC alone on Sunday, while hundreds of thousands attended in small towns and cities around the globe. Read a first person account and see great photos from Bill McKibben, Back on the march. A superlative Manhattan day in pictures.
Stories and photos from The March to End Fossil Fuels should be in the news this week from many outlets. Please share them when you see them!! Especially when the source is connected to the actions of people of faith. The world needs to know that ending fossil fuels is supported across faith traditions, from Indigenous groups to denominations and NGOs right down to the local community in churches, temples, synagogues, prayer circles, gatherings and mosques.
To see some great photos of the march, check out this article from Axios, Tens of Thousands march to demand end to fossil fuels ahead of UN climate summit. An article from the New York Times (gift link) Climate Protesters March on New York, Calling for End to Fossil Fuels. Ahead of U.N. meetings this week, thousands gathered in Midtown to demand that President Biden and other world leaders stop new oil and gas drilling. And a great article from Common Dreams, Demanding an End to 'Deadly Fossil Fuels,' Tens of Thousands Take the Streets in NYC. "It's time for Biden to declare a climate emergency and phase out the fossil fuels killing people and wildlife around the world."
Quick nav links for this week’s weekly(ish):
JustCreation prior weeks of this Weekly and other articles.
Upcoming events, webinars & opportunities (scroll)
Good news this week, and a focus on Indigenous media outlets to follow. (scroll down. Also, link for the News Archive from prior weeks.)
Reports, resources and actions (scroll for current this week, links to Faiths4Future and Climate Cafe for prior weeks.)
Boost - Events
Joanna Macy Climate Grief. The School for Great Turning is offering a course on climate Grief focusing the work of Joanna Macy. The Essential Joanna Macy Course starts September 19th and runs for 8 weeks Tuesday evenings.
Faith-Based Investment & Climate. Hosted by the Church Pension Group, connected to the Episcopal Church. From Business Wire, Church Pension Group to Host Virtual Conversation on Global Faith-Based Investors and the Climate Crisis. Webinar title, Global Faith-Based Investors and the Climate Crisis. September 20th. Register.
Green Team Summit. The Green Team Summit returns this year October 8-11 hosted by Faith In Place & Interfaith Power and Light. A great line up of speakers, and it looks like it will be both online and in person.
AME Church Trainings and Ambassadorships. The AME Church Calls All Congregants into Climate Justice with a creation justice and social justice effort to encourage congregations to get involved. Check out also the AME is a partner in Blessed Tomorrow, an effort of EcoAmerica, which holds an ambassadorship training. If you are interested in the training, learn more and register.
Plum Village Online Course. A seven week course through Plum Village drawing from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh starts October 15th. Registration now open. More info: Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet.
Season of Creation & Faith Voices this Week
So much going on! I put faith updates for Season of Creation and faith voices in the news into their own posts. It’s a good opportunity to shine a little extra light on what people across faith traditions are getting up to:
The round-up Week #1 Stories of the Season from the local church out
The round-up Week #2 Festivals, Appeals, Season of Creation & Beyond.
THIS WEEK - round-up Week #3 Voices of Faith for Creation, Unity & Resilience
Resources
The Resource archive is on the Reports Page.
Direct Pay. If you’ve been following news on the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) and all the tax rebates & incentives, you know that another tool in the tool kit is ‘direct pay.’ This is a special type of tax rebate especially for organizations like churches and 501 C3s that don’t pay taxes. This special program means you get money anyway. I like a good explainer to keep up with whose doing what, and this article from Environmental and Energy Study Institute has great examples, Direct Pay: Nonprofits Can Now Benefit from Clean Energy Tax Credits.
Eco-Church Net-Zero resources and more. This really deserves it’s own whole post, but THANK YOU to the UK churches for tremendous leadership when it comes to Climate. They have developed fantastic resources—webinars and booklets—you can find them on these pages: From The Church in Wales a page that offers number of pdf publications that address net-zero both as a denomination and congregation. There are also webinars through the Church of England, these will encourage you!! They are doing the work and net-zero has a clear path of achievement.
Reports & Studies
Find more reports on the reports page.
Carbon Credit Offset Schemes. While billions have been invested in carbon credit programs, deforestation has continued at a devastating pace. An article about the study from Common Dreams, Study Exposes Forest Carbon Credit Schemes to Offset Fossil Fuels as 'Pipe Dream'. Read an article from Engineering and Technology, Carbon credits ineffective at protecting global forests, research finds. Read the (ongoing) study.
Exxon Knew. More on the investigations surrounding companies such as Exxon include a report from WSJ (paywall) Inside Exxon’s Strategy to Downplay Climate Change. Internal documents show what the oil giant said publicly was very different from how it approached the issue privately in the Tillerson era. To read about this report and other aspects of ongoing investigations into what Exxon knew, read about the news from The Guardian, New files shed light on ExxonMobil’s efforts to undermine climate science and NPR Exxon minimized climate change internally after conceding that fossil fuels cause it. Big credit, too, to the ongoing series of reports from Inside Climate News.
Action
(Is it okay for people of faith to sign-on to general/secular petitions? I put together a quick page to think about this Sign-ons & Petitions, are they faithful?)
Sunrise Movement’s call for a Civil Climate Corps. The letter spells out the hope of young people who see the imperative in front of us and seek a robust place in mobilizing to meet those challenges. “Going big on the Civilian Climate Corps and ensuring that it centers job creation, environmental justice, and direct community investment will be an essential step in our collective fight to adapt to and mitigate climate change.” Find the sign-on letter here.
Faith Voices in the News This Week
Plea for Repair. A lovely essay calling us to conscience and action on the occasions, both, of Season of Creation and Rosh Hashanah from Sister Teresa White and published this week in The Church Times, Time to repair the world.
To read more of the many faith voices this week, see my post Voices of Faith for Creation, Unity & Resilience.
Good News
Find more news in the news archive (including good news!) here.
There is definitely good news this week!! Find good news in my faith voices this week page and here from Clean Technica and an increasing push reported here for accountability from oil giants, as well as important first steps toward addressing disastrous mining practices.
And—
What I want to do in the news section this week is highlight some independent Indigenous News outlets and encourage you to bookmark and add at least one of these to your usual browse.
Native News Online. A great weekly read with everything from commentary to collaborations to what’s happening in the community. They also have a D.C. Policy round-up. A recent article developed by Native News Online and Grist is a fantastic deep dive into agroforestry, restoration, colonialism, and the American Chestnut Tree, A Transgenic American Chestnut Tree is Coming. Who Is It For?
ITC (Indian Country Today). ITC covers a wide variety of topics about and by Indigenous people. One story from this week, Iñupiaq woman focuses on New Mexico renewable energy. Community solar development company donates $7.2M to Indigenous organizations in the state
High Country News is a western region magazine covering ‘12 western states and hundreds of Indigenous communities.’ This one is a subscription, and full disclosure I subscribe. They cover Indigenous issues broadly, but have a Indigenous Affairs section, also. One recent article, The long tail of toxic emissions on the Navajo Nation. Communities contend with ongoing air quality issues tied to gas and oil wells.
NDN Collective. This outlet is an empowerment magazine for Indigenous people and the Indigenous voice, experience, and perspective. This week they made a push of visibility for the continued detainment of Leonard Peltier, ‘A stain of injustice’: Hundreds gather, 35 arrested in front of the white house calling for release of Leonard Peltier.
APTN. Founded as the first Indigenous broadcaster in Canada, APTN (Aboriginal People’s Television Network) remains a news and television programing provider operating primarily in Canada in English, French, and Indigenous languages. APTN includes the broadcasting side, but also the APTN News online. A sample story from this week, As Chinook salmon season comes to end in Yukon, worry and hope for the future remains. First Nation’s chief says 2023 season another disappointing year.
IndigeNews. This outlet focuses on storytelling, engaging and reporting on stories from the experiences of those they cover. A story this week, Rueben George walks in the footsteps of his grandfather with new memoir ‘It Stops Here’. The səlilwətaɬ leader and grandson of Chief Dan George reflects on the unfolding impacts of colonization and what it means to embrace spirit.
Indigenous News Network carries news from global indigenous communities and has a number of special sections including Stop the Hate and also Poetry.
Find the news archive here.
Praying this week for all those who participated in heart, body, or spirit in the March to End Fossil Fuels. May their voices be heard. Let there be action to follow. Prayers up.
Richenda
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Just to say… my updates are not endorsements, and links are usually third party. Please make your own determinations. My goal here is to amplify the conversation and encourage engagement, learning, and resilience. And of course, to bless your efforts!