Climate Change
Welcome to our Climate page.
As members of the faith community, we have a mandate (Genesis 1:24-30; Genesis 2:4b-9; 15)
to care for and be good stewards of God's creation.
We have provided the following resources and links so that everyone at Grace Church - and you - has the access and means to be involved in caring for God's creation and to take steps to mitigate against climate change and the emission of greenhouse gases.
A group of persons concerned about climate change has formed at Grace Church.
If you would like to be part of that group or would like more information about what we're doing, please email us at Cherub@graceepiscopalmv.org
As members of the faith community, we have a mandate (Genesis 1:24-30; Genesis 2:4b-9; 15)
to care for and be good stewards of God's creation.
We have provided the following resources and links so that everyone at Grace Church - and you - has the access and means to be involved in caring for God's creation and to take steps to mitigate against climate change and the emission of greenhouse gases.
A group of persons concerned about climate change has formed at Grace Church.
If you would like to be part of that group or would like more information about what we're doing, please email us at Cherub@graceepiscopalmv.org
Martha's Vineyard Commission
These excerpts are from September 8 & 9, 2021emails from Liz Durkee, Climate Change Planner for the Martha's Vineyard Commission to our Rector, the Reverend Stephen Harding:
(Italics added for emphasis)
- The Climate Action Plan that we are developing with the MVP grant funding will address six climate change themes and we will be establishing Stakeholder Working Groups for each theme. Perhaps there are members of your congregation who have expertise on these themes and would like to be part of the working groups. The themes are: land use and natural resources, transportation and infrastructure, food security, public health and safety, economic resilience, and energy transformation.
- A community engagement component of the Climate Action Plan is Climate Week, May 8 – 14, 2022. Our goal is to have as many organizations, businesses, schools, churches, libraries, etc. hold activities to enhance public awareness of climate change issues and to encourage individual actions that will help make the Island more climate resilient.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the Climate Action Plan Stakeholder Working Groups they can contact Liz Durkee at durkee@mvcommission.org
Island Climate Action Network
Their website has information about what we can all do to reduce our carbon footprint. ICAN provides a monthly newsletter on local climate news. https://islandclimateaction.org
MV Faith/Spirituality Team working to address climate change
Representatives from several houses of worship on Martha's Vineyard working together on events for Climate Week and other actions to mitigate climate change. Email Cherub@graceepiscopalmv.org for more information.
Woodwell Climate Research Center (WCRC)
The Woodwell Climate Research Center (https://www.woodwellclimate.org/) is the leading authority on climate change research.
They are offering a series of online courses through their program Beyond 1.5. It presents risk assessment scenarios which integrate science, social science, security, policy, and economics to map probable futures. Its purpose is to “spotlight the power of internalizing climate risk for driving change in public- and private-sector decision-making.”
They are offering a series of online courses through their program Beyond 1.5. It presents risk assessment scenarios which integrate science, social science, security, policy, and economics to map probable futures. Its purpose is to “spotlight the power of internalizing climate risk for driving change in public- and private-sector decision-making.”
Creation Care Justice Network (CCJN) of the Diocese of Massachusetts
https://www.diomass.org/creation-care
Clergy and lay people working together to help churches and communities care for creation through embracing sustainable practices and providing support and ideas for reducing the church’s carbon footprint--saving dollars and the earth; experiencing the outdoors; and preaching about interconnectedness with the natural world.
Sign up here to get connected with the network and receive its e-mail updates.
Working groups:
Sign up here to get connected with the network and receive its e-mail updates.
Working groups:
- Action and Advocacy, working with outside groups, such as Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light, to develop church and community action and policy changes. To join this group, contact Alex Chatfield (adchat@aol.com) or Sue Swanson (sueswanson2003@gmail.com).
- Spiritual Practice and Grounding, offering prayer, liturgies and practices to engage with creation and a theology that centers environmental wholeness. Contact Lise Hildebrandt, lise.hild@posteo.net , if you would like to join.
- Communications and Networking, focusing on interactions to develop a stronger network among parishes and groups within the diocese around creation and climate justice. Contact facilitator Liz Good at deaconeliz@gmail.com to join this group.
Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations - Creation Care Page
As we are called by God to care for creation, we [as Episcopalians] support policies that protect the natural resources that sustain all life on Earth.
The Church calls for policies that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable energy, the safe and just use of natural resources, and support communities impacted by a lack of environmental stewardship.
Click here to learn what steps we can take to support Just Climate Infrastructure and Energy Legislation.
The Church calls for policies that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable energy, the safe and just use of natural resources, and support communities impacted by a lack of environmental stewardship.
Click here to learn what steps we can take to support Just Climate Infrastructure and Energy Legislation.
Joint statement on climate change by the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch, September 7, 2021
For the first time, the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion have jointly warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation.
Click here to read the full Statement
Click here to read the full Statement
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis.
This is an urgent call to the world to work to reduce carbon dioxide (co2) and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Click here to go to the Report's Summary for Policymakers
Click here to go to the Report's Summary for Policymakers