Welcome!
Welcome to the Climate Justice Ministries website. We are a task force created by the California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church. The conference website is cnumc.org. Our work falls under the conference Compassion & Justice mission focus and we are a part of the Advocacy & Justice Committee.
Our Vision
The Climate Justice Ministries Task Force will organize the annual conference and its local churches to respond to the climate emergency through faith-inspired connection, education, advocacy and action in ways that are responsive to the urgency and magnitude of the climate crisis and in solidarity with those who are marginalized and harmed by current emissions, systems, and practices.
Where to Begin Working
On this website you will find materials organized under the four implementation areas of connection, education, advocacy and action. As individuals, or as a church, pick any one of these four areas to begin working on and do something - let that guide your next move as you pick one of the other areas, and so on. Keep going around the cycle in any order.
For example, you might as individuals choose to begin by connecting with creation and taking a walk out in nature for 10 minutes each day. On one of those walks, you stand and watch the bees collecting the pollen from some blossoming flowers, and give thanks in awe at the intricacies of God’s creation. But as you do so, you remember with sadness hearing on the news that the bee population is shrinking. At home, you do some research (education) and realize that the use of pesticides is a problem. Then you take some action by deciding that you will not use pesticides in your yardwork. You also switch your Pest Control service to one that is more eco friendly. This then has you wondering about doing some advocacy around pesticides. You discover that there are bills proposed in your state, and you call and ask your local officials for their support.
Or as a church, you might have recently formed a green team and decide to begin by picking something educational, such as learning more about greenhouse gases and the causes and effects of global warming. You then choose to propose to your Church Council or trustees that they act to install solar panels on the church roof. This leads to you connecting with others doing similar work (see our list of groups) like Interfaith Power & Light who can give advice on applying for grants and rebates. You then decide not to invest your church money in fossil fuels as they are a large contributor to greenhouse gases. And. you join in doing some advocacy with the divestment movement.
Use the menu structure or the buttons below to find more information on each of these four implementation areas.
Why Climate Justice and not Creation Care?
As we take climate action, we must act in solidarity with those most impacted. As global temperatures rise, every place on earth will be affected, but many of the poorest regions will suffer the most severe effects. Most accumulated greenhouse gas emissions have come from industrialized nations, especially the United States, while poor nations with minimal historic emissions lack the resources to respond to disasters caused by rising temperatures, rising seas, and extreme weather. It is also important to recognize that without systemic change, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will be impossible. Path-breaking action points to systemic change, and this cannot be done by isolated individuals or churches. Progress toward a sustainable future must include more than individual actions, or actions by an individual church. With every action we take, we must see ourselves as part of a global movement for climate justice, led by those most deeply affected.
News, Events, & Opportunities
As well as a pages for connection, education, advocacy and action, there are also pages on this website with upcoming events, our newsletter, and new opportunities for connection, education, advocacy and action. Look under news on the menu structure or use the buttons below.
Resources
We also have a resource page that indexes a lot of helpful pages in one easily findable location. Look under resources in the menu structure or use the button below.
Our Theological Understanding
Click the button to read about our theological understanding.
UM Statements
The 2024 General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted a revised set of Social Principles and several new creation care/climate justice pieces of legislation and amended and/or readopted some previous resolutions.
These include changes for for green teams, church land use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of plastics. You will find resource pages on implementing each of these topics.
Search
You can use the search box in the menu at the top and bottom of every page to search the website. Or use the box below.