Mainline Protestant Denominations' Perspectives on Climate and Air
Climate Change
Reformed Church of America, 1993

The threat of climate change is of particular concern to Christians not only because of their God given responsibility to tend the garden and to keep it (Gen. 2:15), but because climate change is an issue of justice. Industrialized nations such as the United States and Canada produce the major share of greenhouse gases, but those who live in poor and developing nations will suffer the most severe effects of climate change. Coastal flooding, more frequent and severe storms, the spread of insect borne infectious diseases, and changes in agricultural practices would most seriously affect those least able to cope with such changes.

Climate change is also an issue of generational justice. The effects of global warming may be minimal in our lifetimes. It will not be so for succeeding generations. Current energy rich arid overly consumptive lifestyles may well be depleting the environmental capital on which the lives of future generations depend.

Read the complete statement in the Environmental Anthology of Denominational Policy

Can going to church be an act of caring for God's gifts of clean air and a supportive climate?

American Baptist Resolution on Clean Air
American Baptist Church, 1990

The Clean Air Act of 1970, after several extensions, expired in 1988. Most of the urban areas of this nation do not meet the standards for clean air established by that law. However, the Environmental Protection Agency has not moved to force compliance. Some polls* have shown an overwhelming desire for safe, breathable air among Americans, even to the extent of paying higher taxes.

In light of these realities, we:

1. express our support for a strong clean air act that would
   1. maintain a strict standard on toxic air pollutants,
   2. mandate significant reductions in automobile emissions,
   3. cut sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions significantly,
   4. phase out ozone-destroying chemicals,
   5. require polluter to pay for cleanup,
   6. encourage and permit states and Puerto Rico to set higher standards than federal,
   7. maintain a federal role in protecting public health when states fail to provide adequate measures, and
   8. provide needed support for persons adversely affected by these actions.