Religious leaders of CNY Call For a Transition Off of Fossil Fuels

Location
Zen Center of Syracuse
266 W Seneca Turnpike
Syracuse, NY, 13207

Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/19/2021
2:00 pm

Category(ies)

• Interfaith Event

Earth Day, April 22 – Religious leaders representing over 400,000 people of faith across upper NY state signed on to a statement calling for a transition away from fossil fuels.

A zoom press conference to announce religious leaders support for a transition off of of fossil fuels and why it is important we act now will be held Monday, April 19 at 2 PM. See below for details on speakers and link.

Leaders of many faiths: Christian, Jewish, Muslim …  including Native American leaders agree we need to start action now to fend off the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

This Earth Day the planet has warmed about 1.1. degree C (2 deg F) compared to pre-industrial times.  Unless we take significant steps to reduce carbon emissions Earth will warm by 1.5 deg C this decade.

“The risks of hitting tipping points in the climate system become significant as we warm the Earth past 1.5 deg C with a real possibility of fundamentally changing the climate leading to runaway climate warming and disruption. This is a true, deep threat to human society.”, says Robert Howarth PhD, Cornell University

Given what a majority of the scientific community is saying Climate Change Awareness and Action solicited  support from religious/faith leaders calling for the community in CNY to start planning to transition off of fossil fuels.

‘We hope this statement will spark a community wide discussion across party lines on the steps we need to take to ensure that future generations will have a world they can thrive in,” says Peter Wirth, CCAA

The NYS Climate Leadership Community Protection Act passed in 2020 mandates a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 .  We need to start planning on the local level how we will reduce our carbon emissions in order to help the state meet its goal.

The following statement:

“Given the dangers represented  by the continued burning of fossil fuels to the planet we depend upon for life and the importance of the next ten years in keeping the planet under 1.5 degrees centigrade of heating we urge the community in CNY to start  planning  a transition away from fossil fuels now.”

was endorsed by a broad spectrum of religious/faith leaders (Baptist, Catholic, Earth based Spiritualities, Episcopal, Hindu, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist,  Muslim, Native American, Presbyterian, UCC, Unitarian, Sikh, Tibetan-Buddhist, Zen).

Press Conference via Zoom
Religious Leaders Support Transition Off of Fossil Fuels

Date:    April 19, Monday
Time:    2 PM
URL:    Please register

 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qdemqqDMoGNCkwm4BWo1uKp4rCALevCqZ

Speakers:

Episcopal Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe – One of the signers of a national call by Episcopal Bishops in 2017 affirming the scientific community’s overwhelming finding that climate change is real, human-caused, and undeniably destructive to human society, in reaction to President Trump’s executive order to rewrite rules aimed at curbing carbon emissions.

Oren Lyons – an internationally known Indigenous, human rights and climate change activist and scholar. Oren  first spoke on the issue of climate change at the United Nations in 2000.

Professor Robert Howarth – climate scientist, Cornell University – He is a member of the Climate Action Council, a 22-member committee preparing a Scoping Plan to achieve the State’s clean energy and climate agenda as outlined in the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) passed by NYS in 2020. He received an honorable mention “50 People who Matter” in the Time 2011 Person of the Year issue.

For More Information Contact                       
Peter Wirth
pwirth2@verizon.net           
315-476-3396
Climate Change Awareness and Action
www.climatechange-action.com

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