Dear Friends:
In September, the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was released. It showed that the last 30 years were probably the warmest for at least 1,400 years. It said that the best-estimate warming is 4°C by 2100. It projected much more rapid sea-level rise (28-98 cm by 2100). It predicted that, with unmitigated warming, the Arctic Ocean will likely become virtually ice-free in summer before the middle of this century.
All that is “just” science. But it becomes all too real when there are wildfires and floods in Colorado, or when we hear how far the Ogallala aquifer has fallen, or when we see the horrible destruction caused by the typhoon in the Philippines. As someone who is aware of the risks posed by a warming world, you know that we can expect more such climate impacts in the years to come, if no action is taken.
At Kansas Interfaith Power & Light, we have worked for years to build support for an effective response to climate change in our religious communities. We have come together, across the state and across faith traditions, to share resources and take action together.
Our congregations are powerful places to engage people in this work. People listen differently in their congregations — with their “moral ears.” When we talk about climate change in our congregations, we reach people who would not hear those messages anywhere else.
And when religious communities speak out on environmental issues in the public square from a spiritually rooted place, we are heard differently. We don’t just join the chorus – we elevate and transform the environmental movements in which we participate.
Can you help strengthen Kansas Interfaith Power & Light at this critical time?
We can’t choose not to live in a warming world; but we can choose, now, to weather the storms we face by getting rooted in our traditions, by sticking together, and by staying true to our deepest values.
In 2013:
- We joined with our coalition partners in Kansans for Clean Energy to protect the Renewable Portfolio Standard, an incredibly effective policy to help develop the renewable energy sector – to the tune of $7 billion in investment and 13,000 jobs in Kansas. And we won!
- We helped 9 congregations in the Kansas City area save 15% or more on their energy costs by making low-cost energy efficiency improvements.
- In June we welcomed Rev. Sally Bingham to our Annual Event, and in August we held a Cool Congregations training session.
- We co-sponsored the “Concert for the Climate” and tabled at the Methodist and Episcopal conferences.
- We testified at the EPA “listening session” in Lenexa in support of strong carbon protections for existing power plants.
- We organized a panel discussion on climate change in Wichita, and brought the movie “Chasing Ice” to Newton and McPherson, and soon to Hays, Lindsborg and Topeka.
We couldn’t have done it without you! Your contribution serves as an outward reflection of the importance of this work to you. It helps us spread the good work to even more congregations. And every dollar you give will be matched, so your commitment will go even further.
Next year we expect to be doing even more, introducing an effective energy efficiency program for faith communities around the state, broadening our circle of concerned congregations and individuals, and advocating in the public square for sensible policies that move us away from fossil fuels and toward efficiency, sustainability, and renewable energy.
Please join us — and ensure we can continue this important work — by making a gift today.
We are so grateful to be in community with you, and are very appreciative of your support.
With blessing,
Rabbi Moti Rieber
Director