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NFTY Teens are Creating Change with the Environmental Justice Task Force
September 13, 2019
Going up to NFTY’s North American President and asking her to take our resolution off
Environment and Climate Change
The Reform Movement is committed to protecting the environment. From the pressing global crisis of climate change to advocacy on clean water and food justice, we are heirs to a tradition of stewardship and partnership in the ongoing work of Creation that goes back to Genesis.
Description
The Reform Movement is committed to protecting the environment and ensuring a just, healthy, and safe future for generations to come. The science is clear: global climate change and pollution threaten our planet and endanger our communities. We have a sacred responsibility to care for the Earth and its inhabitants by advocating for sustainable policies addressing climate change, promoting clean air and water, and protecting wildlife. In doing this work, we must also ensure environmental justice, protecting those who have been disproportionately impacted by climate change and advocating for a just transition away from fossil fuels. Through our environmental advocacy, we carry on a Jewish tradition of stewardship and partnership in the ongoing work of Creation dating back to Genesis.
Why Should Jews Care
The Torah teaches that humankind was created on Earth, in part, to care for and protect G-d’s creation (Genesis 2:15). The Talmudic concept of bal tashchit, “do not destroy” was developed by the rabbis as an assertion of G-d’s holy ownership of the land. We show our commitment to Creation and to each other by preventing the destruction and degradation of our planet. As is said in a powerful Midrash, “Do not destroy My world, for if you do, there will be nobody after you to make it right again.” (Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13). It is our responsibility to preserve, protect, and nourish our planet. We have the power to take action to create a healthy and just future for ourselves and generations to come.
Take Action
Tell Congress: Reduce US emissions to net-zero by 2050
In 2018, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) released a report stating that the world’s annual carbon emissions need to drop by nearly half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The 100% Clean Economy Act (H.R.5221) in the House and Clean Economy Act (S.3269) in the Senate provide a robust framework to move all sectors of the U.S. economy toward clean energy and achieve net-zero carbon pollution by 2050.
Urge Congress to pass the Climate Action Now Act
If we do not act now to mitigate climate change, effects such as heatwaves, decreased rainfall, species loss, and sea-level rise will occur, impacting the health, food, water, and economic growth of communities around the world. The International Climate Accountability Act would help keep the U.S. in the Paris Agreement and ensure the U.S. remains a global leader in the effort to prevent climate change.
What's New
Earth Day 2020: A reflection on science, justice, and the future of our planet
mbendell
April 22, 2020
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Just days after the end of Pesach, today raises the question, how is this Earth
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Putting a price on carbon in the 116th Congress
June 26, 2019
Climate change has finally had some time in the spotlight. In the first six months
Related Press Releases
Reform Jewish Movement Opposes Effort to Undercut Fight Against Climate Change
"We are extremely disappointed in the Trump administration’s proposal of the so-called 'Affordable Clean Energy Rule,' which would further abdicate American leadership in the fight against climate change."
Reform Jewish Movement Responds to Shrinking Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments
For Immediate Release December 4, 2017 WASHINGTON – In response to President Trump’s decision to dramatically shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis and wider Reform Movement:
Reform Movement Disappointed at Repeal of Clean Power Plan
For Immediate Release October 9, 2017 WASHINGTON — In response to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s announcement that the Trump administration will repeal the Clean Power Plan, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and wider Reform Movement:
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Learn more about the position of the Reform Movement on these key issues, and read the formal resolutions by URJ and CCAR.
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Engage Your Congregation
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Organize
Organize a congregational green team focusing on ways to make your spaces more sustainable.
Contact our Legislative Assistants
For more information on this issue, contact Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Jamie Starr at (202) 387-2800