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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Organize a congregational green team focusing on ways to make your spaces more sustainable.
For more information on this issue, contact Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Jamie Starr at (202) 387-2800
