EARTHKEEPING
NEWS
A NEWSLETTER
OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY
Volume Twelve, Number One
Spring 2003
CALL TO ACTION:
Clergy Say Fuel Economy Is a Moral Imperative
The idea that "miles to the gallon" can be a gauge of morality is catching on. An interfaith campaign to push fuel efficiency in automobiles has attracted support from prominent Christian and Jewish leaders nationwide, who recently sent their message to the big three automakers in Detroit. "We seek to open a new conversation about cars and their impact upon God's creation and God's children on earth," said more than one hundred religious leaders, in an open letter to the CEOs of Ford, General Motors and ChryslerDaimler. The letter was made public on Nov 20, 2002 in Detroit, where a delegation of religious leaders made an overture to the auto industry, meeting with Ford Chairman William Clay Ford Jr and officials of GM and United Auto Workers.
The delegation included NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, whose organizations support the Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign (ICEC), and Rev Jim Ball, head of the Evangelical Environmental Network, which has launched a "What Would Jesus Drive?" advertising campaign.
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ACTION: Advocate for fuel-efficient automobiles by participating in a Fuel Economy Campaign
If you live in one of the following states — Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin — go to protectingcreation.org and look for the contacts in each state. |
The delegation reported a "warm reception" from automakers, who said they welcomed the opportunity for dialogue. For their part, the religious leaders pressed the concern that "U.S. reliance on oil, so central to the operation of the automobile, is warming the planet and contributing to the causes of war." Moreover,consequences both of global warming and war disproportionately affect people already living in poverty, they said.
The automakers response: They could make more fuel-efficient cars,if consumer demand warranted production. In recent years, the consumer love-affair with gas-guzzling SUVs, vans and pickups has actually reversed fuel efficiency gains of the '70s and early '80s.
National Council of Churches of Christ
in the U.S.A. (www.ncccusa.org)
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