It’s been more than 50 – yes, 50 – years since we and other nations were put on alert to the rapidly deteriorating climate. Unfortunately, in terms of politics, little has changed. Island nations continue to sink into the sea, the hurricanes we have experienced here in the United State, have gotten worse, and weather patterns have gone off the rails.
In Baku, the COP29 has degenerated into a mockery of what these conferences were supposed to be. Negotiations, if you can call them that, continue to pit nation against nation, each wanting its share of fossil fuel profits. Criticism of the Azerbaijani ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh led to Aliyev’s comments on European colonialism, resulting in the French canceling their participation.
Meanwhile, we lumber along ready to cross the 1.5 Celsius threshold. And the incoming energy secretary is an oil executive. Well, doesn’t take too much wondering to know what his approach will be. We need to do more than just pick up the pieces from next year’s tornado and hurricane season. But how?
Prayer for the Day
Blithely drifting along, many of us just shrug our shoulders,
Unsure whether what we do makes any difference;
Focused primarily on the holiday season ahead,
We are caught up in our daily lives with its demands.
But you, O God, in spite of warnings through wind and fire,
Must wonder how we ignore the realities laid before us.
In the name of the One who rouses us to action,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
It [2024] will also probably be the first full calendar year when temperatures rose more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial average — a critical line signaling that Earth is crossing into territory where some extreme climate effects may be irreversible.
Kasha Patel, American science writer
Science tells us that global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 7.5% annually to have any chance of staying within the 1.5°C threshold, a prerequisite for the stability of our planet and a livable future for much of humanity. In 2024, the task is unequivocal: global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 4 billion tonnes.
Letter from 15 scientists and world leaders calling for a new COP process
All you inhabitants of the world, you who live on the earth,
When a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, Listen!
Isaiah 18: 3