Statement of Conscience on Global Warming / Climate Change

The Unitarian-Universalist Association has just adopted a strong Statement of Conscience on Global Warming/Climate Change:

"As Unitarian Universalists, we are called by our Seventh Principle to affirm and promote 'respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.' We envision a world in which all people are assured a secure and meaningful life that is ecologically responsible and sustainable, in which every form of life has intrinsic value. In other words, Unitarian Universalists are called to defer to a balance between our individual needs and those of all other organisms. Entire cultures, nations, and life forms are at risk of extinction while basic human rights to adequate supplies of food, fresh water, and health as well as sustainable livelihoods for humans are being undermined.

"To live, we must both consume and dispose. Both our consumption and our disposal burden the interdependent web of existence. To sustain the interdependent web, we must burden it less while maintaining the essentials of our lives. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are painful omens of how racism, sexism, and poverty worsen the effects of global warming/climate change. Our world is calling us to gather in community and respond from our moral and spiritual wealth; together we can transform our individual and congregational lives into acts of moral witness, discarding our harmful habits for new behaviors and practices that will sustain life on Earth, ever vigilant against injustice."

- Excerpt from Statement of Conscience: Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change (PDF) - adopted by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (June 26, 2006)

See also our new pages on:

Personal Practices for Earth Stewardship

Energy Efficiency Tips