If you have read the news, turned on the TV, or Googled the word ‘snow’ in the past two weeks, you’ve heard about the storms that battered the Mid Atlantic region and shut down D.C. for days. As the winter wonderland that is Washington recovers, some politicians and pundits have taken to declaring that the recent weather conclusively disproves the ‘theory’ of global warming. Not only are these assertions incorrect and dangerously short-sighted, but they also reveal a deeper current running through the climate debate and preventing constructive steps forward. We’ve lost sight of something much broader than climate change and much longer-lasting than the recent snow: environmental sustainability. And regardless of the politicized debate over human-caused climate change, sustainability is a goal we can all embrace.
More frequent and more severe extreme weather events are one of the many predicted effects of our changing climate, and the contrast between the fierce storms on the East Coast and lack of snow at the Olympics (which are doing their best to go green) is illustrative. Yet, continuing to trot out scientific and economic studies clearly won’t win the day. The voice of reason on energy and the environment seems to be buried as deeply under the recent snowfalls as the streets and sidewalks. How can we shape the discussion on the environment without the short-sightedness, fights over money, and utter vitriol dominating the political debate over climate legislation? One idea: respond as Reform Jews.
The faith-based environmental community works consistently to broaden the climate conversation, reminding our friends on Capitol Hill and across North America that caring for our environment is a justice issue, a moral issue, and a human issue. We don’t just need to cut our carbon emissions; we need to think critically about our lifestyles and their effects on both ecological and human health, for ourselves and for centuries to come. It’s not just about graphing our greenhouse gas emissions or measuring melting glaciers; it’s about “development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
This long-term perspective on climate and energy is in desperately short supply. Yes, storms will likely become more frequent and more severe with climate change, and costs for our economy and our health will continue to pile up on top of costs for our environment. But even as we work toward better energy policies, we can’t lose sight of the larger picture. As Jews, not only are we commanded to be wise caretakers of our resources, but we are continually reminded to think not just of our own communities but of all people, and not just of our own needs but those of future generations. It’s this long-term thinking that underlies ideals of true sustainability, and one that will outlast even this seemingly endless Washington winter.