Opinion-Time to Panic
The planet is getting warmer in catastrophic ways. And fear may be the only thing that saves us.
The age of climate panic is here. Last summer, a heat wave baked the entire Northern Hemisphere, killing dozens from Quebec to Japan. Some of the most destructive wildfires in California history turned more than a million acres to ash, along the way melting the tires and the sneakers of those trying to escape the flames. Pacific hurricanes forced three million people in China to flee and wiped away almost all of Hawaii’s East Island.
We are living today in a world that has warmed by just one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the late 1800s, when records began on a global scale. We are adding planet-warming carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at a rate faster than at any point in human history since the beginning of industrialization...
Panic might seem counterproductive, but we’re at a point where alarmism and catastrophic thinking are valuable, for several reasons...
As temperatures rise...there would be tens of millions of climate refugees, perhaps many more, fleeing droughts, flooding and extreme heat, and the possibility of multiple climate-driven natural disasters striking simultaneously...
being alarmed is not a sign of being hysterical; when it comes to climate change, being alarmed is what the facts demand. Perhaps the only logical response.
The mishkan is a micro version of the world
These are the accountings of the [donations for and the appurtenances of] the mishkan, the mishkan of testimony [testimony to G d's having "bypassed" the sin of the golden calf, having reposed His shechinah there.
These sources were collected by https://www.jewishclimate.org/holistic-approach
כך הן ישראל, אחד מהן חוטא וכולן מרגישין. (במדבר טז): האיש אחד יחטא תני רשב"י: משל לבני אדם, שהיו יושבין בספינה נטל אחד מהן מקדח והתחיל קודח תחתיו. אמרו לו חבריו: מה אתה יושב ועושה?! אמר להם: מה אכפת לכם לא תחתי אני קודח?! אמרו לו: שהמים עולין ומציפין עלינו את הספינה.
“When one man sins will you be angry with the whole community?” (Numbers 16:22) Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught: This may be compared to the case of men on a ship, one of whom took a borer and began boring beneath his own place. His fellow travellers said to him: “What are you doing?” Said he to them: “What does that matter to you? Am I not boring under my own seat? Said they: “But the water will come up and flood the ship for all of us!”
We can not be bystanders.
We have to be UPSTANDERS
It was related that Rav, and Rabbi Ḥanina, and Rabbi Yoḥanan, and Rav Ḥaviva taught the statement cited below...., they said:
Anyone who had the capability to effectively protest the sinful conduct of the members of his household and did not protest, he himself is apprehended for the sins of the members of his household and punished.
If he is in a position to protest the sinful conduct of the people of his town, and he fails to do so, he is apprehended for the sins of the people of his town.
If he is in a position to protest the sinful conduct of the whole world, and he fails to do so, he is apprehended for the sins of the whole world.
[The judges' speech continues] "It was for this reason that man was first created as one person [Adam], to teach you that anyone who destroys a life is considered by Scripture to have destroyed an entire world; and anyone who saves a life is as if he saved an entire world."
And also, to promote peace among the creations, that no man would say to his friend, "My ancestors are greater than yours."...
Therefore, every person must say, “For my sake the world was created.” [The judges' speech continues:]
"Maybe you [the witnesses] will now say, 'What do we need this, and all this anxiety for [let's not come forward even with true testimony]!'
But Scripture has already spoken: "If he be a witness - having seen or known - if he does not express it, he shall bear his sin." (Lev. 5:1)
There are actions we can take to reduce our carbon output and to influence our government
Climate crisis demands deep, systemic, transformative change. We are all needed to work for change, as individuals, as communities, as nations, and as a planet. The Jewish Climate Action Network is here to help the Jewish community work together.
JCAN works with area synagogues and Jewish organizations to radically reduce their carbon footprints . Our aim is appropriately high: to achieve incremental reductions of 60% to 80% over the next few years.
“Impossible!” you may say. But it is within our reach, and we must all ultimately aim this high in order to bring about the reductions needed to sustain our planet.
To help individuals and congregations, JCAN has launched its Holistic Carbon Reduction campaign, designed to re-envision Massachusetts's Jewish institutions. This campaign can help your congregation determine the climate impact of its energy consumption, food and waste stream, and finances, and to examine its level of advocacy.
The age of climate crisis demands deep, systemic, transformative change. We are all needed to work for change as individuals, as communities, as nations, and as a planet. JCAN helps the Jewish community work together.
What's required to sign on? Finding the right people is key; some tasks require only one person, while other tasks call for working with the facilities committee, the institutions' board of directors, or others. Asking others for help is a good opportunity to foster connections, to build community, and to initiate the group that will continue on to the next steps together.
Some congregations have already begun to make energy improvements. But all can learn from each other, so sharing information will be a key component of this work. To facilitate this communication, all participating institutions are invited to send a representative to JCAN leadership meetings.