Grassroots groups around the country should be congratulated for the government's release of the Clean Power Plan to reduce emissions from power plants, for they know that national victories are the outgrowth of many cumulative local efforts. They remind us that if we want to have healthy communities and minimize climate disruption, we have to fight where we are. Some call it "watershed discipleship." Others use the phrase: think global, act local. I like "planetary gospel." What matters is the activity itself! It can sometimes seem that the big fights and inspiring campaigns happen in far-flung places: federal approval for Shell to drill in the Arctic, and the blockadia-style action in Portland to stop such drilling, for example. However, when we focus exclusively on inter/national news actions, or think that politicians speaking publicly on an issue is the beginning and end of it, we greatly misplace our own crucial role. Last week, I attended a city commission gathering in Carson, CA, focused on the need to expand a ban on fracking there. Approximately 100 people gathered and spoke; there was nothing particularly flashy about it. It was about people protecting themselves and fighting for environmental justice. To protect people's health essentially requires at least 1500 feet separating residents and extractive industries. The LA metro area is an oil region, but the consequences of any extraction so close to existing neighborhoods inevitably impacts people's wellbeing. I was inspired by the testimonies I heard from allies across the region as well as residents of Carson demanding that they be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. The fight in Carson is not over. Before the end, they will need to hear from other allies and people of faith. Last week's EPA announcement is one prominent step amidst hundreds of others that need to be taken by people like us. And while we take one step in the right direction, our country sometimes takes five backwards elsewhere. We can help ensure that at least in our region, we are actively part of the solution for healthy neighborhoods, against environmental racism, and towards the end of extraction. We can't wait for people from far away to solve this. This is our problem. Please see below two workshops over the next week that can help you engage with these issues. Stay tuned for upcoming faith-rooted solidarity actions alongside our neighbors touched by the racist effects of fossil fuel extraction. I hope to see you there! With an eye to the local, Timothy Murphy Executive Director |
