Rev. Erik Hoeke: Climate action is a moral imperative

Climate change is one of many significant moral challenges we face today as a nation, requiring a committed response. The social principles of my own faith tradition, the United Methodist Church, express moral imperatives to address climate change, protect the most vulnerable in society and promote human health.

Humans have not always taken seriously our role as caretakers of creation. But as the UMC social principles state, “Climate scientists warn that the window of opportunity for reversing the negative effects of global warming and climate change is rapidly closing. Without concerted action … the negative effects will become irreversible.”

As an ordained pastor in the Western Pennsylvania UMC, I strongly urge our elected leaders and policymakers to take immediate and aggressive action to care for the world which God has created. This includes supporting recent rules on methane pollution and power plant emissions, as well as stringent EPA regulations for passenger cars and trucks.

Pennsylvania is the second largest natural gas-producing state in the country and a significant contributor to methane pollution — a prime driver of climate change. According to a 2016 Stanford University study, abandoned oil and gas wells are responsible for a majority of the state’s methane emissions. Pennsylvania must continue to work with scientists to identify and fix these high-emitting wells. Moreover, policymakers must consider whether the industry’s economic benefits to the state are worth the cost of leaving future generations with a climate in irreversible crisis.

In April, the EPA finalized several pollution rules for natural gas and coal-fired power plants in the U.S. These rules include CO2 limits on coal and new natural gas plants, and updates to existing rules that limit mercury emissions, toxic wastewater discharges and coal ash storage.

These actions are not only steps to slow, or even reverse, the future impact of climate change, but also serve to protect the most vulnerable in society. A 2020 study found that Pennsylvania leads the country in premature deaths caused by air pollution per capita. It is likely that a disproportionate number of these deaths were in poor and minority neighborhoods. Among those living within three miles of existing and proposed air polluting coal and fossil fuel power plants, the poverty rate is 60% higher compared to the rest of the state. Furthermore, people of color comprise 39% of the population in these areas despite being only 22% of the state’s total population. In Allegheny County, the most polluted census tracts are found in poor and minority neighborhoods, while the census tracts with the cleanest air tend to be in wealthier and whiter neighborhoods.

The transportation sector is the No. 1 source of climate and air pollution in the United States. Cars and light-duty trucks account for more than 20% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and 45% of oil consumption. In March, the EPA issued new tailpipe emission rules with the goal of reducing car and truck emissions by 50% by 2032. Before ultimately supporting the rules, Sen. John Fetterman initially expressed opposition, calling them “overly aggressive.” This mischaracterized the rules, which represent a compromise among lawmakers and are largely supported by the auto industry. Incentivizing production of low-to-zero emission vehicles will also have a positive economic impact to American auto manufacturing hubs, especially where EV plants are located.

All of these actions represent a commitment to protecting God’s creation and safeguarding communities from environmental harm. Christian scripture makes clear that humans are called to be stewards or caretakers of creation, rather than treating creation as if it were placed here solely for humanity’s use and consumption. The United Methodist social principles call Christians “to practice responsible stewardship and to live in right relationship with the Creator and with the whole of God’s creation,” and confess that “the negative impacts resulting from the degradation of the natural world have fallen disproportionately on marginalized communities,” whose voices have largely been ignored.

Addressing pollution and combating climate change not only protect God’s creation, but also safeguard marginalized communities from suffering disproportionate negative effects of environmental harm. I hope and pray that elected leaders and policymakers will have the moral courage to support continued actions that protect creation and society’s most vulnerable.

Rev. Erik Hoeke works at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.