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Historian Yuval Noah Harari posits: "It took 40-50% of GDP to win WWII, 15% to manage COVID in 2020, so what can 2% do? "When I say that we just need to invest two percent of global GDP. It doesn't mean that it will actually happen. It just means that it's feasible. Because what I saw again as a historian over the last five years or so is this shift in the public mood, from denial to despair. Yeah, that five years ago, nah this is just a hoax. So this is just overblown and it will happen in like 200 years. Why worry about it now? And then very quickly, it's all over. It's too late. The apocalypse is here. There is nothing we can do. Let's just have fun while we can. And we need to stop in the middle between denial and despair, in actual responsibility and taking action. And the time is now whether there is enough motivation, whether the political will is there." ~ Yuval Noah Harari Outrage + Optimism is a wonderful podcast with energetic hosts Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson who interview many brilliant guests and share expert opinions along with healthy doses of both outrage and optimism that will leave you feeling informed and energized. Their website has an extraordinary back catalogue of over 160 episodes of conversations with guests including Luisa Neubauer, Yuval Noah Harari, Vanessa Nakate and Sadiq Khan among many others. Christiana Figueres is the former UN climate chief who oversaw the 2015 Paris summit. Tom Rivett-Carnac is a political strategist, author and podcaster who has spent more than 20 years working to address the climate and ecological crises. Paul Dickinson founded CDP, a not-for-profit charity that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts, with an ambition of creating a global economic system that operates within sustainable environmental boundaries and prevents dangerous climate change. For the past decade climate change and disruptive weather has been a recurring theme in global trend analyses by the World Economic Forum and the U.S. National Intelligence Council, with increasing "serious concern" about a "disorderly climate transition" or "climate action failure." The November 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) passed the Glasgow Climate Pact and concluded with important steps towards the 1.5°C scenario: Requesting governments from 153 countries to update and strengthen their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) Bolstering climate adaptation finance efforts Continuing the mobilization of billions of US dollars for climate funding and trillions to be reallocated by private institutions and central banks towards global net zero. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. Their report Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability In 2021 the world was at 1.2 degrees C above the pre-industrial level, but headed is toward 2.0 and 3.6 degrees C based on current policy levels. Even at full implementation of the 2030 NDC targets the most likely trajectory will take us to 2.4 degrees C. Climate Analytics says "fossil fuel must exit the global power system by 2040 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C." We can now say with credibility that we have kept 1.5 degrees alive. But, its pulse is weak and it will only survive if we keep our promises and translate commitments into rapid action.~ Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, COP26 President

"Climate change, war, extreme inequality, economic upheaval, and the dying back of nature together create a planetary emergency of overwhelming proportions. Active Hope can strengthen our capacity to face this crisis so that we can respond with unexpected resilience and creative power." Joanna Macy and co-author Chris Johnstone have a newly revised edition of Active Hope How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience and Creation Spirituality's Creation in Crisis team of Bob Isenberger, Penny Andrews and Gail Ransom will explore the book on Thursday, September 1, 2022 at 1 p.m. PDT REGISTER HERE This Zoom webinar will include both theory and practice as the team guides us through the key concepts of the book They will consider the wisdom of Macy, her transformational paradigm (The Work That Reconnects) and how to build resilience and strength to embody "Active Hope" to a wounded world. The 10th anniversary edition of Active Hope came out on June 14, 2022, To get a taste of what it offers, you can read or download a pdf of the introduction and first two chapters from this link. You can also read or download a pdf list of fifteen ways the new edition is different from this link. Drawing on decades of teaching an empowerment approach know as the Work that Reconnects, the authors guide us through a transformational process informed by mythic journeys, modern psychology, spirituality, and holistic science. This process equips us with tools to face the mess we’re in and play our role in the collective transition, or Great Turning, to a life-sustaining society." The Work That Reconnects, based in the teachings of Joanna Macy, follows a Spiral of practices, described in detail below. The following links will help you learn more about the Work and how it can support you in meeting the crises of our time. Joanna Macy, Root Teacher "the authors guide us through a transformational process informed by mythic journeys, modern psychology, spirituality, and holistic science. can strengthen our capacity to face this crisis so that we can respond with unexpected resilience and creative power. "Turning, to a life-sustaining society." Foundations of the Work (assumptions and aims) Three Stories of Our Times (revised) The Three Dimensions of the Great Turning History of the Work "The Work that Reconnects helps people discover and experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action." ~ Joanna Macy

In 2022 Local Futures produced a video Planet Local: A Quiet Revolution, available free on Youtube or on their website. The film "shows a quiet and transformative revolution emerging worldwide." Away from the screens of the mainstream media, the crude ‘bigger is better’ narrative that has dominated economic thinking for centuries is being challenged." As people work to protect and restore their local economies, their communities, and the natural world, countless diverse initiatives are demonstrating a new path forward for humanity. It’s a path that localizes rather than globalizes, connects rather than separates, and shows us that human beings need not be the problem – we can be the solution. The film features activists from every continent alongside figures like Russell Brand, Noam Chomsky, Vandana Shiva, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Naomi Klein, Jane Goodall, and Gabor Maté, Planet Local: A Quiet Revolution is a timely and compelling call to action. Local Futures' 2011 film The Economics of Happiness looked at current conditions of globalization, climate change, decreasing equitable job opportunities, crumbling communities, and the stress of modern life. Most importantly, this film provides solutions to reverse these trends. The Economics of Happiness described a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, an unholy alliance of governments and big business continues to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, people all over the world are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future. Communities are coming together to rebuild more human-scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization. In 1993 Local Futures produced an award-winning documentary film: Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh. Economic globalization has led to a massive expansion in the scale and power of big business and banking. It has also worsened nearly every problem we face: fundamentalism and ethnic conflict; climate chaos and species extinction; financial instability and unemployment. There are personal costs too. For the majority of people on the planet, life is becoming increasingly stressful. We have less time for friends and family and we face mounting pressures at work.

Futurists look for clues about emerging trends and use "signals of change" as concrete examples how the world could one day be different. "Strangesight" leads to foresight, which is translated into alternative scenarios. One tip in finding futures clues is to google search "future of..." Several institutions also identify global trends. The World Economic Forum publishes an annual Global Risks Report. The 17th edition, 2022 Insight Report has the following key findings: A divergent economic recovery threatens collaboration on global challenges. A disorderly climate transition will exacerbate inequalities. Growing digital dependency will intensify cyberthreats. Barriers to mobility risk compounding global insecurity. Opportunities in space could be constrained by frictions. Year two of the pandemic yields insights on resilience. Only 3.7% of us feel "optimistic" about the outlook for the world with another 12.1% "positive." Most (84%) are concerned or worried because of the turbulent global context. The 10 most severe risks on a global scale over the next 10 years, are in decending order: Climate action failure Extreme weather Biodiversity loss Social cohesion erosion Livelihood crises Infectious diseases Human environmental damage Natural resource crises Debt crises Geoeconomic confrontation Another good source of futures analysis is the U.S. National Intelligence Council's Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World. The report is published every four years so the 7th edition assesses the key trends and uncertainties that will shape the strategic environment for the United States during the next two decades. They examine structural forces in demographics, environment, economics, and technology that shape the contours of our future world. Analyze how these structural forces and other factors - combined with human responses - affect emerging dynamics in societies, states, and the international system. Finally they envision five plausible scenarios for the distant future in 2040. The Covid-19 pandemic and corresponding national responses "appear to be honing and accelerating several trends that were already underway before the outbreak". The key themes of Global Trends 2040 are: Catalyzing Economic Trends Reinforcing Nationalism and Polarization Deepening Inequality. Straining Governance Highlighting Failed International Cooperation Elevating the Role of Nonstate Actors. The five plausible scenarios for 2040 are: Renaissance and Democracies A World Adrift Competitive Co-existence Separate Silos Tragedy and Mobilization While it is necessary to directly and unflinchingly face the reality of the above threats, ;there are also signals of hope and a positive future. Futurist Jan McGonigal offers 10 future forces that could make a better world in the next decade in her book Imaginable.: mRNA vaccines Super-inexpensive solar and wind energy Prioritization of social safety nets over economic growth Bio-printing technology Living concrete Direct cash transfers Cultured meat Efforts to combat social isolation Free or low-cost learning for a lifetime Anti-aging bio-tech Which of these possibilities make you feel hopeful for the future?

On August 21-24, 2022 the New Era Convergence met at Sky Camp near Eugene OR to contribute to constructive socio-economic transformation. Envisioning systems and change models adaptable to regional contexts and local arenas Generating viable plans and strategic programs for action Activating solidarity and agency through collaborative problem-solving, skill sharing, and expression Mobilizing social movement by organizing coordination networks, collaborative tools/platforms, and resource hubs We can work together to build a society that is regenerative, equitable, cooperative, and just. #New Era Convergence

SOCAN's Monthly Meeting topic is Youth v. Gov: Updates from Our Children's Trust - a presentation by Phil Gregory, Of Counsel with Our Children's Trust with an update on where the legal cases filed by Our Children’s Trust stand, and what the future seems to hold.. The meeting is on zoom on Tuesday Aug 30, 2022 at 6 p.m. PT. Register here. "The youth of the world are those who will suffer most if we fail to address the climate crisis. Our failure to address this crisis is why many young people are angry and others are simply disillusioned. Some, meanwhile, have joined forces through the Eugene-based nonprofit law firm, Our Children’s Trust (OCT), to take legal action. This action takes the form of lawsuits against federal and state governments for their actions violating the youth’s constitutional rights and harming both young people and the natural resources they hold in trust for future generations". "YOUTH v GOV is an independent film by acclaimed Director Christi Cooper, Barrelmaker Productions and Vulcan Productions. It tells the story of the groundbreaking youth climate case, Juliana v. United States. It is available for viewing via Netflix. Please try to watch the video before the program." SOCAN 10th Anniversary Celebration is just around the corner! We hope you’ve made a place on your calendar for our 10th anniversary celebration, an entertaining evening co-hosted by long-time SOCAN associates and climate advocates Pam Marsh and Jeff Golden, with presentations by SOCAN old- and new-timers, and a greeting by internationally-celebrated climate activist Bill McKibben. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, we’d encourage you to do so to reserve your place. Don't miss this wonderful event! September 17, 2022 at 5 p.m. Hilton Garden Inn, Medford Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served Event tickets and more information are at socan.eco/anniversary

Some conservative, religious people may harken back to an imagined better past like the 1950s, or imagined utopian place like the Garden of Eden. Alternatively, the New Jerusalem/Holy City described in the Book of Revelation may be an aspirational utopia for fundamentalist Christian believers, but less compelling to others as a metaphorical, dystopian story of the end of the world as we know it, Jill Lepore wrote in the New Yorker about the rise of dystopian fiction portrayed in books and movies. She says "dystopias follow utopias the way thunder follows lightning.. Utopians believe in progress; dystopians don’t. They fight this argument out in competing visions of the future, Utopians offering promises, dystopians issuing warnings." For the pragmatic, utopia means "nowhere" and dystopia a horror. Jem Blendel, the Deep Adaptation movement and Michael Dowd paint a picture of a dystopian future. But can we imagine a new story with a climate positive future - one that is neither utopian nor dystopian? ... one that is realistically possible and mixes hope with urgent optimism? Stuart Candy, Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon School of Design is a foresight/futures specialist. The above YouTube video features Candy when he spoke at the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) Centres Community Workshop in July 2021. He asked attendees to actively consider four main considerations for the future: difference, diversity, depth, and design. Candy quotes Ashis Nandy who says "futures studies are basically a game of dissenting visions." The future is not an amplified vision of the present. Instead of thinking linearly about the most likely trajectory, the idea is to make a habit of thinking pluralistically about alternative futures. Check out Situation Lab’s The Thing From the Future. game. Futurists such as the Institute For The Future (IFTF) offer alternative senarios. Futurists don't predict the future, but rather use foresight to give us insight so we can take informed actions now. and have agency in bringing about the best possible future. Foresight practitioners use the plural "futures" rather than a singular prediction. IFTF's Quinault Childs says there are Three Basic Steps to Creating Climate Positive Futures and start making sense out of future complexity: Include a climate lens in every futures project Actively seek out major mindset shifts about how the future might be different Mix hope with pragmatic optimism. "Futures research and forecasting should be directed toward developing and understanding 'alternative futures.' These alternative futures are a way to categorize our individual and collective "images of the future." Understanding our images and beliefs about the future is part of the process to help us make wiser decisions today, and to install a sense of empowerment and responsibility towards future generations." Futurist Jim Dator categorizes four major images of the future: Continuation (usually continued economic growth) Collapse (from [usually] one of a variety of different reasons such as environmental overload and/or resource exhaustion, economic instability, moral degeneration, external or internal military attack, meteor impact, etc.) Constraint - a disciplined society (in which society in the future is seen as organized around some set of overarching values or another--usually considered to be ancient, traditional, natural, ideologically-correct, or God-given.) Transformation - a society (usually either of a "high tech" or a "high spirit" variety), which sees the end of current forms, and the emergence of new (rather than the return to older traditional) forms of beliefs, behavior, organization and--perhaps--intelligent lifeforms.) In the words of IFTF researcher Ilana Lipsett, “climate positive futures will require shifting the narrative of where climate leadership is coming from - young people, indigenous communities, black and brown communities, poor people, and other marginalized people who will experience the worst effects of climate change. This message was echoed by David Korten in his June 2022 message to the Unitarian Universalist meeting in Portland OR. Another approach to creating a positive climate future is from ASU's Climate Imagination Fellowship."The Climate Imagination Fellowship brings together top science fiction authors with community members, thinkers, researchers, and changemakers from around the world to create visions of positive climate futures shaped by concerted action in the face of crisis, and grounded in real science." "These visions will honor local particularities and insist upon equity and justice, while imagining efforts that could be scaled up for global change. Too often, our only climate stories are ones of warning and alarm. To help us build pathways forward to a vibrant, thriving decarbonized future, we also need inspiring stories that can catalyze action in the present." “People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of change in a world without end.” ~ Rebecca Solnit

Deep Transformation is about laying the groundwork for an ecological civilization.- an alternative life-affirming worldview based on the intersection of modern science and the world’s great wisdom traditions." Jeremy Lent, author of The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find our Place in the Universe (July 12, 2021) says "as our civilization careens toward climate breakdown, ecological destruction, and gaping inequality, people are losing their existential moorings. The dominant worldview of disconnection, which tells us we are split between mind and body, separate from each other, and at odds with the natural world, has been invalidated by modern science." "Redirecting humanity’s trajectory will require a fundamental transformation of society encompassing virtually every aspect of the human experience: our values, our goals and our collective behavior." "The depiction of humans as selfish individuals, the view of nature as a resource to be exploited, and the idea that technology alone can fix our biggest problems, are all profound misconceptions that have collectively led our civilization down a path to disaster." We need to transform our core human identity, our relationships with others, and with the nonhuman world.~ Jeremy Lent David Korten calls this an ecological civilization.

David Korten, who founded Yes! Magazine 25 years ago, is an engaged citizen dedicated to the work of advancing the human transition to a new civilization, a new economy, and a new economics - an Ecological Civilization. Korten says "resistance alone is a losing strategy. You have to have a positive alternative, something that we move toward instead of away from. It is important that we begin trying to envision, what would an ecological civilization look like. Current social, economic and political structures and their institutions are just products of the human mind, as is the notion of money. Ownership (how we think about how we use money), family and community are also constructs. - living entities capable of changing and evolving. Transnational corporations and banks that are totally delinked from life. It is egotistical to believe that the emerging process of evolution is to create humans as the end-product or the purpose. Rather, humans are just one of the many species, each of which has its distinctive characteristics - interrelated parts of the whole. Therefore, Korten suggests our human purpose, within the larger evolutionary unfolding of creation, is "to serve the whole as all creation continues to evolve toward ever-greater complexity, beauty, awareness, and possibility." The above YouTube interview of David Korten is part of Integral Voices video and audio podcasts, produced by the Center for Transformative Learning at Meridian University. The September 17, 2022 Integral Voices podcast was a conversation between three "pathfinders:" Riane Eisler, David Korten, and Hazel Henderson, authors of the following books: Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains, Lives, and Future (2019) by Riane Eisler When Corporations Rule the World (2015) by David C. Korten Building a Win-Win World: Life Beyond Global Economic Warfare (2022) by Hazel Henderson "The glory of the human has become the desolation of the Earth. The desolation of earth is now our greatest shame and biggest threat. Therefore, all programs, policies, activities and institutions must henceforth be judged primarily by the extent to which they inhibit, ignore or foster a mutually enhancing human/earth relationship." ~ Thomas Berry

The Living Earth Movement, founded in February 2022, is "a collection of leaders in the fields of theology, business, science, activism and academia who are passionate about combating climate change and preserving life as we know it on this planet." The Living Earth organizing committee includes John B. Cobb Jr., John Perkins, David Korten, Bonnie Tarwater, Jeff Wells, Audrey Kitagawa, Richard Livingston, Charles Betterton, Rick Smyre, Ronald Hines, Ignacio Castuera, Kathleen Reeves and Peg Booth. Their intent is to "create an organic and locally-led movement - a grassroots network of activists who lay the foundation for an ecological civilization." The Movement "promotes a new ethos of global cooperation, peacemaking, and joint solutions to the planetary crisis" and "encourages widespread conviction that a just, peaceful, creative, and sustainable society is possible." To find out more, check out The Living Earth movement's website and Facebook Page. On July 28, 2022 the Living Earth Movement hosted a zoom webinar Creating An Ecological Civilization: The Important Role of Faith Communities, featuring David Korten, Audrey Kitagawa, Jeff Wells, John Cobb and Bonnie Tartwater. David Kortin is author of Ecological Civilization: From Emergency to Emergence, a report to the Club of Rome published in 2021. Audrey Kitagawa is President and founder of International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation and President of Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family. Jeff Wells is Lead Pastor at The Church of the Village in New York City. Audrey recounted some of the ways faith communities are addressing our climate change crisis: Pope Francis Encyclical Letter Laudato Si' Rabinical Assembly Resolution on the Environment World Council of Churches Care for creation and climate justice Islamic Declaration on Faith Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change Faith for Earth UN Environment Programme Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology Greenfaith Unitarian Universalists Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change David Korten spoke about an Ecological Civilization - "connecting the dots and engaging a serious conversation about the causes of the existential crisis we face, while bringing a message of hope and possibility to help move us forward on the path to an Ecological Civilization." Jeff Wells served as moderator and recommend book by Larry L. Rasmussen, Earth-honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key In the above YouTube interview, 97 year old, theologian, environmentalist and philosopher Dr John B Cobb "calls on the US and China to stop competing and start working together as leaders in the change we need to end the destruction of our planet. John implores all of us as individuals to think about the way we live and not take anything for granted, especially now that we are committed to devastating impacts from the ecological destruction we are bringing on ourselves."

George Lakoff makes an important point about the power of two opposing moral postures, frames, world-views or value systems – strict-father (conservative) versus nurturant-family (progressive). He argues, in the strict-father worldview, “the father is the ultimate authority, he knows right from wrong, his job is to protect the family and so he’s the strongest person, and because he knows right from wrong, his authority is deserved. His children are born bad because they just do what feels good, they don’t do what’s right. They have to be trained out of feel-good liberalism into doing what’s right. You have to punish the kids painfully enough that they’ll start doing what’s right and they’ll get discipline. If they’re disciplined, they go out into the world, and they earn a living. If they’re not earning a living, they’re not disciplined, therefore they can’t be moral and they deserve their poverty.” The nurturant-family model is the progressive view: in it, the ideals are empathy, interdependence, co-operation, communication, authority that is legitimate and proves its legitimacy with its openness to interrogation. “The world that the nurturant parent seeks to create has exactly the opposite properties,” Lakoff wrote in his 2002 book Moral Politics. Although 20 years old, this book is still relevant in 2022 Lakoff asks, “If the two systems are poised in pure opposition, if they are each as moral, as metaphorical, as anciently rooted, as solidly grounded as the other, then why is one winning?” He argues that “Progressives want to follow the polls … Conservatives don’t follow the polls; they want to change them. Political ground is gained not when you successfully inhabit the middle ground, but when you successfully impose your framing as the ‘common-sense’ position.” So just backing up your position with logic and facts will not have as much power as winning the moral argument. “A classic liberal pitfall is the idea that by repeating one of the opposition’s ridiculous lines, you make it look even more absurd. They [Progressives] don’t understand the extent to which emotion is rational, they don’t understand how vital emotion is, They try to hide their emotion.” Progressives need to start calling it sin: policies favoring the wealthy over the poor; complacency about poverty; denying and ignoring global warming; using deceitful politicking; denying loving same-sex couples to marry; unequal pay and rights for women; unequal education opportunity; unfair treatment of immigrants; torture; gun violence; war; fear, hatred and violence against abortion clinics; consumerism; greed; privatization; ethnic and religious prejudices; pride; and lack of empathy, compassion and kindness toward all. Progressive must remain positive and hopeful, but also need to inhabit the moral high ground with outrage, indignation, passion, conviction and emotion. #Conservative #worldview #progressive #values #sin

From Wikipedia, “Biodynamic Agriculture is a form of alternative agriculture very similar to organic farming, but it includes various esoteric concepts drawn from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). Initially developed in 1924, it was the first of the organic agriculture movements. It treats soil fertility, plant growth, and livestock care as ecologically interrelated tasks, emphasizing spiritual and mystical perspectives.” From Specialty Food Magazine, “Biodynamics 101” here is another description of Biodynamic Agriculture: “Biodynamic® farming is sometimes referred to as being “super” organic and sustainable. Its approach is to treat each farm as its own ecosystem, using holistic remedies for soil, integrating livestock and creating a biologically diverse habitat. The core beliefs of the method also depend upon seasonal cycles and cosmic rhythms.” Demeter Association, Inc. is the owner of the trademark terms “Biodynamic®,” which certifies growers for the designation. They are a not-for-profit, incorporated in 1985 with the mission “to enable people to farm successfully, in accordance with Biodynamic® practices and principles. Demeter’s vision is to heal the planet through agriculture.” Oregon is big on sustainable farming and winemaking.  There are a number of certifications that indicate a commitment to the earth. Cowhorn news notes, “Biodynamic philosophy is a holistic approach that  focuses on building healthy soil, treating the farm as a living organism, and the interaction of the soil, plants, animals, humans, and the cosmos.” Troon Vineyard is a Demeter Biodynamic® Certified and Regenerative Organic Certified™️ farm in Oregon’s Applegate Valley. Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden, also located in the Applegate Valley appellation of southern Oregon, is certified as a Biodynamic® farm and winery.  Resonance Vineyard, located in the Yamhill-Carlton District of Oregon practices Biodynamics but is no longer Demeter-certified. The Oregon Biodynamic Group, founded in 1975, has seasonal meetings in Corvalis, Eugene, Salem and Cottage Grove. #BiodynamicAgriculture #organic20

From Alexandra de la Torre of Rogue Climate: Webinar: What is the GTN Xpress Pipeline? When: Tuesday, August 9, 2022, at 12 p.m. Where: via Zoom - Register here (link will be emailed before the event) "Now that we stopped Jordan Cove LNG, fossil fuel corporations are trying to expand the capacity of existing fracked gas pipeline infrastructure. We can’t let them." "TC Energy is proposing to modify the existing GTN pipeline to pump an extra 250,000 dekatherms per day of fracked gas through Oregon and Washington. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) just released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that recommends approving the new project, called GTN XPress." "GTN Xpress would increase climate pollution, despite Washington’s and Oregon’s laws that require a dramatic decrease in emissions to meet climate goals. This project is extremely harmful to long-term public health due to the climate impacts of fracked gas. FERC should not approve the project." "Can you take action by urging FERC to prioritize clean energy, not fossil fuels by signing the petition today and by joining an informational meeting next week to learn about the proposed Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) Xpress Pipeline expansion and how you can get involved? Register here. The deadline to submit comments to FERC is August 18, 2022. You can connect with Rogue Climate on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please consider becoming a monthly donor to keep this rural movement for climate justice strong and growing.

Photo credit: Senate Democrats, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reached an agreement to introduce the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. $369 billion of the proposed $739 billion Act addresses energy security and climate change. Senate Democrats say the Act promises to "bring down consumer energy costs, increase American energy security, while substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The combined investments in the FY2022 Budget Reconciliation bill would put the U.S. on a path to roughly 40% emissions reduction by 2030, and would represent the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history, by far." While climate change activists focus on measures to reduce carbon emissions but $300 billion of the Act deals with deficit reduction measures; 3 years of Affordable Care Act subsidies; prescription drug reform; and tax reform. The business-leaning National Law Review frames the Act as a "reinstatement of the full investment tax credit (ITC) rate of 30% and the production tax credit (PTC) rate of 1.5 cents per kWh (subject to inflationary adjustments) for projects on which construction begins before January 1, 2025." The conservative National Review points out that 'negotiations are likely incomplete" with Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema and New Jersey senator Bob Menendez yet to indicate their positions on it, From Citizen Climate Lobby: Citizen Climate Lobby is strongly encouraging constituents to "ask your Democratic Reps to vote “yes” on the Senate version of budget reconciliation when it comes back to the House. We are only calling Democratic Representatives because Republican Representatives are not involved in budget reconciliation discussions. If you have a Republican Representative, you can skip ahead to the next step: spread the word." "If you live in southern Oregon please call Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley and ask that they support the budget resolution and its strong climate provisions. Senator Jeff Merkley: 202-224-3753 Senator Ron Wyden: 202-224-5244 "Please take action now! The Senate could vote on this bill with in the week! https://citizensclimatelobby.org/senate/ Then, follow the instruction to enter in your address to find your Senators. Once complete, the site will immediately follow up with a request to then call your Senators and leave a similar message. Calling is easy and powerful. It takes 1-2 minutes and you don't need to say more than you are comfortable with. You can also call our Senators directly at the numbers below, but we would prefer that you submit calls using our form so we can track how popular carbon pricing is." "I'm an Oregonian and climate change is a priority issue for me. I'm calling to urge you to support the Inflation Reduction Act and its strong climate provisions." You can learn more about the legislation on the CCL website: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/get-loud-take-action/ You can also read this Politico article. After calling, please share with your friends! Thank you for advocating for our planet!

Amid all the discouraging reporting from mainstream media there are still "Signals of Hope" about climate change if you look for them: DailyClimate.org "pushes good journalism and science into public discussion and public policy on environmental health issues, including climate change." MIC.com "amplifies the stories that really matter" such as Climate Change Good News. EuroNew.green reports Positive News such as All the Positive Environmental Stories from 2022 So Far. GoodGoodGood.co reports 12 Good News Stories About Climate Change (2022) Positive.News publishes What Went Right This Week: Signs of Climate Progress. PBS NewsHour noted that over 1,900 local TV meteorologists are now regularly addressing the impacts of climate change in their weather reports due to service called Climate Matters which provides a weekly package featuring the latest vetted climate science, along with broadcast-ready graphics. Wired reports some positive news about climate change. World Wildlife Federation offers Good News About Climate Change. With and investment of $1.1 billion from John and Ann Doerr, along with gifts from other philanthropists Stanford University will launch a new School of Sustainability in September 2022. In 2021, with almost $2.5 billion in new pledged support, Climate Investment Funds launched two major new programs: Accelerating Coal Transition and Renewable Energy Integration. in 2021 President Joe Biden reintroduced the U.S.A. back into the 2015 Paris Climate accord. The Biden administration launched the National Climate Action Taskforce. Last year's $1.2 trillion infrastructure package has billions for climate tech, and new rules on offshore wind development, worker heat protection standards and vehicle fuel economy. In February 2021 Jeff Bezos committed $10 billion to address climate change. In February 2021 Bill Gates wrote How to Avoid a Climate Disaster and the Gates Foundation began funding research into various technologies that could aid in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In April 2021 Elon Musk announced he is funding a $100 million X-prize for carbon removal technology. In May 2021 shareholders of Exxon Mobil elected two board members nominated by by investors who pledged to steer the company toward cleaner energy and away from oil and gas. In 2021 at COP26 in Glasgow countries came back and made commitments to limit deforestation, methane and overseas coal finance. At COP26 144 countries made commitments to stop deforestation and $19.2 billion was pledged to that end. In 2021 155 countries submitted new NDCs; 83 countries announces net-zero targets; G7 + China committed to halt overseas finance for coal according to the World Resources Institute. In 2021 1,000+ cities committed to net zero. In 2021 2,000+ companies have set science-based targets; climate tech investments reached $43 billion. There is exponential growth in electric vehicles and transportation accounts for 24% of energy-related CO2 emissions. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought us closer to understanding the impact of zoonotic spillover caused by deforestation, wildlife trade and population growth and there is a shift from reaction to prevention. Frontline communities, particularly in lower income countries and among BIPOC people most effected by climate change, are increasingly raising their voices about climate justice and taking local actions. There is a shift in framing the problem not just about carbon but on loss, damage and people.

Watch a sample Blessed Tomorrow Ambassador Training on YouTube July 26, 2022 - Join Order of the Sacred Earth at 4 p.m. PDT for their monthly OSE Council Meeting exploring regenerative networks while learning ways to participate within the OSE network and beyond. This week Tom Watson will explore Hylo, "an online community platform for people on a mission. Hylo allows community members to collaborate locally within a global network. and is designed to support collaboration, resource sharing, and direct actions within and between communities." To join the OSE group on Hylo click here. July 27, 2022 - SOCAN Monthly Meeting – Hydrogen: Useful Tool or Fossil Industry Ruse? at 6 p.m.PDT. Registration: bit.ly/SOCAN-Hydrogen July 27, 2022 - from Richenda Fairhurst: The Price of Water: Sustainable Solutions Through Advocacy, from Cornel University, moderated by Food and Water Watch. 10 a.m. PDT Register and more info here. July 27, 2022 - from Richenda Fairhurst: The United Methodist Creation Justice Movement's liturgy is set for publication soon, alongside a July 27 opportunity to share worship planning in community July 28, 2022 - Join the Sierra Club and partners at 4 p.m. PT for a zoom webinar entitled Save the Planet: Focus on the 2023 Farm Bill. Click Here to Register August - From Richenda Fairhurst: How to start a Climate Cafe in your church, faith community, local community, or organization. Jess Pepper, founder of the Climate Cafe Network, will be on Multifaith Climate Cafe.. Date to be announced. September 1, 2022 - from Richenda Fairhurst: The Season of Creation comprises 5 Sundays, and for 2022 starts on September 1st. The Season began as an Eastern Orthodox day of prayer and has become an ecumenical effort of the World Council of Churches to bring a full season of liturgy that honors the creation to the church . September 13, 2022- Multifaith Climate Cafe. will host a conversation about water with a water scientist at the USGS, more details upcoming. 11:00 a.m. PT. Register here October 4, 2022 - Multifaith Climate Cafe. welcomes an International Human Rights Attorney to speak to the impact of climate change on women and social stability globally, more details upcoming. at 11:00 a.m. PT. Register here.. Anytime - Become a certified Blessed Tomorrow Climate Ambassador, The free, four-hour, on-demand training and resources will empower and equip you to inspire clergy, congregants, your workplace, community and policymakers to action on climate change that makes a difference. Click here to Register

On September 17, 2018 Medford Congregational United Church of Christ made application to become a Creation Justice Church. They outlined the context and drafted a Creation Justice Covenant: Creation Justice Church Context for Medford United Church of Christ "As we write this application to become a UCC Creation Justice Church, the members of our church community have been living inside a thick haze of wildfire smoke through most of the summer. Our county and the surrounding counties are filled with some 40 fires that started in July and more that started in August from lightning strikes and human causes. We listen every night to the fire report on the local news to learn what areas have been issued evacuation notices and the air quality alerts. During the day, we hear helicopters and airplanes flying overhead carrying water and retardant to fight the fires. Our condition stems directly from climate change. Fire season in Southern Oregon has been starting earlier and earlier and lasting longer and longer year by year. Winters bring us less rain and reduced snowpack which creates summer drought conditions, diminished water supplies, hot dry weather, warming temperatures in our creeks and rivers, and impacts on wildlife, including our iconic species of salmon. Other impacts: Ranchers and native tribes all depend on water levels for irrigation and traditional salmon catches, which results in ongoing fights over water rights. Illness increases from air pollution among vulnerable populations. Cooling centers for homeless population in summer are as important as warming centers in winter. Police do crackdowns on our creekside greenway to empty homeless camps where several fires have started. Economic impacts from smoke on our economy include downtown businesses, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Britt outdoor concert venue, Rogue River sports, hiking, camping, and fishing. Dry conditions increase disease in forest trees, forest fuels, and dry soils. Over 10 have died this summer from fire including a homeless man living on Bear Creek Greenway, residents in Northern California, and several firefighters. Climate change and environmental impacts have become a daily challenge to the entire population of Southern Oregon. Our faith requires us to pay attention and act together for creation justice." Creation Justice Covenant "We the members of the Medford Congregational United Church of Christ affirm our connections to God, each other, and the world around us. We all depend on our earthly home, yet there is an injustice in the distribution of environmental burdens and benefits. We commit ourselves to confront the human abuses of creation which increasingly cause human and other living species to suffer and many to die. We pledge to stay awake and aware of our responsibilities as God’s stewards of Earth and to act in ways that protect and respect it. Therefore, with God’s help as individuals and as a congregation, we enter this Creation Justice Covenant." A Green Team may be formed in a church congregation as part of becoming a Creation Justice Church or simply because there is a core group concerned about how to best care for God’s creation. The United Church of Christ offers Five Tips for Starting Green Teams in Congregations: Find Co-Conspirators - Find kindred spirits who show a noticeable passion for the environment. Discern "the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet." ~ Frederick Buechner Make Creation Justice Part of Your Church’s DNA - the goal is for every committee and ministry to have caught the environmental bug so that they are taking actions to care for creation.. Focus on Sending Your Ripples Outward. God calls us to the larger world beyond the walls of the church. Research local and regional environmental injustices. Give attention to socioeconomic factors such as race and class. Once you have done your research, discern how you can make a difference. Discern what organization would be your best partner in making a difference.- local environmental justice organizations that can connect congregations to nearby struggles led by those most affected by environmental harms. Rev. Kate Mosley of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light also has an informative YouTube video on How to Start a Green Team in Your Church. Green Teams frequently focus on making changes to church buildings and ground to make them more energy efficient or on changes that individual congregants can make in their personal lives such as recycling plastics, changing light bulbs, etc. However, we are reminded that the notion of "carbon footprint" was promoted by the fossil fuel industry to intentionally shift responsibility from corporations to individuals. Less frequently do green teams focus on directly confronting the systems that support the fossil fuel industry most responsible for causing our impending global climate crisis. Climate justice also requires that the church give voice and support to those most affected climate change. In 2015 the UCC Council for Climate Justice resolved to: "go beyond a focus on individual behaviors to collectively address institutions and systems—ie., the oil industry; to develop a pervasive prophetic culture within the Church, advancing a perspective rooted in progressive theology and scientific understandings to address the root causes of climate-related pollution as it relates to factors such as race, class, and global inequality." The UCC Council for Climate Justice does their work by: "sharing best practices for educating and organizing congregants, cultivating collaborative endeavors with ecumenical, interfaith, and secular partners; and articulating the values that motivate people of faith to action through the framework of the UCC’s Three Great Loves initiative which lifts up Love of Neighbor, Love of Children, and Love of Creation. In partnership with Blessed Tomorrow, the UCC produced Three Great Loves and Climate Action: A Guide to Getting Started. "This guide focuses engaging one’s congregation and community in responsible energy use and just environmental practices, so that our children, our neighbors, and all of creation might thrive more fully. Download the PDF to learn more about how churches can turn love into action. Engage Congregants: Create a Green Team. Incorporate creation care into worship through prayers, liturgy, sermons, hymns. Educate your congregation about the sources of local energy and whether pollution from those sources has a disproportionate racial or economic impact on particular communities. Highlight benefits of your Green Team activities (e.g. utility bill savings) in your newsletter. Put creation care on your church home page. Engage Other Congregations: Encourage other congregations to join you in caring for creation. Share ideas and resources. Engage Our Community: Host a community presentation to inspire others. Participate in a community solar program. Create a community garden/host a community dinner. Collaborate with other ecumenical partners and faith traditions to share information and best practices. Engage Society: Let our elected officials know you want policies that expand your clean energy choices. Encourage members to take the Creation Care Voter Pledge so that they consistently vote and prioritize caring for creation. Write letters, op eds, engage in social media. There are a number of ways to connect with the broader movement for change Join forces with environmental groups like GreenFaith, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the Sierra Club, the Sunrise Movement, or 350.org. Other UCC Resources: How It Works: The UCC’s Creation Justice Churches Program Sign up for The Pollinator: (the UCC’s Environmental Justice blog) Follow Brooks Berndt, the UCC’s Environmental Justice Minister Sign up for monthly Creation Justice webinars Ideas, Tools, and Messages: Blessed Tomorrow Interfaith Power and Light: network of people of faith Carbon Neutral Web Resources for Congregations Energy Efficiency Tools and Initiatives: EPA Energy Star Program In 2020 Brooks Berndt published Ten Ways to Mobilize. We are living in a Kairos moment in world history. calling the church to action for 10-Years of Church Mobilization on Climate and Inequality.

Join the Sierra Club and partners for a zoom webinar next Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 4 p.m. PT entitled Save the Planet: Focus on the 2023 Farm Bill. Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_9FRzfMoOSoCsbCXTxSt3jA "The Farm Bill impacts almost every facet of the nation’s resources and operations, including food, water, air, public health, national security, the US economy, its workforce, the agricultural sector, and the lives of farmers and farmworkers—those who are the backbone of the industry. " KisstheGround.com says "The Farm Bill at present prioritizes conventional agriculture models first set in motion in the 1930s, allocating only 1% of the budget for educational, renewable, and regenerative solutions." "With a $428 billion 6-year budget, the 2023 requested budget summary requested only $21 million to support key climate priorities within the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (this includes the only mention of establishing soil health)." The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition explains: What the Farm Bill covers Who in Congress writes it How much the Farm Bill costs How the Farm Bill process works

The Unitarian Universalist's General Assembly 2022 in Portland, OR included a workshop entitled "Ecological Civilization: Earth, Religion and the Human Future," organized by UUs for a Just Economic Community, UU Ministry For Earth, and Cedars UU Church, in Bainbridge, WA.. The talk in June 2022 by David Korten,, now found here on YouTube, calls for systemic changes to address our ecological and climate crisis. He advocates that we: "embrace our crisis as an epic opportunity to actualize our human potential and desire to love and care for one another and the earth relieve ourselves from forms of consumption that are ultimately self-destructive rely on circular local supply chains rather than long, linear supply chains that best serve corporate interests rethink the three P's: purpose, power and procreation provide all people with material sufficiency and a spiritually abundant life experience support the well-being, beauty, regenerative health of and creative unfolding of living earth's community of life refocus power to reside in communities of place that empower people to fulfill their responsibilities to and for themselves, one another and the earth support life's continuous, regenerative procreation care for the living systems by which earth regenerates air, water, and soils while maintaining climate stability manage our human numbers and distribution by assuring that every child is a wanted child who receives the essential support of a loving family and community" "We can choose with conscious, collective intention our culture, our institutions, our technology and our infrastructure. Can we do it with the required speed? We will know only if we try." Check out the workshop's Discussion Guide for Reflection and Conversation.