RESOLUTION
adopted by the Executive Council
February 11-14, 2008 in Quito, Ecuador
TITLE:
[to be obtained when available from Executive Council]
RESOLVED, that the Executive Council
of the Episcopal Church, recognizing the challenge of global warming
and our need to do our part in reducing carbon emissions, directs
appropriate staff of the Office of the Treasurer and Advocacy
Center to obtain bids to calculate our “carbon footprint,”
and be it further
RESOLVED, that this examination should
include the full range of church operations, including the Episcopal
Church Center and its regional offices and program operations,
the Executive Council, the General Convention and all CCABs and
all travel involved in the operations of the national Church,
and be it further
RESOLVED, that these bids also include
what it would cost to reduce carbon emissions by at least 15-20
percent by the year 2020 (or sooner), and at least 80 percent
by the year 2050 (or sooner), including strategies of behavioral
and technological changes, and carbon offsets, as well as a clear
understanding of the short term costs/savings and long term costs/savings,
and be it further
RESOLVED, that Council encourage the
Church Pension Group, as part of its recent endorsement of Church
policy on environmental sustainability and its planned evaluation
of business practices for improved environmental impact, to join
in a coordinated determination of its current carbon footprint
and in setting carbon reduction goals, so that we might provide
a model to share with dioceses interested in setting such goals
for themselves, and be it further
RESOLVED that the House of Bishops be
encouraged to ask its Theology Committee, in consultation with
knowledgeable Episcopalians, to issue a pastoral letter on global
warming including its adverse effect on vulnerable populations,
both domestically and abroad, that would provide the spiritual
and ethical grounds for our collective response to these, and
be it further
RESOLVED, that Council commends the
Presiding Bishop for her commitment to environmental justice and
global warming stewardship, and gratefully acknowledges all those
working in the church who have helped organize our ministry and
witness through environmental stewardship initiatives, domestic
policy analysis, and corporate responsibility, and be it further
RESOLVED, that because the challenge
of global warming cannot be met without a national policy, we
support federal legislation that will achieve a 15-20 percent
reduction in U.S. carbon emissions by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction
in U.S. carbon emissions by 2050, and be it further
RESOLVED, that we are ever mindful that
the burden of achieving these reductions must be borne equitably
by all those around the world who contribute to the problem and
not at the expense of the most vulnerable, who have little to
do with causing the problem and are least able to cope with it.
BACKGROUND:
The Episcopal Church USA is on record
in support of global warming solutions “at every level”
(Resolution B002 of the 2006 General Convention) and achieving
the Millennium Development Goals, including MDG #7 on environmental
sustainability, as a stated mission priority (D022 of the 2006
General Convention).
Our Presiding Bishop has done much to
help us understand how global warming threatens the world’s
most vulnerable, and how it thus threatens our mission to alleviate
global poverty and meet our Millennium Development Goals, further
underscoring our moral responsibility to address both global warming
and global poverty simultaneously as we pursue a more just and
sustainable world.
The percentages we are talking about
(15-20 percent by the year 2020, and 80 percent by the year 80
percent) are consistent with what the world’s leading scientists
state is required to help heal our atmosphere in the recently
released report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
co-recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Committee on Social Responsibility
in Investments is asking the Executive Council’s approval
for corporate conversations and shareholder proxies that would
set “carbon neutral” goals in some companies whose stock
we own, consistent with other corporations leading the way in
eliminating most of their greenhouse gas emissions produced and
offsetting the rest, in accordance with standards acceptable in
the scientific community and third-party verification.
Many American cities, as well as Episcopal
congregations and households, are already calculating their “carbon
footprint” and reducing their carbon emissions, and Pope
Benedict has announced a goal for Vatican City to become the first
“carbon neutral” state.
Therefore, as we focus corporate attention
through our "carbon neutral" proxy resolutions, it only
makes sense to set a good example for our dioceses and congregations,
and demonstrate that we are already engaged in global warming
solutions.
There are three steps in becoming Carbon
Neutral:
(1) Calculating our carbon footprint
involves assessing our buildings and program operations to determine
the annual volume of heat-trapping greenhouse gases we emit that
are accumulating in the upper atmosphere and contributing to global
warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emission,
a by-product of burning coal, oil and natural gas to produce energy
for transportation, electricity, heating and cooling.
(2) Once our carbon footprint has been
determined, plans are developed year by year to reduce our emissions
to the lowest level possible through conservation, better efficiency,
and substitution with clean energy from renewable sources like
wind, solar, etc.
(3) After putting in place measures
to reduce our own emissions annually – the primary task --
we can then look at ways to offset or neutralize a portion or
all of what remains of our emissions. We can join others in supporting
policies and programs that help the U.S. and the world community,
including us, transition to sustainable resource use. In either
case, such measures might include using clean energy systems that
reduce or eliminate emissions (e.g. through wind power or solar
power), and capturing and storing greenhouse gases (e.g. through
efforts to preserve existing forests and prairies and planting
new ones). Carbon offset investments should always be subject
to third-party verification, in accordance with standards acceptable
in the scientific community.
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