Commit2Respond

Commit2Respond is a coalition of Unitarian Universalists and other people of faith and conscience working for climate justice. Launched at the People's Climate March in New York City on September 21, 2014, (where A2U2 was represented by 8 of our members) Commit2Respond seeks to unite our many diverse efforts for climate justice so that we can expand our partnerships and deepen our impact.

Climate justice means we recognize the central role inequality plays in the current crisis. Marginalized communities—low-income, people of color, Native, and/or non-industrialized—are often the first to experience the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Commit2Respond envisions a future where the most vulnerable are protected from these dire consequences.

From World Water Day on March 22 through Earth Day on April 22, Commit2Respond is sponsoring a Climate Justice Month. Individuals, families, households, groups, congregations, and organizations are invited to participate in a monthlong period of reflection, education, and commitment. You can sign up online as an individual or family to get mailings and information.  I hope we can feel connected to these larger efforts that resonate with the important work happening in our own church, and continue with our efforts.

Climate justice in our state makes me think about the lawsuit currently pending between the Penobscot Nation and the State of Maine concerning whether or not the Penobscot Nation has jurisdiction over their part of the Penobscot River. The state is trying to say that their reservation of many islands on the Penobscot River only includes the land, not the river in that area. This despite the fact that the Land Claims Settlement of 1980 specifically includes their right to fish. As one Penobscot remarked, you can't get many fish on dry land. They are a river people, and along with fish find many herbs and medicinal plants in the river.

It is heartbreaking to me that white society continues to steal from Indigenous peoples day after day, year after year. Towns and corporations upriver from Indian Island have joined the state in the legal action, for fear that they might have to stop discharging pollutants into the river. As we seek to foster a beneficial relationship with the earth, one of the best ways to go forward is to partner with Indigenous peoples and be allies to them in their efforts to protect their land and water.

The good news of this week—President Obama vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline bill. More bad local news—the city of South Portland is being sued by Portland Pipeline Corporation because of the Clean Skies ordinance they passed. The issue of climate change and our relationship to the environment is perhaps the most critical issue we face today. It is big, and can seem overwhelming. So we need to stay connected to others who care and who act, to keep our spirits energized.

Climate change issues are also one of the three focus areas of the Maine UU State Advocacy Network, which will be our share the plate recipient starting March 8 for four weeks. Another way to stay connected and act on our values.