Massachusetts Interfaith Climate Action Network (MICAN) Mission Statement
January 2008
We are people of many faiths, acting together to make peace with the Earth.
Our faith traditions speak to us in different ways. We are united, however, in seeing the world not simply as resources to deplete, but as a magnificent gift of which we are an integral part and for which we have an abiding responsibility. When we view the world through the lenses of our faiths, our response is one of gratitude and reverence that impels us to action. The crisis of global warming is dire, threatening our lives, our communities, our society, and our future as a planet. While all of us are threatened, the worst effects fall on people who are most vulnerable, and those with the fewest resources and options. In living our faith, we have no choice but to set straight the social and racial injustices caused by our exploitive approach to the Earth. For us as people of faith addressing this crisis is a clear moral imperative.
Slowing the trends of global climate disruption requires significant changes at all levels of society. All of us in Massachusetts – government bodies and elected officials, businesses, all kinds of institutions, and individuals – must make firm commitments and take bold action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically. Our faith communities – with their diversity of cultures, socioeconomic status, and occupations – have a unique and important role to play in bringing together people who rarely see themselves as sharing the same interests. Through common values, we join together as a powerful moral voice, expanding the vision of what is possible.
Our interfaith network will:
- Advocate at the state level for policies and regulations that will achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the regional goals set in 2004 (15% reductions by 2020 and 80% reductions by 2050);
o Expanding support for energy efficiency
o Reducing pollution from electricity generation
o Supporting renewable energy sources
o Support energy efficiency programs for low/moderate income families/areas
- Collaborate with other organizations that share these goals; and
- Activate and support networks which are developing strategies for greenhouse gas emission reductions at the local level, such as developing and implementing Climate Action Plans in their communities and houses of worship.
Interfaith Pledge for Climate Action
The undersigned pledge to take strong, quick action to help our society transition to safe, clean, renewable energy and high levels of energy efficiency by striving to pass legislation that incorporates the following principles and to provide the resources and funding necessary for its implementation. To ensure the well-being of all, especially the poor, we must dedicate funding and resources according to the following principles:
► 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 Levels by 2050
► No new coal plants
► Efficiency first: prioritize funding and programs that reduce energy needs and costs. This includes:
• Building performance contracting, including diagnostics, air sealing and weatherization
• Reduced costs and favorable financing for high-efficiency heating, cooling, lighting and appliances
• High-efficiency vehicles
► Prioritize clean, safe, renewable energy sources (not sources that are substantially dependent upon coal, oil, natural gas, uranium and tar sands, etc., or on unproven technologies)
► Prioritize care for the poor and investment in low-income communities
► Invest in training and support for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those coming out of the prison system, to obtain jobs in the growing green sector
► Distribute funding and resources that increase community energy self-reliance, particularly investing in community organizations in low-income communities
► Eliminate or minimize subsidies for fossil fuel-related and nuclear energy production, instead investing in the least-cost alternatives
► Invest in public transportation to ensure mobility, job access and well-being for all.