Environmental Justice for a Sustainable Future

Historical and Theological Concerns

"The earth is the LORD'S, and the everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). We are entrusted to care for God's beautiful
creation (Genesis 2:15; Psalm 8) and to notice and praise God for its diversity of creatures (Psalm 148).
Cosmic redemption includes all the created order (Colossians 1:19-20), which after all bears witness to God
(Romans 1:20). We have failed, however, to care for God's creation.
Too often we have interpreted God's invitation to subdue and take charge of creation (Genesis 1:28) as license
to abuse it.
Our failure to serve as faithful caretakers of creation has led to local and global ecological crises, the signs of
which are evident around us. From poisoned soil and waters to deforestation and the destruction of mountains,
our unchecked consumption and unsustainable growth are threatening the fragile balance of life on earth. As
air pollution threatens human health so too do our actions threaten the existence of other animals and plants
that are part of God's great, sacred handiwork.
Even as our pursuit of "development" for the sake of human progress has exacted a toll on creation, we
struggle to find ways to share fully the abundance God has entrusted to us. Present social, political, and
economic development structures fail to provide the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter for all our
brothers and sisters around the world with more than 1.4 billion people currently living in extreme poverty.
Continued population growth, combined with higher standards of living, will pose severe strains on land,
water, energy, and other natural resources.
Confronted with the massive crisis of the deterioration of God's creation and faced with the question of the
ultimate survival of life, we ask God's forgiveness for our participation in this destruction of God's creation.
We have misused God's good creation.
We have denied that God's covenant is with all living creatures (Genesis 9:9). We have even denied that all of
the human family should enjoy the covenant.
We forget that the good news that we are called to proclaim includes the promise that Jesus Christ came to
redeem all creation (Colossians 1:15-20).
We believe that at the center of the vision of shalom is the integration of environmental, economic, and social
justice.
We are called to eliminate overconsumption as a lifestyle, thus using lower levels of finite natural resources.
We are called to seek a new lifestyle rooted in justice and peace wherein all God's children share in creation's
abundance.
Principles for a Sustainable Future
The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church remind us that "all creation is the Lord's, and we are
responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it" ( 160). Development must be centered in the concept
of sustainability as defined by the World Commission of Environment and Development: "to meet the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The Christian

understanding of sustainability encompasses this concept. Fundamental to our call as faithful witnesses is the
meeting of human needs within the capacity of ecosystems. This ensures the security of creation and a just
relationship between all people. Sustainable development, therefore, looks toward a healthy future in three
vital areas: the social community, the economy, and the environment.
Conclusion
The United Methodist Church will strive for a global sense of community to help achieve social, economic,
and ecological justice for all of creation.
We will focus on the conversion to sustainable practices in the following areas:
Atmosphere
Support measures calling for the reduction of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide,
which contribute to acid rain and global climate change.
Enforce agreements banning the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to stop the depletion of the ozone layer.
Support ratification and enforcement of international frameworks, such as Kyoto Protocol, that seek to reduce
global greenhouse gas emissions.
Support the cleanup of environmental problems through economic incentive, appropriate enforcement
measures, and sanctions against those causing pollution.
Support efforts that would reflect in their pricing the full life-cycle cost of products to incentivize efficiency by
both manufacturers and consumers.
Earth
Support integrated and sustainable natural resource management.
Commit to the "Greening of the World" through the limiting of all emissions of pollutants that damage forests
and reforestation.
Work for ecologically sound agricultural practices that produce healthy food and a clean environment.
Protect biodiversity among both animals and plants.
Water
Maintain that water is a basic human right not a commodity to be traded for profit.
Support integrated, sustainable management to reduce or eliminate factors contributing to limited water
quantity and poorer quality.
Encourage on-site water conservation and reuse through improved building and community design.

Energy
Support improved energy conservation and greater reliance on new and renewable sources of energy.
Support the development of eco-efficient mass transportation.
Support a call for a just and sustainable national energy policy.
Support policies that hold polluters responsible for the full cost of cleanup efforts.
Actions/Recommendations
We call upon the agencies and local congregations of The United Methodist Church to take the following
actions:
Council of Bishops
Communicate to the church the urgency of reducing our individual and corporate impact on God's Creation.
Model for the church a "ministry of witness" by advocating for public policies that renew God's Creation.
Connectional Table
Request that each quadrennial report to General Conference include an evaluation of creation-care efforts and
steps taken by the reporting body to integrate sustainable environmental practices into its ministry.
General Board of Church and Society (GBCS)
Develop resources highlighting opportunities for personal engagement and advocacy for individuals, local
churches, annual conferences, and the general Church to understand and respond to our call to be caretakers of
God's Creation.
General Board of Discipleship (GBOD)
Develop curriculum and programs (for all ages), in consultation with GBCS, that emphasize ecological
responsibility as a key element of discipleship.
General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM)
Join with the GBCS in working with mission partners to participate in the ongoing global dialogue on
sustainability through the United Nation's Commission on Sustainable Development.
Conduct a survey, with the assistance of all mission partners, to identify environmental concerns and develop
projects geared to the solution of common concerns.

Initiate an audit of all sponsored projects and meetings as to their environmental effect on the global ecological
balance.
Establish an eco-mission intern group to work on ecology issues.
Include global environmental issues in the training of all GBGM missionaries.
Facilitate dialogue between religious groups, other non-government organizations, and government agencies
on the formation and methods of popular participation.
General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM)
Include a greater awareness in clergy education and training of the global ecological crises.
United Methodist Communications (UMCom)
Produce programs that stress Christian responsibility for the future of creation and include models of The
United Methodist Church's involvement in environmental justice.
General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA)
Assist the church in its effort to be ecologically responsible in its own use of resources by collecting statistics
on local churches' and general agencies' use of energy, water, paper, and recycling to monitor the progress of
the church in these aspects of stewardship.
General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBPHB)
Develop investment guidelines, in consultation with agencies, to evaluate its securities on adherence to high
standards of environmental accountability as evidenced by the adoption of an environmental code of conduct
and a practice of transparency in public environmental reporting.
Local Congregations
Develop programs to incorporate the concerns of ecological justice into their work in evangelism, social
concerns, mission activities, stewardship, trustees, and worship.
ADOPTED 1992
AMENDED AND READOPTED 2004
AMENDED AND READOPTED 2012
RESOLUTION #1023, 2008 BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS
RESOLUTION #7, 2004 BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS
RESOLUTION #7, 2000 BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS