COLUMBUS, Ohio - Clergy across Ohio will use their pulpits this weekend to encourage church members to reflect on the moral implications of climate change. The National Preach-in on Global Warming includes congregations of various religious denominations who will unite in prayer.

Ohio Interfaith Power and Light director Sara Ward said almost every faith shares similar values, when it comes to protecting the earth.

"We're taught to love our neighbors and to care for God's creation as stewards," she said. "Dealing with climate change means reducing our carbon footprint so that others across the globe are not as affected by global warming."

This year's event will specifically discuss the ways climate disruptions are threatening communities worldwide, Ward said, including Superstorm Sandy's destruction on the East Coast and devastating wildfires out west.

Summit on the 16th United Methodist Church is taking part in this weekend's event. Associate Pastor Lucy Waechter Webb said real social change cannot happen without tapping into faith communities.

"It is the role of religious leaders and of religious communities to think about the values connected to ways in which we have affected climate change and ask how can we make adjustments to respond accordingly," she said.

Waechter Webb said her church members will discuss ways they can build a resilient community that addresses the changing environment.

"Climate change is something that's already happening," she warned, "so the questions before us are how do we at least slow that change, and how do we respond to the realities that are going to come because of that change."

Ohio Interfaith Power and Light reaches out to congregations through educational opportunities and advocacy tools. Ward said OHIPL also offers the resources to help people tap into their own energy efficiency, through an Energy Stewards Program and an Energy Audit Program.

"We work with congregations that have green teams, have stewardship teams, who are just beginning to think about that possibility," she explained. "Our approach is to meet you where you are."

This year's preach-in runs February 8-10. More information is available at www.ohipl.org.



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The Environmental Protection Agency now has fewer tools to fight climate change, after the U.S. Supreme Court stripped the agency of its authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from existing power plants.

The Court's 6-3 ruling along party lines involves the 2015 Clean Power Plan. The majority ruled it is unlawful for federal agencies to make "major" decisions without clear authorization from Congress.

Jayson O'Neill, director of the Western Values Project, predicted existing laws in both "blue" and "red" states that go further than federal laws to protect air quality could be eliminated.

"Our government's ability to protect us from corporate pollution, including climate emissions, is nearly wiped out," O'Neill stressed. "Our future's in question."

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., called the court's decision a "major step backwards" at a time when hydrocarbons are fueling more destructive wildfires, reducing snowpack and contributing to the state's worst drought in 1,200 years.

Thursday marked the end of the high court's current term, which also saw explosive rulings on abortion and guns.

In handing down its ruling in the EPA case, the court invoked the "major questions" doctrine, a decision which could affect the federal government's authority to regulate in other areas, including the internet and worker safety.

Andres Restrepo, senior attorney for the Sierra Club, believes the ruling is dangerous.

"It really is something that has the risk of metastasizing in a way that could really hinder the government's ability to keep us safe," Restrepo cautioned.

O'Neill expects to see a flood of lawsuits by corporations challenging federal rules protecting human health and the environment.

"Put another feather in the hat that corporations have essentially more rights than individuals," O'Neill contended. "And that they would be able to challenge laws that protect individual health and win those cases, for their profits."

The court's ruling does recognize the EPA's authority and responsibility to limit climate pollution from cars and trucks, oil and gas development and industrial sites.

California has seen a lot of proposals to reduce carbon emissions; now a plan to scrub existing pollution is moving forward in the Legislature.

Assembly Bill 2649, which just passed the State Senate Environmental Quality Committee on Wednesday, sets a big goal: to remove 60 million metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year by 2030, all by harnessing nature.

Ellie Cohen, CEO of the Climate Center, a statewide advocacy group, said the plan to sequester more carbon in the ground will slow climate change and help the environment.

"It helps us to hold more water when it does rain," Cohen outlined. "It helps to replenish groundwater. It supports biodiversity, it supports food security, it helps ensure cleaner air, to get many, many co-benefits that help us to be more resilient."

Plants naturally remove carbon from the atmosphere using photosynthesis. Under the plan, the state would supercharge the effect by helping farmers spread compost on their fields and range lands, by restoring vegetation alongside streams, and by encouraging what's known as "blue carbon" by restoring coastal wetlands.

Asm. Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, a co-author of the bill, is especially enthusiastic about efforts to plant more trees in urban areas.

"So the trees would allow us to capture carbon, would help reduce the heat," Garcia explained. "But would also be a sound barrier, would also help capture pollution from all the trucks and cars."

At Wednesday's hearing, the Farm Bureau expressed opposition, saying the bill could present a burden to farmers and growers. The bill has already passed the state Assembly and now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee in August.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Members of Nevada's African American community say they're channeling the spirit of Juneteenth to fight for environmental justice.

Church-affiliated groups in Las Vegas hold monthly trainings on ways to fight climate change, promoting programs to make solar panels and electric appliances more affordable. The Rev. Leonard Jackson, director of the Faith Organizing Alliance in Nevada, said it's important that low-income Nevadans benefit from big projects, such as the electric vehicle-charging network.

"We want to make sure," he said, "that it is the underserved individuals that live in these communities, that they're the ones that receive the jobs, as far as installing this equipment, as far as maintaining this equipment."

He pointed out that communities of color often suffer the most from the effects of extreme heat and drought linked to climate change, as urban neighborhoods become heat islands, choked by air pollution from cars and trucks. So, Jackson welcomes efforts to subsidize electric vehicles and put more electric buses on the streets.

Utility companies offer programs to weatherize homes, help people use less water and switch from gas to electric appliances. But Dr. Mary House, chief executive of the Las Vegas faith-based nonprofit CHR Inc., said they need to spread the word at community events.

"People don't even understand these programs and the benefits of them. because they're not going into our community," she said. "Who's going to walk them through the steps? We don't see any of that being done."

Heather McTeer Toney, vice president for community engagement at the Environmental Defense Fund, said the African American community embodies resilience.

"We can link systemic problems of race and poverty to not only environmental concerns," she said, "but also how communities have both thrived and overcome in a number of those areas."

Almeta E. Cooper, national manager for health equity with the group Moms Clean Air Force, encourages Nevadans to get involved.

"We have many projects that, once an individual connects with us, we can empower you to go further," she said, "to connect with your elected officials, to tell them what you need in your community."