From across Iowa and around the Midwest, I invite you to join me at Spirituality in the 21st Century: Hope in Action, organized by Prairiewoods on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27.
Those of us who yearn for a safe, healthy, abundant, and sustainable future for all need a “come together” moment. This is going to be big.
There are many good things happening right now: the revival of the Paris Agreement in the United States; the largest climate investments ever through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; the rapid growth of solar power, green building, and green vehicle technology; the expansion of manufacturing of clean energy in the United States; stronger vehicle efficiency and power plant regulations; the Environmental Justice40 Initiative; disaster relief reforms; and the creation of the American Climate Corps for young Americans who want to help solve this problem.
And yet … it’s not enough.
In just the 35 years since I began working on climate change, the world has produced half of all human-caused climate pollution, increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere from less than 360 parts per million to more than 420 parts per million today. And those levels are still increasing by more than 2 parts per million every year.
Climate change is no longer a far-off problem. Almost every day, we are seeing very real harm from climate change: global heating on land and in the oceans; melting glaciers and sea ice; sea level rise; changes in weather and precipitation patterns resulting in floods, droughts, and other extreme events; ecological disruptions to native ecosystems; invasive species; new threats to agriculture; and deadly wildfires.
The science is clear that these problems are not just continuing, but accelerating. In December 2023, the World Meteorological Organization called the last decade the “Decade of Acceleration.” Dr. James Hansen, a native Iowan and University of Iowa alum who warned the world that global warming had arrived way back in 1988, is now warning of even greater rates of global heating this decade and beyond.
It often feels overwhelming. It warrants mourning and lament. Climate and environmental harm hurt real people, erode hope, and spread anxiety and depression.
That is why this Prairiewoods gathering is so urgently needed, and why we need you there. Why I need you there. When I attend, I will be seeking not only solace, but also strength to take more action in relationship with all who gather.
Yes, we need governmental action … and we also need social, cultural, economic, technological, and humanitarian action throughout our society and around the world.
Action grounded in spirituality and faith is essential.
At Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, we know that the wide variety of faiths in our society share the common values of stewardship for nature and care for our neighbors and our children, today and in the future. We ask our members and the people we encounter, “How are you called to climate action?” Faith and spirituality inspire, sustain, and deepen the work we are doing.
Like the prophets before us, we see the increasing danger and harm from “business as usual,” and we call out for transformation to safeguard our people, the places we love, the creatures of our world, and the future generations, born and yet unborn, who are depending on us.
I hope you can join us in April.
—Rob Hogg
Rob Hogg is president of the board of directors of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light. He is a retired state senator and author of America’s Climate Century: What Climate Change Means for America in the 21st Century and What Americans Can Do About It (2013). He and his wife, Kate, are members of Christ Episcopal Church and reside in Cedar Rapids. You can contact Rob at senatorrobhogg@gmail.com.
Photo Caption: Rob Hogg and other participants at a workshop at Prairiewoods, Going Solar for Houses of Worship and Other Nonprofits, visit the solar panels on the Prairiewoods campus on April 23, 2023, as part of “Faith Climate Action Week” sponsored by Interfaith Power & Light nationally. Solar power is the fastest growing source of new power in the United States and globally.