Faith, poverty and climate policy

A good friend and colleague, Melissa Boteach at the Jewish Council on Public Affairs (JCPA) has a piece out on the connections between Jewish tradition, poverty and climate change. You can subscribe to the JCPA's Confronting Poverty emails here. Particularly thoughtful is the connection she draws between Chanukkah and current climate and energy crisis,

"Because December holds Channukah, it provides a perfect opportunity to highlight the connection between energy and poverty. Channukah celebrates the miracle of energy efficiency, an instance when the Jews had very little oil, and G-d helped us to make the light it produced last for eight days instead of one. Today, when fossil fuels are both increasingly scarce and primarily responsible for global warming, we have an opportunity to recreate the miracle of Channukah. We now have the tools, the technology and the opportunity to make more efficient use of fossil fuels and to develop alternative forms of energy that do not emit carbon. It is not of question of whether or not we have the ability to reenact the miracle of Channukah; it is only a question of if we have the will."

Channukah also reminds us of the plight of the poor. The holiday occurs at the darkest and coldest time of the year, when we most need energy and light and when America's most vulnerable populations are forced to make decisions between paying for the rising costs of utilities or paying for other basic necessities like food or medicine. As each day of Channukah brings us closer and closer to the winter solstice, we light more and more candles, bringing increased light and heat into our homes. This year on Channukah, we should take the opportunity to think about those in America who cannot afford to turn on the heat, and we should make a commitment to ACT to help those in need.

An earlier post on this blog touched on the connection between poverty and climate policy.