Earth Day's biggest challenge yet

Individual religious and ethical concerns are also driving an awakening on the subject. In 1993, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment was formed in Amherst, Mass., bringing together the National Council of Churches of Christ, the Evangelical Environmental Network, and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.

Amid that ferment arose the Interfaith Power & Light initiative, which has swept congregations in 14 states in two years. The California Interfaith Power & Light chapter includes hundreds of congregations focused on reducing their energy demands to save the planet - and, in the process, maybe their own souls, too.

Meeting the threat of "global warming resonates with people at the level of their spiritual relationship to God and the rest of His creation," says the Rev. Sally Bingham, environmental minister at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. "It's fundamentally about loving your neighbor on the other side of the planet."

She's deeply involved with California Interfaith Power & Light and helps advise parallel programs in other states.

"Your relationship to God is manifest in the way you treat other people," she says. "But where it gets difficult is that a lot of people can intellectualize that they love their neighbor - and still drive a gas guzzler or waste energy at home. We're inviting them to be more connected in a deeper way - to be mindful of one's behavior."

One Jewish congregation involved in the California program found its answer above - with solar power on the roof.

"I think global warming poses a special moral dilemma," says Rabbi Melanie Aron of Shir Hadash, a congregation in Los Gatos. "It's a huge problem, and it's the size of the problem that so often discourages people. 'So what if we decrease our electricity usage by a quarter - what does that do?' My response is: 'What if everyone cut their electric use by a quarter? Well, that would be something.' "

So after much prayer and discussion, the congregation in Los Gatos decided to install solar panels on the roof of its temple. In September 2002, the switch was thrown and 10 kilowatts of juice began to flow. It meets most of the energy needs of the congregation. But it's also had other effects.

"We know it has a trickledown effect as a hands-on example of what parishioners can do in their homes," Rabbi Aron says.

Lately, she's seen families in the congregation buying hybrid cars and giving up their SUVs.

"Global warming is a big issue for families because it's a terrible thought to leave this for your children," she says. "It's reaching people in a deeper way."

The following countries had the highest total carbon dioxide emissions in the year 2000 (the most recent data available). Fossil-fuel burning, cement production, and gas flaring were major contributors.

Rank Country Carbon (Thousands of metric tons)

1. United States 1,528,796

2. China 761,586

3. Russia 391,664

4. Japan 323,281

5. India 292,265

6. Germany 214,386

7. Britain 154,979

8. Canada 118,957

9. Italy 116,859

10. South Korea 116,543

Sources: Gregg Marland and Tom Boden of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and Bob Andres of the University of North Dakota

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