Our executive director, Susan Stephenson, emailed this message to Interfaith Power & Light supporters today:
Tuesday, November 6th, is Election Day, our chance to influence the policies and programs that affect our country, our families, and almost everything we care about.
Superstorm Sandy roared to the East Coast one week before the election, bringing tragic loss of life and unprecedented damage in both the Caribbean and the U.S. Our prayers are with all of those who were impacted. The sad fact is that storms like Sandy will become more common as temperatures rise and the oceans warm – particularly if we delay a switch from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.
After a summer that shattered thousands of heat records and brought devastating droughts and wildfires, it seems like the topic of global warming would be on everyone’s lips. Yet for the first time since the 1980s, global warming was not discussed in the presidential debates. No one – not President Barack Obama, former Gov. Mitt Romney, Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Paul Ryan, nor even the moderators – mentioned climate change.
But we know voters care: A recent poll by the Yale University Project on Climate Change Communication found that 61 percent of undecided voters said they see global warming as an “important issue” they’ll consider when making their choice in the 2012 presidential election. An even higher share of the undecided electorate – 64 percent – said the president should take action to address climate change.
Even if politicians avoid the topic, people of faith cannot be silent. God calls us to be good stewards of Creation and to care for our neighbors. Climate change is a moral issue. We can’t ignore the growing reality of climate havoc, carbon pollution, and more extreme weather. We owe it to our children to secure their future by electing leaders and enacting policies that reflect our values.
Please vote on Tuesday – and vote as if Creation depends on it, because it does.
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Sincerely,
Susan Stephenson
Executive Director, Interfaith Power & Light
P.S. If you need information about what’s on your state or local ballot, or where to vote, visit Vote411.org, an excellent nonpartisan resource from the League of Women Voters.
