By Rick Jones, Presbyterian News Service. The Synod of the Northeast of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has voted to take immediate steps to divest from the fossil fuel industry. Expressing concern about the impact of climate change on God’s creation, commissioners of the regional body say they are compelled to take action.
“The Presbyteries in the Synod of the Northeast have been heavily involved in the divestment debate at the last two General Assemblies,” said Sue Smith, ruling elder commissioner with the Presbytery of Monmouth and resolution co-author. “One third of the Synod’s presbyteries have been involved in this effort so there is clearly an interest for divesting from fossil fuels.”
Among the Synod’s recommendations:
- Immediately stop new direct investment in fossil fuel companies
- Work with asset managers to divest the Synod’s assets including holdings of equities or corporate bonds in fossil fuel companies
- Work with current/prospective asset managers to develop and implement institutional fossil free investment options
- Actively seek out and invest in renewable and energy efficiency related securities
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I will assume for the sake of discussion the good folks neither rode their bicycles or flapped their arms to get to the meeting. Or if they were wishing to charge their Tesla, assuming they could afford one. It would be so with electricity generated by a nat. gas power station. Even Honda Civics need gas. Another hydrocarbon. I know the brain can get tired deconstructing the logic.
If there is one company the PCUSA detests more than Wal Mart, it remains Exxon-Mobil. While, true is an energy corporation, they are 20% invested in wind and solar. They will transact daily on the NYSE anywhere from 200-300 million in sales and purchases, so if and when the PCUSA chooses to divest there will be plenty to buy on the other side.
But this transaction of the Synod points to central focus of PCUSA social governance. Doings things to make progressives feel good about being progressives, and in essence make a statement, and such was made. But I would not make much of the action. From New England to New York to New Jersey the Synod and its presbyteries have been in institutional collapse for 2 generations. Many of the Presbyteries are close to comatose in effectiveness or efficiency . More a political action committee than anything else.
For some time now, laughing at the pompous, self-righteous absurdities of the PCUSA has been for many of us an occasional and enjoyable diversion from our own engagement with the serious issues that Christians face in the world today. But, enjoyable as it has been, eventually the mind-numbing idiocies of the PCUSA become tiresome. Here’s hoping that the Layman will begin to spend less time on reporting the death throes of the SJW organization called the PCUSA, and more time on the good things being done by actual Christians in actual churches like the PCA, EPC, ECO, etc.
Exxon is *not* 20% invested in wind and solar. The company is doing some research on biofuels and carbon capture, and that’s the extent to which it’s involved with renewable energy. See the Union of Concerned Scientists’ evaluation of fossil-fuel-fuel companies’ practices:
http://www.ucsusa.org/press/2016/new-study-ranks-eight-major-fossil-fuel-companies-their-climate-change-actions#.WAlENnopCBY
But nobody calls them “fossil” fuels anymore because, quite simply, they aren’t.
Some of the biggest pcusa church buildings (you know the ones where the louisville sluggers try to get the door keys and bank account numbers) were built with oil, natural gas and coal money, and yet while millions of people are going to hell in a hand basket, this synod is rubbing its hands together crying the sky is falling, the sky is falling………………..incredible
Fossil fuels are used to make up 80% of the energy use in the USA with Nuclear about 15% followed by Wind at 4% and Solar at 1%.
Coal and natural gas (also fossil fuels) is the source of 66% of the electricity generated.
So please answer these questions:
Crude oil is the source of many raw material for industrial uses. Smartphones cannot be made cheaply without fossil fuels. Please tell me how will live without your smartphone?
Crude oil is the major source of diesel and gasoline. “A barrel of crude oil can make about 19 US gallons of gasoline, 10 gallons of diesel, 4 gallons of jet fuel and another 9 gallons of other oil products such as liquid petroleum gas, plastics, lubricants or heating oil. A flight from San Francisco to Tokyo may take about 9,000 US gallons of jet fuel which requires about 2,250 barrels of crude oil to extract.” (www.econtrader.com/economics/explain/how-much-gasoline-one-barrel-crude-oil.htm)
So are you going to enjoy riding a horse and walking? All those variety of fruits and vegetables you eat year-round from your local grocery…are you prepared to start growing, canning and eating what is available in season?
Look around you house or apartment – anything made of plastic (natural gas is the major source of plastic raw materials ) – remove it. What remains will be what you will have to live. This includes the plastic covering the electrical wiring – you will not have electricity as you currently experience, so enjoy chopping wood.
Windmill blades are made of fiberglass and fiberglass is made from raw materials of?…Fossil fuels. Windmills also require heavy amounts of rare earth metals from China. These rare earth metals of neodymium and dysprosium are key components of the magnets used in modern wind turbines. Mining and transporting the rare earth metals requires fossil fuels for the heavy machinery in mining and for the ships that transport these goods.
Making solar panels requires electricity (not to mention the toxic wastewater generated) and is not as “green” as been reported. (news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/11/141111-solar-panel-manufacturing-sustainability-ranking/)
So to those who belong to the “Keep It In The Ground” group: How will you replace nearly 85% of the producing of energy by fossil fuels?
By Government? HA! Fat chance. The technology does not exist in 2016.
By the way: Hot water heaters use electricity or natural gas to heat the water. Enjoy the cold baths drawn from your water well that you dug by hand.
How can anyone who believes in God believe that we humans have anything to do with the climate? Is not God Sovereign? Has no one who says they are Christian and believes in GW even read Revelations? Global Warming is a man made created belief to scam money by the Globalist Elites who want to rule in place of God. They love power, money and lies. Put your Faith in God and THE Truth. If you believe that we have the power to thwart God’s plans than you are not putting your faith in Him but in man. It’s really quite simple. God is in control and nothing will happen that He does not want to happen. If you are a Christian then believe in HIM, not mankind’s made up beliefs!