By H. Bishop Dansby

IN THE WAKE of the worst recession since the Great Depression, through the din of Climategate and talking heads, there is a tendency to overlook how deep and wide is public support for doing something about global warming.

All the relevant scientific, government and business organizations have made it clear they accept the conclusions of the IPCC that manmade climate change is serious and must be dealt with by dramatically reduced use of fossil fuels and more enlightened land use practices.

While ExxonMobil and Shell Oil had already gotten on board, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) itself at first urged further research on whether the warming was manmade (anthropogenic). But now even the AAPG seems to have thrown in the towel.

These higher-level organizations have the responsibility and the wherewithal to understand and respond to the science. But what about organizations a tier or more beneath? I take a look at the positions taken by religious and civic groups, with particular focus on the Presbyterian Church and the Rotary Club.

Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) helps congregations be models of energy efficiency, utilize renewable energy, and to lead by showing a strong example of stewardship of the environment. There are currently 34 state IPL affiliates, representing more than 10,000 congregations. In 2008, several prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention said that Baptists have a moral responsibility to combat climate change — a major shift within a denomination that just a year before had cast doubt on human responsibility for global warming.

More publicized has been the shift in the evangelical community, led by the Rev. Richard Cizak and Dr. Rick Warren, but opposed by James Dobson. Stated Cizak: “As evangelicals, we’re 40 percent of the Republican base, so if we could convince the evangelical community to speak out, it could make the key difference.”

The “conversion” of the evangelical community tended to obscure the activities of the more traditionally mainstream churches such as the Presbyterians. The Presbyterians jumped on environmental and energy issues early in a comprehensive policy statement adopted in 1981, “The Power to Speak Truth to Power.” That policy has been updated recently with “The Power to Change: U.S. Energy Policy and Global Warming,” stating: “We are not living sustainably in relationship with God’s creation. … Our reliance on these traditional energy sources poses grave dangers to justice, peace and the integrity of creation. …  [W]e find ourselves at a pivotal moment in history with regard to global climate change. Scientists warn that global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050 in order to avert catastrophic consequences associated with global warming.”

The policy has resulted in more than just words, with churches like the First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee, Fla., and Limestone Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Del., installing solar panels on their sanctuaries and education buildings.

On the surface, business stands to lose from the changes needed to accommodate climate change, so one might assume that business-oriented civic clubs like the Rotary Club would hesitate to take a position, but such is not the case. The Rotary International president stated in 2008: “Today, we are faced globally with a new crisis: the changing environment and the changing climate. It’s a frightening situation ... we cannot pretend that it will not affect us. It already has.”

Further, the club has formed the Sustainability Trust, with these principles: Carbon emissions will heat the planet beyond its ability to support up to nine billion people; Adopting Sustainability Principles will improve efficiency, save money, reduce weather-related hardship and lower the need for extra humanitarian aid caused by Climate Change; All Rotarians should get involved, understand the issues and if they agree with us — take action; All Rotarians should aim for maximum sustainability in all they do. All Rotary projects should be sustainable.”

The examples of these longstanding mainstream church and civic groups, the Presbyterian Church and the Rotary Club, illustrate that outside the noise and glare of the fringe, sensible people are responding rationally and responsibly to the challenge of climate change.

H. Bishop Dansby lives in Keezletown.