Responding to Our Climate Crisis

Facilitated by Mike Reiling on Zoom

This program will encourage participants to consider their moral response to our changing climate by examining the thought of Laudato Si  by Pope Francis as well as other statements by prominent religious leaders. In addition, we will look at the whole range of technical and political responses to our climate crisis using the comprehensive presentation in How To Avoid a Climate Disaster, a recent book by Bill Gates.

Our conversation will be based on the thought of Pope Francis and other moral leaders, who invite us to a deeper moral perspective on the urgent need to work at climate change.  Participants will also be introduced to a whole variety of responses, both technical and political.

For each session, passages from Laudato Si will by provided for advance reading as well as a chapter-by-chapter presentation from the Bill Gates book.  Participants are encouraged to read the Bill Gates book, but it is not required

The chapters from the Gates book will be as follows:

Session 1:  Chapter 1 Why Zero?;  Chapter 2: This Will Be Hard
Session 2 :  Chapter 3  Five Questions to Ask in Every Climate Conversation; Chapter 4 How We Plug In
Session 3    Chapter 5  How We Make Things; Chapter 6 How We Grow Things;
Session 4:   Chapter 7 How We Get Around; Chapter 8 How We Keep Cool and Stay Warm
Session 5:    Chapter 9 Adapting to a Warmer World;  Chapter 10 Why Government Policies Matter;
Session 6:    Chapter 11 A Plan for Getting to Zero;  Chapter 12  What We Individually Can Do

 $8 / Session

Mike Reiling is a retired high school theology teacher who regularly does programs on contemporary spirituality from an evolutionary perspective. Mike also spent many years teaching Catholic social concerns, which included promoting the health of the environment and the planet.

Anyone who shares climate concerns, but wants to ground themselves ethically, will benefit from this program. In addition, participants will become more aware of the many possible responses to climate change and their positives and negatives. Participants will be invited to support in any way they can some possible responses to climate change.

“For our children, our grandchildren, and for all life on our planet, we need to act now!”