I’m not sure about God, but I do believe there is godliness in nature. It is a sacred gift that is awesome – in the sense that this word is used in scriptures of all faiths. As a decades-long climate change activist, I am convinced that we will only save our planet if we insert our souls into the story.
Whether you view nature as God’s ultimate creation, as humankind’s dominion, or like me, as the astonishing wonder of the spiritual and physical realm, nature is under dire threat. The extraordinarily complex web of life is dying around us, and as fixing it will disrupt our physical and spiritual equanimity, we largely ignore this suffering.
On October 5th, observant Jews around the world will mark the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The purpose of #yomkippur is to effect individual and collective purification by the practice of forgiveness of the sins of others and by sincere repentance for one’s own sins. Rituals include a 24 hour fast and a break from work and technology – pathways to dedicate oneself to sincere and deep reflection.
I was raised by a secular Jewish family in New York City, where around 20% of those who identify as Jews in America reside. The second largest Jewish community in America is in South Florida, brought to its knees by Hurricane Ian. #hurricaneian ‘s intensity is a result of our collective failure to address the environmental debt of decades of fossil fuel use and our witting abuse of nature.
The term Tikun Olam, in Jewish scripture, means to do something with the world that will not only fix any damage, but also improve upon it.
According to scriptures and verified by archaeologists, Solomon constructed the First Temple in today’s Jerusalem. It stood for 400 years until it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 587 BCE. Within 70 years, the returning Jews rebuilt the Second Temple, in turn destroyed by Titus and the Romans almost 600 years later.
Two millennia later, our Earthly temple is being destroyed. This most glorious of all temples, our natural world, has stood for billions of years, hosting humans for 200,000 years of that time. Today, except for our most vulnerable and poor, we are the destroyers.
#climatechange is at the precipice of becoming an irreversible catastrophe. It is almost unbearable to read about what has already been lost. But we must grieve and atone by joining with others to protect and repair the natural world. We can save lives, protect habitats and species, and regenerate ecosystems. We can become the compassionate ones by bequeathing a habitable home to future generations.
This is our spiritual choice.
In the Bible Noah spent 120 years roaming the world warning of the flood. No one would listen. Scientists have spent 60 years warning of the greenhouse effect and global warming, These warnings are manifest in the daily weather and news reports – floods, droughts heatwaves, desertification, and ever-stronger and more frequent storms – everywhere.
Our redemption will come through action. But first we must hold the excruciating truth.
Just as we care for ailing loved ones, we can change our priorities because of love in our hearts…love for our Earthly temple and for our children and grandchildren who will walk on Earth long after we have departed.
I don’t know what propels a specific individual to action, but I do know that a serious medical diagnosis jumpstarts families, friends and colleagues into active kindness. When someone we love is gravely ill, we sacrifice our time, energy, pleasure in order to tend to our loved one. We cook food, rub feet, we deal with bills and health insurance. I’ve experienced this and seen this kindness many times often from a wide community. For example, I was deeply touched by colleagues of my dear friend Diane’s Mom. When Diane was dying of lung cancer at age 39, her Mom’s colleagues donated their precious vacation time so she could take more time off to be with her daughter.
This unquestioning caring instinct is missing from our relationship to our Earthly home, even as it has guided significant environmental progress, even from political figures. Think of so many initiatives brought about across political divides, grounded in sensibility and generosity, rather than bullying, ranging from the revolutionary Clean Air Act to the Endangered Species Act.
The destruction of the Temples in Jewish tradition represents exile and persecution. So does climate change.
The impacts of climate change could force a billion people to be displaced in the next decades. In order to protect those forced to leave their homes due to climate change, we have to exhibit the same love that we feel for our ailing loved ones.
In 1986, #Greenpeace’s flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, helped relocate the Rongelap people of the Marshall Islands who were suffering from radiation sickness caused by United States nuclear testing upstream of their waters. I recently saw photographs of Greenpeacers carrying deformed children to safe havens all those years ago. The fundamental goodness of this act struck me in the heart, particularly when a mere two weeks later, our government refused entry to Bahamians seeking refuge from islands devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Very few of us spoke up to welcome these destitute people. For those who have little choice, we will need to make the spiritual choice to view their plight with kindness, incorporating fundamental goodness into our actions on behalf of those displaced by climate change today and tomorrow.
Climate change presents spiritual choices in our quotidian, political and financial lives.
Our money can fuel progress or destruction. Over 25 trillion dollars’ worth of fossil fuel assets are on the books of oil companies. If we burn this oil, catastrophic climate change is guaranteed. Leaving it in the ground will be political hell. We can protect our Earthly temple or protect these assets. We cannot do both.
Stock indexes tripled in the past decade because of business models that enable and encourage mass extinctions, melting icecaps, and climate change chaos. This is an indecent way to make money. A very tiny minority of people receive the outsized benefits. We are not without agency and power. We can change the laws by electing the people who will. And we can change the accounting rules to redefine profit so that the costs of environmental destruction are ON the books. if we don’t do both of these things, nothing else changes.
Let’s use power and money for good.
There are builders, young leaders, investors, solar installers, farmers, artists, accountants, city planners, chefs, teachers, large and small businesses who understand the spiritual choices at some deep level and are building economic success by achieving green and Earth-protective growth. But it will take more than a few individuals. It will take all of us choosing extraordinary acts of courage to protect nature. This is no easy battle, and we already have huge casualties.
Yes, nature is resilient and so too is humankind. We must save every living thing we still can – flora, fauna, land and sea. We can work together with the vigor, ingenuity and commitment that great social and economic transformation requires whilst rejoicing in the human spirit and its delight, diversity and kindness.
We can choose to make a better world. We can and we must. This Yom Kippur the spirit and the wisdom of Tikun Olam can prevail.
I first presented this to the 92nd St. Y at the Kol Nidre Yom Kippur service in 2019.
