United Methodist Women Urges the Biden Administration to Use the Budget Reconciliation Process to Address Climate Crisis

Group Pushes for Net-zero Emissions Ahead of the Conference of Parties 26

NEW YORK – United Methodist Women (UMW) today called on Congress and the Biden administration to use the budget reconciliation process to mitigate the climate crisis and help the nation transition to clean energy. Their comments come days before the Conference of Parties 26 (COP26) convening in Glasgow, Scotland, Oct. 31 through Nov. 12. The group’s executive for environmental and economic justice Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee, who also serves as UMW’s climate justice lead, issued the following statement:

“We have said all along that the biggest emitters of pollution have a moral responsibility to act to address the climate crisis. This includes the United States. Congress must pursue every opportunity to facilitate a just transition to renewable energy. For instance, the budget reconciliation is a vehicle to advance innovative solutions to help solve the climate emergency.

“The U.S. has over 4 percent of the world’s population but is responsible for almost a third of the excess carbon dioxide that is heating the planet. Our nation and other parties to the COP26 share an outsized burden in remedying the climate emergency. We hope the convening in Glasgow is less of a gathering of peers and more of a laboratory for action.

“We encourage advocates at the COP26 to be more aggressive in outlining plans to preserve God’s creation and combat the adverse impacts of inaction on the climate emergency. They must appreciate the danger of incrementalism to frontline communities, including women and children, as well as persons who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and/or low wealth.

“The United Nations estimates 80% of those displaced by climate change are women. Communities that are often systemically and economically neglected suffer greatly in the face of inaction.

“This can no longer remain a problem for the future. Global climate change is among the most pressing issues of our time. As stewards of God’s goodness and creation, we must do more. For our part, United Methodist Women pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 across ministries, facilities, operations, and investments. This will allow us to put equity and justice at the center as we work to ensure a just transition to renewable energy.

“Thankfully, corporate commitments to achieving net-zero emissions increased in the last year.”

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United Methodist Women is the nation’s largest denominational organization for women. Members turn their faith, hope, and love into action, raising more than $10 million annually to support community centers and other programs empowering women, children, and youth in the United States and around the world.

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Contact: Yvette Moore, ymoore@unitedmethodistwomen.org