Humankind enjoys a unique place in God’s universe. We are created in the very image of God, with the divine Spirit breathed into us, and entrusted to “take charge of” God’s creation (Genesis 2:7; 1:26, 28; see Psalm 8:6). Yet, we are simply one of God’s many finite creatures, made from the “topsoil of the fertile land,” bound in time and space, fallible in judgment, limited in control, dependent upon our Creator, and interdependent with all other creatures. We are simultaneously caretakers with all creation and, because of the divine summons, caretakers with God of the world in which we live. And as a reflection of our church’s global connection, our United Methodist values are rooted in our common faith and shaped by the diverse contexts and circumstances in which we live.
The Values Involved in Energy Policy
The decisions that humans make will either enhance or degrade the quality of life on the planet. We live in an era of energy interdependence. Confronting global issues such as climate change, energy inequity, and pollution will require local, national, and international solutions based upon the values of justice and sustainability.
Scripture provides an imperative for our action and lays the foundation for the values that we seek to realize. These values underlying the policies we advocate are justice and sustainability.
1. Justice. As God’s covenant people, with Noah, Abraham, Jacob and the prophets, we bear a special responsibility for justice.
“Let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24)
is a cry echoed in hundreds of contexts throughout the Old and New Testaments. Biblical righteousness includes a special concern for the least and the last: the poor, the prisoner, the oppressed (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1–2). As people of the Christian covenant, we support energy policies that seek to actualize the multifaceted biblical vision of justice. Just energy policies: close the gap dividing wealth and poverty, rich nations and poor; liberate and do not oppress; fairly distribute the benefits, burdens, and hazards of energy production and consumption, taking into consideration the living and those not yet born; and give priority to meeting basic human needs such as air, water, food, clothing, and shelter.
2. Sustainability. We recognize that creation entails limits to the resources entrusted to us as stewards of the earth. While God has created an economy of abundance with sufficient resources to meet all human need, our inclinations toward greed and overuse too often have transformed sufficiency into scarcity. In addition, we recognize limits to nonrenewable fuel sources available for our consumption and limits to our environment’s capacity to absorb poisonous wastes. Energy policy decisions must be measured by sustainability as a criterion in addition to justice. In terms of energy policy, sustainability means harnessing, extracting, utilizing, and disposing of the byproducts of energy sources that will: ensure adequate resources and opportunity for present and future generations to enjoy a healthy quality of life; enhance local environmental and economic vitality while minimizing impacts on the health of both human and non-human creation; and promote social and intergenerational equity.
Technological advances have created an increasingly sophisticated and industrialized world community. As we pursue an energy policy that is just and sustainable, it is not a realistic option to ask all global citizens to return to an era where wood and candles provided the only sources of heat and light. Also, we should be aware of the tragic effects that steadily increasing energy costs will have, especially upon the aged and those living in poverty. Furthermore, some cleaner energy options available to wealthier nations are not available to peoples in all parts of the world; hence, we should endeavor to develop just and equitable energy policies. We must creatively explore all sustainable energy options available to us. There are environmental and social problems connected with certain energy options. We believe that the economic, environmental, and social implications of each energy source should be fully assessed.
Today, the leading source of global energy consumption is fossil fuels including oil, coal, and natural gas. From extraction to end use, the life cycle of energy produced from fossil fuels has led to severe strain on both the local and global environment.
Underground mining of coal, in addition to operational accidents, causes disabling illness or death from black lung. Strip mining and mountaintop removal despoil lands and ruin them for further use if restoration measures are not practiced. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking,” has opened vast new deposits of oil and gas for exploration but with serious consequences for communities’ water quality and geological stability. Deep sea extraction presents consequences and risks we do not yet fully understand, including destruction of aquatic ecosystems and pollution from leaks and spills. The burning of fossil fuels causes large-scale pollution and seriously alters the environment by increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
In addition to fueling regional instability, the use of oil resources poses significant environmental dangers. Tankers and offshore wells have created spills that have devastated seacoast areas often with long-lasting or permanent ecological damage. The emissions produced from the use of oil as fuel are a leading source of air pollution, particularly in centers of dense population.
Hydroelectric dams, particularly those in areas with considerable seismic activity, pose dangers to nearby communities and the environment. Furthermore, the building of hydroelectric dams and reservoirs destroys communities, wildlife habitats, and natural scenic beauty.
Generating energy from plant-based materials and food and industrial waste, raises concerns over food security, deforestation, land and water use, and toxic air emissions.
Nuclear energy poses significant threats to the life and health of our eco-systems—including humans—for generations. From the extraction of materials on indigenous lands to the safety risks posed in communities near reactors and along transit and storage sites for the radioactive byproducts of nuclear energy, the full life cycle of nuclear energy poses deep challenges to our values of justice and sustainability. The destructive potential of a catastrophic accident involves a great risk of irreversible damage to the environment and all living species. Additionally, the development of nuclear energy possibly has masked ambitions for nuclear armament. The United Methodist Church urges a review of the safety of currently operating nuclear plants, a moratorium on future development, and reaffirms its support for a full phase-out of nuclear production for the purpose of creating weapons.
Today, cleaner energy sources are available and increasingly cost-competitive. Harnessing solar and wind power can produce energy with far fewer net emissions. Facing increased global demand for energy resources and ever increasing strain on the global environment, we must chart a new course rooted in our shared principles of justice and sustainability. To this end:
1. We support strenuous efforts to conserve energy, increase energy efficiency, and transition to renewable energy. A transition to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources will combat global warming, protect human health, create new jobs, and ensure a secure, affordable energy future. Economists have concluded that a greater increase in end use energy can be gained through conservation and energy efficiency than through any single new source of fuel. Furthermore, conservation is nonpolluting and job producing.
2. We will be models for energy conservation. United Methodists, including churches, annual conferences, general boards and agencies will model energy conservation.
3. We will model rapid transition to clean renewable energy. We urge all annual conferences, churches, and agencies to develop ambitious, just, and equitable transition pathways for their energy sources to be clean and renewable. Clean, renewable energy is any form of energy from solar, geophysical, or biological sources that is replenished by natural processes at a rate that equals or exceeds its rate of use and is not harmful to our communities and our environment. We urge the General Board of Church and Society and United Methodist Women to support its members to advocate for renewable energy policies and practices and the infrastructure needed to make renewable energy accessible and affordable at the local, federal, and global level. We support the development and utilization of appropriate technologies for small-scale, decentralized energy systems; and expansion of the infrastructure needed for cycling, cleaner energy vehicles, public transportation and ride-sharing.
4. We will model sustainable and just energy values. United Methodist Church programs and mission projects must model our sustainable and just energy values. We particularly urge the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) to support and fund renewable and energy efficient mission projects.
5. We support increased government funding for research and development of renewable energy sources and elimination of fossil fuel subsidies. We oppose mechanisms such as emission trading to meet targets for emission reductions which often perpetuate environmental injustice with continued emission impacts in countries and communities with fewest resources. We encourage the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies and government incentives to speed the application of the resulting technologies to our energy needs. The greatest national and international effort should be made in the areas of conservation and renewable energy sources.
6. We support local, regional, and national efforts to provide transition pathways including economic development and training for communities currently dependent on old energy economies such as fossil fuels, nuclear power, and large-scale hydro projects. Honoring the contributions and sacrifices these communities and workers have made, often for generations, The United Methodist Church commits to being in ministry with and supporting these individuals, families, and communities as we seek a healthier and more equitable energy future.
7. We encourage international lending institutions and aid agencies to promote sustainable and just energy policies.
8. We oppose any energy policy that will result in continuing exploitation of indigenous peoples’ lands. Oil exploration, hydroelectric projects, the mining of coal, and the milling of uranium despoil indigenous peoples’ lands and increase health and socioeconomic problems.
9. We support national energy programs that do not increase the financial burden on the poor, the elderly, and those with fixed incomes. Energy policies must guarantee universal affordable access to all, with particular attention to the needs of low-income and rural residents.
10. We support full cooperation of all nations in efforts to ensure equitable distribution of necessary energy supplies, the control of global warming, and rapid development and deployment of appropriate technologies based on renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and water energy generation. We affirm that while we have common goals, communities and countries have different responsibilities based on their historic emissions and current economic realities. We believe it is a matter of justice that those most responsible for the crisis should bear additional responsibilities and be more ambitious in their targets for emissions reductions and financing for a transition to a cleaner, safer, energy future.
11. We urge transparency in global energy market transactions. Market manipulation can disrupt pricing and access causing harm, particularly to poor and marginalized countries and communities.
12. We exhort The United Methodist Church at all levels to engage in a serious study of these energy issues in the context of Christian faith, and the values of justice and sustainability. This includes educating our congregants on energy production and usage in relation to global warming, studying the consequences of our consumer choices, taking action to lessen our impact on the environment, and advocating for policies that respond to the growing threat of climate change.
ADOPTED 1980
AMENDED AND READOPTED 2000, 2008, 2016, 2024
RESOLUTION #1001, 2008, 2012, 2016 BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS
RESOLUTION #5, 2004 BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS
RESOLUTION #6, 2000 BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS
See Social Principles, ¶ 160, Creation in Peril, C.
From The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church - 2020/2024. Copyright © 2024 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.
