“She sees things, I think, in the way that we do,” Alaska IPL co-chair Stuart Cohen said in a phone interview. “That is that climate change is a moral issue, but she is a Ph.D-level scientist. We are trying to break down this sort of blockade that’s been thrown up between ‘conservatives’ and ‘liberals.’ I think we all agree on things like a decent world for our children.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In a phone interview with the Empire, Hayhoe said despite climate change historically being a liberal cause<\/a>, people of faith who are conservative are also worried about the issue.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “There is an increasing concern among the faith community to the point where if we take the Bible seriously, if we believe that God created this amazing world that — as it says in Genesis — he gave to us responsibility over every living thing on this planet, if we believe that God takes joy in creation and nature as it says throughout the Bible, and then — most importantly for me — if we get to the New Testament, if we truly believe we are to love our neighbor as ourself, that we are to care for people, especially people who do not have the advantages that we do, then we, rather than dragging our feet at the end of the line, we should be out in front demanding climate action. The reason I care about a changing climate is because it disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, the very people who we are told to love and care for.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Katharine Hayhoe is an evangelical Christian, atmospheric scientist and a nationally known advocate for taking action to slow climate change. Hayhoe will be in Juneau this week for a pair of Friday talks. (Courtesy Photo | Ashley Rodgers, Texas Tech University)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t This will be Hayhoe’s second visit to Alaska and first to Juneau, and she said she is keen to hear local observations of climate change.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t [Climate change journalist visits global warming’s “ground zero”<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Ahead of the trip, Hayhoe took time to talk to the Empire about what she hopes people will take away from her talks.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t What are you looking forward to telling the people?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t What I look forward to is hearing from people. Climate change is a global issue, but everybody experiences it in a different way. It interacts with and affects and exacerbates many of the effects that we’re already trying to cope with in the places we already live.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Are people of faith generally receptive to your climate change message?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t In the United States, we have been told, deliberately that if we are Christian, we can’t get on board with this whole climate change thing. That it’s all about worshipping the Earth rather than worshipping the Creator, or if we believe God is in control, then that means we can just fold our hands and wait for the end of days. That perspective is totally false. Throughout the Bible, it tells us there are many for us to do that God has prepared for us in advance, and all of those have to do with loving and caring for each other and every living thing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t There’s a growing divide, and unfortunately, a lot of divide is generational. If you look at younger people, there is a huge upswell of levels of concern<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Katharine Hayhoe is an evangelical Christian, atmospheric scientist and a nationally known advocate for taking action to slow climate change. Hayhoe will be in Juneau this week for a pair of Friday talks. Hayhoe said in Texas, where she resides, it’s not unusual to see wind turbines replace oil wells. (Courtesy Photo | Ashley Rodgers, Texas Tech University)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t How do you bridge that divide, what’s an effective strategy? <\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"Katharine](\"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/18419363_web1_1.Credit.AshleyRodgers.TexasTechUniversity.jpg\")
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