Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben is passionate about pursuing energy that comes from above — sun and wind, rather than from below — coal, oil and gas, fossil fuels that he says are literally “decreating” planet Earth.
In a rare moment of dissent at the February Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) Board meeting, one group took exception with the Justice Committee’s affirmation not to divest from fossil fuel companies. The Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI), part of the Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry and responsible for recommending action to the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), opted instead to recommend further engagement on climate change with all companies, including those in the energy sector. It’s a recommendation that Fossil Free PCUSA feels kicks the can down the road and fails to meet the General Assembly mandate.
On Sept. 2, 2014 five activists chained themselves to train tracks in Everett, Wash., in an effort stop the transport of oil and coal trains through the Pacific Northwest. One of the five is Abby Brockway, a ruling elder at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church in Seattle. Abby and her colleagues, known as the Delta 5, were arrested for criminal trespassing.