The impacts of climate change and the threat it poses to life on earth were clear in 2022. Europe was crushed with record-breaking heat waves, Pakistan experienced devastating flooding that impacted more than 30 million people, and the US continues to experience crippling droughts throughout the country, but especially in the southwest, where water reserves are at historically low levels.
These types of extreme weather events are followed by health crises, as people in vulnerable communities lack access to clean water and safe housing. Diseases like malaria and dengue fever soar as polluted flood waters stagnate, and millions of people face food insecurity and starvation. Lack of infrastructure means that people can’t access life-saving medicines and medical procedures, while children are unable to attend school. Months after the floods in Pakistan, the floodwaters remain and schools and buildings are filled with water, rendering them unusable.
Now, more than ever, strong and decisive climate action is needed. In Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s webinar with IREJN in 2021, she said that 60 percent of the US’s greenhouse gas emissions could be eliminated with energy efficiency alone. With that in mind, IREJN will include energy efficiency as a major focus this year, both with houses of worship and with individuals.
IREJN will help religious communities complete the Small Business Energy Advantage program, a free energy audit. At the end of the audit, participants are provided with an array of measures to undertake that will reduce energy usage. To assist houses of worship in low-income communities, we will provide ten qualifying congregations (defined as congregations in distressed municipalities or environmental justice communities) with a grant of $1,000 to offset energy efficiency measures. We will also help congregations hold weatherization campaigns for their members with supportive materials, such as social media posts, bulletin announcements, and flyers. \
Finally, IREJN will be providing educational information regarding new sources of funding for energy efficiency measures through the Inflation Reduction Act, such as a new pilot program called the Energy Efficiency Materials Program, which will provide grants up to $200,000 to houses of worship for energy efficiency. More details regarding new federal programs should be released in the first quarter of 2023, so please check the IREJN website for details!
