Viewpoint: Indiana legislators: Follow lead of forward-thinking teens on climate change

At a time when too many are unwilling to work together simply because of the party label they carry, it’s heartening to see the introduction of Senate Bill 255. The bipartisan product of Republican state Sens. Ron Alting and Mike Bohacek and Democratic Sen. Fady Qaddoura, SB 255 calls for the creation of a diverse team of members to develop an Indiana-specific climate action plan to defend human health and address pollution while supporting family sustainable jobs.

The bill may never have seen the light of day if it weren’t for the tenacious efforts of a group of high school students called Confront the Climate Crisis. They spent months rallying and advocating, and were ultimately able to join forces with Alting to sponsor the legislation. The group held a rally at the Indiana Statehouse on Jan. 18 to raise awareness and to make their case.

As it is with most moral questions, the kids are right. It’s past time to move this bill forward out of the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee to the full Senate for debate and passage. We urge committee Chairman Mark Messmer and the other members of the committee — Rick Niemeyer, Scott Baldwin, James Buck, Chris Garten, Mike Gaskill, Jack Sandlin, Andy Zay, Shelli Yoder, David Niezgodski, and Rodney Pol — to hold a hearing so that all Hoosiers can understand the economic, health, and ecological benefits of addressing climate change.

As evangelical Christians, our faith and the Scriptures demand nothing less. Over the last several years, more than 35,000 pro-life Christians in Indiana have supported clean energy in order to reduce air pollution and to defend the health and lives of our children. According to the American Lung Association State of the Air Report, more than 105,000 children and 510,000 adults in Indiana have asthma. As Indiana gets hotter, asthma attacks will become more frequent and more severe. And make no mistake: it will get hotter. Currently, Indiana only experiences about seven days per year at 95 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. According to Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, though, coming decades will see as many as 51 days above 95 degrees.

It’s not only pollution-generated health impacts that threaten us, but also extreme weather events driven by a warming climate. 2021 saw more than 20 weather and climate disasters in the U.S. that totaled $145 billion and killed 688 people, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While it did not make the national top 20, who among us wasn’t shaken by the thunderstorms and high winds that ripped through Indiana just last month–a mere appetizer of what will come if we don’t act now?

As the eighth largest carbon pollution emitter, Indiana could be a national leader if we chose to lower our carbon footprint and reduce other toxins that threaten our kids, all while supplying new skilled job opportunities. All we need is a plan to make it happen.

Messmer and the Environmental Affairs Committee have a choice to make. Are they going to double down on the divisive politics of the moment, or follow the lead of the forward-thinking teenagers who, after all, are only asking for a future?

We urge the senator to hold a hearing on SB 255, and to open the climate conversation in Indiana to the light of God’s truth. What could be more biblical, after all, than “a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6)? To be fair, the leaders of Confront the Climate Crisis probably don’t like to be called ”little kids," and indeed, they are not. They are young adults who have had leadership thrust upon them due to the inexcusable inaction of their elders. We applaud their efforts and pray for their success.

Jo Anne Lyon is general superintendent emerita at The Wesleyan Church in Marion. Bob Whitaker is senior pastor at Christ Community Church in Bloomington. Ethan Linder, pastor of College and Young Adults at College Wesleyan Church, Marion, and Nate Pyle, senior pastor at Christ’s Community Church in Fishers, also contributed to this Viewpoint.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Time for Indiana legislators to confront the climate crisis.