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After two years of congregational study and review, the General Assembly will be voting on a "Statement of Conscience" about global warming during Friday morning's plenary. (See ( page 12 in the Final Agenda.) The draft statement prepared by the Commission on Social Witness, however, has generated dismay among the denomination's coalition of environmental activists.
The UU Ministry for the Earth (the group formerly known as the Seventh Principle Project, which has pushed for greater denominational attention to the problem of global climate change) has drafted alternate language and an action plan for replacing the CSW's draft statement. At UU Ministry for the Earth's website, the group explains:
We felt [the CSW's draft statement] did not accurately state the threat of global warming, did not adequately articulate the serious ethical and justice issues connected with the issue, did not adequately connect the issue with our Unitarian Universalist spiritual values and principles, did not adequately call for action from the Unitarian Universalist Association as well as from congregations and individuals, and did not give UUs and their congregations clear guidelines for implementation.
A complete replacement of the draft statement can't be brought to the plenary, so the advocacy group has developed a plan to amend the text during Thursday morning's miniassemblies (8:00-9:15 and 9:45-11:00).