COEJL has earned a reputation mong members of Congress, environmental leaders and the press as an effective environmental organization. COEJL has recruited, educated and mobilized an activist Jewish constituency for environmental protection. And COEJL has advocated legislative action to address the effects of pollution on public health, global climate change, and the destruction of wildlife habitat on behalf of 29 national Jewish organizations.

COEJL’s message is unique. Along with partners from other faith communities, we bring a moral and religious message on the environment to the public and decision makers. We cut through the familiar technical arguments to clarify the values at stake in environmental policy. Given the prominent role of religion in American political life, a unified religious voice in favor of environmental protection can have considerable effect on public opinion and policy discussions. As the historic source of Christianity, Judaism has moral authority in the American imagination, providing Jewish leaders an opportunity to make a moral case for environmental protection before the nation at-large. In addition, the Jewish community is very effective at advocacy, having made significant contributions to social causes—far disproportionate to its size—on labor, civil rights, gender equality, and other issues. Jewish communities have the potential to mobilize effectively to advance environmental protection.

Over the course of the past few months, COEJL has worked closely with several national agencies to create a climate change policy statement that succinctly articulates the values and advocacy priorities we support. We are proud to share it with you here.

• Sign Up with COEJL - Sign up to receive updates about COEJL's education, action, and advocacy campaigns.

• Current Action Alerts:
• Tell EPA CO2 Harms Public Health: The Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly refused to take meaningful steps to control carbon dioxide, insisting that it does not have the authority to do so.  Last year, the US Supreme Court rejected that argument, confirming that EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act if they "endanger public health and welfare."   This landmark decision has caused the EPA to ask the public a very simple question:

  Do greenhouse gases that cause global warming endanger public health and welfare?

 To tell them that it does, click here. Click here to see COEJL's comments.

• Break Our Oil Addiction: Urge your Members of Congress to support a comprehensive energy plan that promotes clean-burning renewable energy and efficiency.

• Write a letter.  Send a letter on behalf of your synagogue or community institution asking your leaders to support aggressive federal climate change legislation.  Click here for a sample letter.  Visit the Sign On Letters Archive for additional letters COEJL has signed on behalf of the Jewish community.
• Take immediate action to help stop global warming by participating in COEJL’s climate change campaign. Click here to find out more about, "How Many Jews Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?" Click here for additional Jewish climate change resources and teachings .

• In addition to our speakers guide for environmental speakers, we have compiled a special list of Jewish scientists who are willing to speak in synagogues and other Jewish venues about the science behind climate change.  We encourage you to "Bring a Scientist to Synagogue" to educate and motivate the community to action!

•  Action Alert Archive

• Sign On Letters Archive

• COEJL's Environmental Policy Agenda

• To Till and To Tend - COEJL's blog forum

• Regional Affiliates - local action groups

• What You Can Do:
• For the Home
• In the Synagogue/School
• COEJL on Campus