I’m being asked frequently why I signed the statement along with 85 other religious leaders in America. I thought a lot about this leading up to offering my signature and in the two months since then.

To me, the answer is simple: I believe it is what Jesus would have me do. I know there are some who believe that there is absolutely no danger of global warming. I believe that those people are living in somewhat of a state of denial.

However, I did not sign the initiative out of some deeply held scientific conviction. I signed it because global warming, pollution and mistreatment of the environment has its most dire impact upon the poor.

Our insistence upon treating the earth as an inexhaustible resource, our dependence upon gas-guzzling SUVs, and our ever-expanding garbage footprint is wreaking untold havoc upon those who have no voice and have little to no opportunity to rise above their station in life.

Hurricane Katrina should have been a wake-up call for all of us that climate change has its greatest impact upon the poor. Individuals in impoverished regions worldwide will feel the brunt of our lack of environmental responsibility. They will weather the toughest droughts crippling their already flagging agricultural output.

If by being environmentally responsible, I can aid the least of these, isn’t it worth it?

If by switching to renewable electricity, I give a child a better hope for tomorrow, isn’t it worth it?

If by weatherizing my home and selecting gas efficient vehicles I reduce unnecessary emissions and pollution that poisons others, isn’t it worth it?

Regardless of your scientific views, the moral responsibility is clear.

In just a few minutes I leave to be interviewed for our local news station. Tomorrow, I will interview with our local paper about the initiative. This Sunday the British Broadcasting Company will be filming me for a documentary they are doing on global warming.

My aim in all of this is simple: if the decisions I make environmentally have their greatest consequences upon the least of these, then I must be responsible.

If God has given me this opportunity to speak up for the least of these, then I cannot be silent. To me, this is not an environmental issue. It is a faith issue.

So I will speak. Not for an enviromental agenda, but for the precious souls who will continue to languish in an irresponsible world.