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EPA Administrator to Meet Vatican Officials on Climate Change January 29th, 2015
The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to meet with senior officials at the Vatican on Friday on the issue of climate change. In an interview with National Catholic Reporter before her trip, Administrator McCarthy, a Roman Catholic from Massachusetts, described the Vatican stop as “the most important” on a five-day trip to Europe. The EPA, under the Obama Administration, has reached out to faith communities of all denominations, recognizing both that most have long teaching traditions on creation care, and that they have the ability to reach people in a meaningful way on the need to take action on climate change.
The moral aspect of climate change – the fact that the most vulnerable to the effects are also those who have done the least to create the problem, is recognized by the Administration. “Clearly, climate change is an issue that is impactful in terms of how we’re not just going to protect the most vulnerable but also take responsibility for protecting God’s natural resources,” McCarthy said.
“I think that the president and myself agree that climate change is indeed a moral issue,” she said. “It is about protecting those most vulnerable, and EPA’s job, as focusing on public health and environmental protection, always tasked ourselves to look at those most vulnerable and to ensure that when we’re taking action we’re addressing their needs most effectively.”
Filipino Oblate Reflects on Pope’s Visit in NCR Story January 28th, 2015
Fr Eliseo (Jun) Mercado, OMI, quoted in an article in the National Catholic Reporter about Pope Francis’ recent visit to the Philippines, said that the Pope “communicated very effectively” the theme of mercy and compassion and did not dwell on rituals, structures and “the many things we have accumulated over centuries about the Catholic church.” He commented on how Pope Francis would drop his prepared speeches to stress points, teach or to express his own personal feelings. “It’s very touching, especially for priests like me,” Fr. Jun said. He added that he thought the church had lost touch with the poor and was trying to re-engage them.
“The poor are the very heart of evangelization. Remove the poor from the message of Jesus, and there’s nothing there anymore,” he said. However, Francis focused on the poor in most of his speeches and drew many people from poor communities to his various activities.
Thanks to the National Catholic Reporter for their permission to the Oblates to use the article from which this information came. Read the article in full..
Midwestern Productivity at Risk from Unchecked Climate Change January 23rd, 2015
A newly released report by Risky Business finds that unchecked climate change will threaten Midwestern agricultural and industrial productivity. If you live in the Midwest, have family there, or simply eat any of the many agricultural products grown in the region, you will want to read the executive summary, if not the full version, of this report: http://riskybusiness.org/reports/midwest-report/executive-summary. The full report is available also at this link. The report emphasizes that it is still possible to take action to avoid the worst impacts.
Launched in October, 2013, the Risky Business Project focuses on quantifying and publicizing the economic risks from the impacts of a changing climate. It is backed by former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former US Treasury Secretary and Goldman Sachs executive, Hank Paulson, and Tom Steyer, a wealthy an American hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and environmentalist. They tasked the Rhodium Group, an economic research firm that specializes in analyzing disruptive global trends, with preparing an independent assessment of the economic risks posed by a changing climate in the U.S.
Mexican Migrant Children Forgotten at the Border January 22nd, 2015
Border Patrol and Mexican Authorities Fail to Screen and Protect Mexican Migrant Children
Last year, the issue of Central American children fleeing violence made headlines in the United States. But unlike unaccompanied minors from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, Mexican children fleeing violence rarely get an opportunity to tell their story before an immigration judge. The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) has released an investigative video and report on the treatment of unaccompanied Mexican migrant children detained at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Every year, U.S. Border Patrol apprehends approximately 15,000 unaccompanied Mexican children. According to a 2014 report by the United Nations Refugee Agency, nearly 60 percent of unaccompanied Mexican minors surveyed mentioned violence as one reason for leaving home. But in 2013, less than 5 percent were transferred to the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement to be screened and later granted an immigration hearing.
Through interviews with migrant children, Border Patrol officials, Mexican authorities, and experts, WOLA’s video “Forgotten at the Border” demonstrates the plight of Mexican children who migrate to the United States in an attempt to escape violence. Unless these children can prove to a Border Patrol agent that they face a credible risk of persecution or trafficking, they are sent right back home.
WOLA’s video highlights the stories of minors like Esteban, a 17-year-old who describes fleeing from a local cartel, crossing the Arizona border, and being deported by Border Patrol. The video is accompanied by an investigative report, as well as recommendations for the U.S. and Mexican governments to better protect and screen unaccompanied Mexican children.
Report: Forgotten on La Frontera: Mexican Children Fleeing Violence Are Rarely Heard
Recommendations: How the U.S. and Mexican Governments Can Better Protect Unaccompanied Mexican Children Fleeing Violence
Interested in following WOLA on social media? You can find them on Twitter @WOLA_org or link to their Facebook page.
Sri Lanka Votes for End to Nepotism and Corruption January 12th, 2015
In a surprising electoral upset, Sri Lankans voted in Opposition Presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena, a former Health minister. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the man responsible for the crushing defeat of the Tamil Tigers, conceded defeat on Friday. The Tamil and Muslim voting appears to have decided the outcome of the election, as the Sinhalese vote was split.
A new Administration holds out the possibility for some change, although how much remains to be seen. The new President was acting Defense Minister at the end of the civil war in June 2009, and like Rajapaksa, rejects the UN investigation into war crimes allegations, and has pledged that senior commanders accused of such war crimes will not face legal action. He also reportedly has no plans to reduce the large military presence in northern (Tamil) Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, the issue of corruption will be addressed (the Rajapaksa family was in many positions of authority at the national and local levels of government, and controlled both the Defense Ministry and the Development Ministry.). The increasing consolidation of power in the Presidency will also be reversed. President Sirisena pledged, during the campaign, to abolish the executive presidency within 100 days of being elected, repeal the controversial 18th amendment, re-instate the 17th amendment and appoint UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe as prime minister. The constitutional changes will be important. Already, the new President has called for Parliamentary elections to be held in three months.
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