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Sustainable Development: The World We Want February 3rd, 2015
Which of these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are you working for?
- Dignity: to end poverty and fight inequalities
- People: to ensure healthy lives, knowledge and the inclusion of women and children
- Prosperity: to grow a strong, inclusive and transformative economy
- Planet: to protect our ecosystems for all societies and our children
- Justice: to promote safe and peaceful societies and strong institutions
- Partnership: to catalyze global solidarity for sustainable development
2015 is the last year for the millennium development goals, which were launched in 2000 to make global progress on poverty, education, health, hunger and the environment. UN member states, on the basis of a broad international consultative process, are finalizing sustainable development goals to replace them. What do the SDGs aim to achieve? How are they different from the MDGs? What progress was made in meeting the Millennium Development Goals? See how the MDGs have shifted into the SDGs, and explore each SDG in more detail: An Interactive on The SDGs: all you need to know
For more information on the SDGs, read the UN Secretary General’s 2015 Report: The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet
Thanks to Daniel LeBlanc, OMI, Oblate representative at the UN, for this information.
A See, Judge, Act Reflection on the Impacts of Mining from Rome February 2nd, 2015
Chuquicamata Copper Mine, Chile
We all use things that are made with minerals drawn from the earth – from cell phones and computers to automobiles and airplanes. But the mining often happens in places far from our own communities, so we don’t experience the impacts of mining operations personally. Concerned about the information they collected in a 2013 survey on the impacts of mining, the Rome-based Integrity of Creation Working Group of the USG-UISG’s Commission on Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) has created a powerful resource to share this. The booklet created y the group is intended to serve as a general introduction to understanding the impact of mining industries on the community and the environment.
Using the Pastoral Cycle or the See-Judge-Act Process model, the booklet is divided into three main sections: Part One (“See”) provides an overview of some features of mining industries, as seen through the lens of equity; Part Two (“Judge”) presents theological, scriptural and ethical reflections; and Part Three (“Act”) offers practical suggestions for changing personal and communal behavior, which include ways of working for appropriate national and international legal frameworks, and implementation to ensure a sustainable future for the Earth Community. The booklet also suggests resources, experiences and prayers, including questions for you and your community.
Read: A See, Judge, Act Reflection on the Impacts of Mining (Download PDF)
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.
