News Archives » climate change
Climate Change: A Priority for the Holy See January 24th, 2013
Since 2009, Pope Benedict XVI has explicitly supported the idea of an international treaty through the United Nations to address climate change. The Holy Father has offered this support in his 2009 Message to the Climate Change Summit, 2010 Message to the Diplomatic Corps, and his Angelus on November 27, 2011.
For 2013, it appears that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will make an international agreement a top priority as well. According to the Associated Press, one of his chief concerns in 2013 will be securing a binding international agreement to address climate change: Climate change is fast happening – much, much faster than one would have expected [. . .] Climate and ecosystems are under growing strain [. . .] I will do my best to mobilise the political will and resources so that the member states can agree to a new legally binding global agreement on climate change.
Climate Change is a priority for the U.S. President as well…
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America Magazine Examines Climate Change November 29th, 2012
A November 19, 2012 editorial in America magazine examines the issue of climate change. The editors note that “Hurricane Sandy was the latest in a series of extreme weather events that the overwhelming majority of scientists say is related to global climate change.” They go on to say that, “The decision not to address climate change at all in the presidential campaign now seems foolish. Both Republicans and Democrats deserve blame for this state of events . . . Until climate change is seen as an issue that affects all Americans, indeed the entire international community, we will fail to make progress in addressing its effects. Climate change is an issue that is vital to the common good and should be treated as such…”
“…Here is where the Catholic community can help. In an address in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that climate change is not a political issue but a human one . . . That same year, the U.S. bishops helped launch the Catholic Climate Covenant to bring climate change to the attention of all people of faith. The church directs our attention to where it should be focused: on the poor, who suffer the ravages of climate change more than anyone else.”
“In conclusion”, the editors at America say, “Climate change is an issue that transcends borders and demands an international response. The United States can and should play a key leadership role in this effort. Perhaps, moved by the plight of the storm’s victims and prompted by a renewed commitment from people of faith, it will finally assume that responsibility.”
Learn more on climate change and global warming at Catholic Coalition on Climate Change
Catholics Meet on Environmental Justice and Climate Change November 29th, 2012
Between November 8-10, 2012, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Catholic University of America, Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies (CUA) and Catholic Coalition on Climate Change co-sponsored a scholars conference titled: A Catholic Consultation on Environmental Justice and Climate Change: Assessing Pope Benedict XVI’s Ecological Vision for the Catholic Church in the United States. The USCCB published a press release about the conference.
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Faith Communities and the Urgency of Climate Change July 18th, 2012
Solar on the roof at the Oblate Parish in Chula Vista
“The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events- more powerful storms, longer droughts, bigger fires, excessive heat waves shattering temperature records and severe floods, along with the visible evidence of receding glaciers and dying coral reefs – are warnings that human activity is changing Earth’s climate in troubling and often unpredictable ways. They are portents of even graver dangers ahead.”
“Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States and the United Kingdom’s Met Office have confirmed the link between anthropogenic climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. As the planet warms, these types of weather phenomenon won’t be mere aberrations – they will be the new normal. And it is going to get much worse.”
Thus begins a clear and succinct argument for the urgency of the changes underway on our planet and the moral power of the faith message. The article by Michael Stafford titled, “Faith must confront climate change with a single moral voice” concludes with a highly relevant call of people of faith to action on climate change: “chose life” so “that [we] and [our] descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Read the article posted on the ABC Religion and Ethics website…
Looking for local resources on climate change and energy conservation for your parish? Interfaith Power and Light is active across the country and can offer a wealth of information, speakers and practical guidance to promote sustainability, from discounts on energy saving lightbulbs to going solar! Search for a local affiliate on their national website, Interfaith Power & Light. There are IP&L chapters in 39 states. Find a chapter in your state!
Support the Call for a Special Rapporteur on HR and Climate Change May 25th, 2012
A group of NGOs, including VIVAT International, has issued a petition calling for a Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change at the Human Rights Council. VIVAT International, of which the Oblates are a member, is a strong supporter of this petition and is asking members of our network to support the initiative.
We encourage you to sign on as an individual or on behalf of your congregation, if you are delegated to do so.
To read and sign the petition please visit the following link: http://www.petitions24.com/sr_human_rights_and_climate_change
According to the UN, “global warming will affect, and already is affecting, the basic elements of life for millions of people around the world. Effects include an increasing frequency of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, droughts, increasing water shortages, and the spread of tropical and vector born diseases.”
“Viewing the data through a human rights lens, it is clear that projected climate change-related effects threaten the effective enjoyment of a range of human rights, such as the right to safe and adequate water and food, the right to health and adequate housing. Equally, the human rights perspective brings into focus that climate change is set to hit the poorest countries and communities the hardest.”
“The international human rights standards serve as a guide for measures to tackle climate change, underscoring the fundamental moral and legal obligations to protect and promote full enjoyment of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the core universal human rights treaties.”
