Transcript KKH-Ambassador-talk-St-Alberts-5-2-11

CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION
IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Reflections on Theology, Science, Climate Change
and Our Interconnected Global Environment
Katie Hirschboeck, PhD
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research &
Chair, Global Change Graduate Interdisciplinary Program
The St. Albert the Great Forum on Theology & Science
The University of Arizona Catholic Newman Center
2 May 2011
Catholic Climate Covenant
• Name of host organization
(parish, etc.)
• Date
• Name of Catholic Climate
Ambassador
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB)
• “At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or
political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group
pressures. It is about the future of God’s creation and the one
human family.”
Global Climate Change:
A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
2001
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s Creation- Biblical
• “The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of
Eden, to cultivate and care for it.”
Genesis 2:15
• “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine, and
you are but aliens who have become my tenants. Therefore, in
every part of the country that you occupy, you must permit the land
to be redeemed.”
Leviticus 25:23
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationSt. Francis of Assisi
• “Praised be my Lord for our mother the Earth, which sustains us and
keeps us.”
St. Francis’ Canticle of the Sun
• “Francis reminds us that the wisdom and benevolence of the Creator
is expressed through Creation. He understood nature as a language
in which God speaks to us, in which reality becomes clear, and we
can speak of God and with God.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Saint Francis of Assisi
General Audience, 27 January 2010
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationModern
• “[Humanity’s] dominion over inanimate and other living beings
granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the
quality of life of [our] neighbor, including generations to come; it
requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2415
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationModern
• “Care for Creation is not a new component of Catholic identity. It is
as old as Genesis, and is woven into the very fabric of Catholic
mission.”
Dan Misleh
Executive Director, Catholic Coalition on Climate Change
• "Stewardship implies that we must both care for creation according
to standards that are not of our own making and at the same time be
resourceful in finding ways to make the earth flourish."
USCCB
Renewing the Earth, 1991, p. 6
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationModern
•
“I wish to repeat that the ecological crisis is a moral issue.” (emphasis in
original)
Pope John Paul II
1990 World Day of Peace Message, No. 15
•
“Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development
and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for
the entire human family.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
on the Occasion of the Seventh Symposium of the Religion,
Science and the Environment Movement (2007)
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationThe Human Environment and the Natural Environment
• “Today, indeed, there is a growing awareness that [humanity] and
[the] environment are more inseparable than ever. The environment
essentially conditions [our] life and development, while [humanity], in
[our] turn, perfects and ennobles [our] environment through [our]
presence, work, and contemplation.”
Pope Paul VI
A Hospitable Earth for Future Generations
Message to the Stockholm Conference on Human Environment
June 1, 1972
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationThe Human Environment and the Natural Environment
•
“In nature, the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative
activity, which we may use responsibly to satisfy our legitimate needs,
material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation.
•
“If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an untouchable
taboo or, on the contrary, abusing it. Neither attitude is consonant with the
Christian vision of nature as the fruit of God's creation.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate, No. 48
2009
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationThe Human Environment and the Natural Environment
• “[W]e cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying
due attention both to the consequences of such interference in other
areas and to the well-being of future generations.” (emphasis in
original)
Pope John Paul II
1990 World Day of Peace Message, No. 6
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationLife and Dignity of the Human Person
• “Our tradition calls us to protect the life and dignity of the human
person, and it is increasingly clear that this task cannot be separated
from the care and defense of all of creation.”
USCCB
Renewing the Earth: An Invitation to Reflection and Action on the Environment
in Light of Catholic Social Teaching, 1991
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationLife and Dignity of the Human Person
• “If you have [people] who will exclude any of God's creatures from
the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have [people] who will
deal likewise with their fellow [humanity].”
St. Francis of Assisi
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Care for God’s CreationLife and Dignity of the Human Person
• “[H]ow can we separate, or even set at odds, the protection of the
environment and the protection of human life, including the life of the
unborn?”
Pope Benedict XVI
2010 Address to the Diplomatic Corps
• “The way humanity treats the environment influences the way it
treats itself, and vice versa.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Papal Encyclical Caritas in Veritate,
No. 51 (2009)
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Pope Benedict XVI
• “The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we
have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations
and towards humanity as a whole.”
Encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate, No. 48
2009
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/whatis.htm
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Predicted Impacts of Climate Change
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Anthropogenic Climate Change
•
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
•
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)
•
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
•
U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
•
U.S. National Academies of Science
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC)
Academia Brasiliera de Ciências (Brazil)
Royal Society of Canada
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Académie des Sciences (France)
Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher
Leopoldina (Germany)
Indian National Science Academy (India)
Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy)
Science Council of Japan
Royal Society (UK)
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB)
• “[W]e accept the consensus findings of so many scientists and the
conclusions of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) as a basis for continued research and prudent action.”
Global Climate Change:
A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
2001
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Pope Benedict XVI
• “Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with
such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration
and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of
rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural
catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical
regions?
• “Can we disregard the growing phenomenon of ‘environmental
refugees’, people who are forced by the degradation of their natural
habitat to forsake it – and often their possessions as well – in order
to face the dangers and uncertainties of forced displacement?”
2010 World Day of Peace Message, No. 4
Seven Key Themes of
Catholic Social Teaching (USCCB)
http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/excerpt.shtml
•
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
•
Call to Family, Community, and Participation
•
Rights and Responsibilities
•
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
•
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
•
Solidarity
•
Care for God’s Creation
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Seven Key Themes of
Catholic Social Teaching (USCCB)
• “Many people recognize that the issue of climate change relates to
the seventh theme, Care for God’s Creation . . .
• “But it is also true that other principles of Catholic Social Teaching
can help inform our consciences and actions as we face the
question of climate change.”
Catholic Social Teaching and Climate Change
Catholic Coalition on Climate Change
2010
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Key Principles Guiding
US Catholic Bishops’ Approach to
Climate Change
• Prudence
• Poverty
• The Common Good
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Prudence
• “[A] thoughtful, deliberate, and reasoned basis for taking or avoiding
action to achieve a moral good.”
• “The virtue of prudence is paramount in addressing climate change.”
USCCB
Global Climate Change:
A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
2001
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Prudence
• "In facing climate change, what we already know requires a
response; it cannot be easily dismissed.
• “Significant levels of scientific consensus- even in a situation with
less than full certainty, where the consequences of not acting are
serious- justifies, indeed can obligate, our taking action intended to
avert potential dangers.
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Prudence
• "In other words, if enough evidence indicates that the present
course of action could jeopardize humankind's well-being, prudence
dictates taking mitigating or preventative action.” (emphasis added)
USCCB
Global Climate Change:
A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
2001
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Poverty
• “The effects of climate change—increasingly limited access to water,
reduced crop yields, more widespread disease, increased frequency
and intensity of natural disasters, and conflict over declining
resources—are making the lives of the world’s poorest people even
more precarious.”
USCCB & Catholic Relief Services
Catholics Confront Global Poverty
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Poverty
•
“People living in poverty—both at home and abroad—contribute least to
climate change but they are likely to suffer its worst consequences with few
resources to adapt and respond.”
USCCB & Catholic Relief Services
Catholics Confront Global Poverty
•
“This great inequality between polluters and victims makes anthropogenic
climate change into a fundamental problem of global justice.” (emphasis
added)
The German Bishops
“Climate Change: A Focal Point of Global, Intergenerational and Ecological Justice- An
Expert Report on the Challenge of Global Climate Change” (published in 2006,
updated in 2007)
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
The Common Good
• “[E]very person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those
things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights
are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and
to the larger society.”
USCCB
Seven Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
The Common Good
• “Global climate is by its very nature a part of the planetary
commons. The earth's atmosphere encompasses all people,
creatures, and habitats.”
• “Responses to global climate change should reflect our
interdependence and common responsibility for the future of our
planet.”
USCCB
Global Climate Change:
A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
2001
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
The Common Good
• “A greater sense of intergenerational solidarity is urgently needed.
Future generations cannot be saddled with the cost of our use of
common environmental resources.”
Pope Benedict XVI
2010 World Day of Peace Message, No. 8
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
The Common Good
• “The Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must
assert this responsibility in the public sphere.” (emphasis in original)
Pope Benedict XVI
Papal encyclical Caritas in Veritate
No. 51 (2009)
• “In a word, concern for the environment calls for a broad global
vision of the world; a responsible common effort to move beyond
approaches based on selfish nationalistic interests towards a vision
constantly open to the needs of all peoples.”
Pope Benedict XVI
2010 World Day of Peace Message, No. 11
The Common Good
•
“As the U.S. Congress considers climate legislation, Catholics Confront
Global Poverty invites Catholics to advocate for policies that reduce the
impact of climate change on people living in poverty. Well-designed climate
change policies can help both reduce the severity of climate change and
protect the most vulnerable by:
– “[A]ssist poor and adversely affected communities in adapting to and
easing the effects of global climate change . . .
– “[E]nsure that the most useful technology is promptly made available to
people in the most vulnerable developing countries . . . ” (adaptation &
mitigation)
– “[P]romote the participation of local communities in programs for
adapting to climate change and easing its effects.”
USCCB & Catholic Relief Services
Catholics Confront Global Poverty
The Common Good
• “I wish to reflect today upon the relationship between the Creator
and ourselves as guardians of his creation. In so doing I also wish to
offer my support to leaders of governments and international
agencies who soon will meet at the United Nations to discuss the
urgent issue of climate change.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Message to UN Climate Change Conference 2009
The Common Good
• “For this reason I share the growing concern caused by economic
and political resistance to combatting the degradation of the
environment. This problem was evident even recently, during the XV
Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in
Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December last.
• “I trust that in the course of this year, first in Bonn and later in
Mexico City, it will be possible to reach an agreement for effectively
dealing with this question. The issue is all the more important in that
the very future of some nations is at stake, particularly some island
states.”
Pope Benedict XVI
2010 Message to the Diplomatic Corps
Pope Benedict XVI
• “The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we
have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations
and towards humanity as a whole.”
Encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate, No. 48
2009
• “Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable
development and particular attention to climate change are matters
of grave concern for the entire human family.”
Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople on the Occasion of the Seventh Symposium of the Religion,
Science and the Environment Movement (2007)
Video
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
The Catholic Climate Covenant
• Individual, family, school,
parish, arch/diocese
• 25+ Catholic Partners
• The St. Francis Pledge to Care
for Creation and the Poor
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
The St. Francis Pledge to Care for
Creation and the Poor
•
PRAY & reflect about our duty to
Creation and the poor
•
LEARN about Catholic teaching and
climate change and educate others
•
ASSESS our contributions to the
problem
•
ACT to change behaviors and choices
•
ADVOCATE on behalf of those without
a voice
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
The St. Francis Pledge to Care for
Creation and the Poor
•
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
•
The Jesuit Conference
–
USCCB Dept. of Justice, Peace and Human
Development
•
The Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action
Directors
–
USCCB Dept. of Migration and Refugee Services
•
National Association for Lay Ministry
•
Catholic Relief Services
•
National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry
•
Catholic Charities USA
•
Catholic Campus Ministry Association
•
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
•
National Federation of Priests Councils
•
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
•
National Diaconate Institute for Continuing Education
•
Catholic Health Association of the U.S.A.
•
National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman
Catholic Clergy
•
National Council of Catholic Women
•
U.S. Catholic Mission Association
•
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
•
Africa Faith and Justice Network
•
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
•
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
•
Carmelite NGO
•
Woodstock Theological Center
•
Franciscan Action Network
•
National Catholic Development Conference
•
National Catholic Education Association
•
National Conference for Catechetical Leadership
•
Resource Center for Religious Institutes
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Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Polling Shows Progress
Zogby International Poll: 1,000 Catholics, March/April 2009
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Polling Shows Progress
Zogby International Poll: 1,000 Catholics, March/April 2009
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
What Others Are Doing
• Ambrosio Family: Little Falls, NJ
- Replaced gas mower with push mower
- Brita water instead of bottled
- Clothes line instead of dryer
- Lights and computers off when not needed
- Installed geothermal: carbon footprint down 70%
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
What Others Are Doing
• John the Evangelist Kindergarten: Naples, FL
- Gave copy of St. Francis Pledge to all students and students wrote
own pledges
- Discussed “Who’s Under Your Carbon Footprint” Video
- Gathered litter around the school as a service project
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
What Others Are Doing
•
St. Clement: Lancaster, WI
- 93% efficient boilers
- Insulated 18,000ft2 attic
- 20% of costs covered with energy grant
•
St. William: Louisville, KY
- Solar Panels produce 30% of electrical needs
•
St. Matthias : Redwood City, CA
- Focus group on city’s Climate Action Plan
- 100 Mile Potluck
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
What Others Are Doing
•
Nativity Church of Fargo: Fargo, ND
–
Promoted the St. Francis Pledge on its website and advocated for commitments around the
Feast of St. Francis (October 4)
What Others Are Doing
•
Nativity Church of Fargo: Fargo, ND
–
•
Promoted the St. Francis Pledge on its website and advocated for commitments around the
Feast of St. Francis (October 4)
St. Mary of the Assumption Parish: Whittier, CA
–
Organized a special observance of the Feast of St. Francis (October 4) by encouraging
parishioners to take the St. Francis Pledge
–
More than 100 parishioners took the Pledge
–
See Resources page
(http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/resources)
for promotional materials, parish sign up sheets and more
Courtesy of Sr. Marjorie Guingona
What Others Are Doing
•
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
•
“In his letter, Cardinal Mahony
asked parishioners to take the St.
Francis Pledge, which urges
Catholics to pray, learn, assess,
act and advocate for the poor and
vulnerable around the world by
contributing to ‘climate change by
our own energy use, consumption,
waste, et cetera.’”
http://www.the-tidings.com/2010/100110/sustainability.htm
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Available Resources
•
Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters, Monroe, MI: This Is Your Home
•
New Jersey Catholic Coalition for Environmental Justice (NJCCEJ)
•
St. Francis Pledge Packet: Archdiocese of Hartford
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Available Resources
•
USCCB & Catholic Relief Services: Catholics Confront Global Poverty
•
National Catholic Rural Life Conference: Global Climate Change Response
Study Guide
•
JustFaith: God’s Creation Cries for Justice Climate Change: Impact and
Response
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
Available Resources
•
Franciscan Action Network: C4C
•
National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry: Catholic Youth: Care for
Creaiton and the Poor (http://climate.nfcym.org)
•
Catholic Coalition on Climate Change & Center for Ministry Development:
Five Session Youth Lesson Plan (April, 2011)
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
What You Can Do
•
Join others by taking the St. Francis Pledge and registering your
commitment at http://CatholicClimateCovenant.org
•
See How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at
http://CatholicClimateCovenant.org/resources/taking-personal-action/
•
Encourage others (family, parish, school, arch/diocese) and promote the St.
Francis Pledge (see Planning Guide for Promoting & Taking the St. Francis
Pledge at http://CatholicClimateCovenant.org/resources)
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
What You Can Do
•
Sign up to receive weekly Coalition emails at
http://CatholicClimateCovenant.org
•
Connect on social networks:
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/catholicclimatecovenant
- Twitter: @CatholicClimate
- MySpace: Catholic Climate Covenant
•
Call or write the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change:
- (301) 920-1442
- [email protected]
CatholicClimateCovenant.org
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