The reality of a warming Earth, and the response of the local Church, were the topics we discussed last week. Although the papal encyclical, Laudato Si’ and other scientific literature persistently caution us about the calamitous consequences of unchecked global warming, we fail to sense the u rgency. Considering the impact of climate change, many share the notion that Hong Kong is in a safer zone compared to many regions around the world with extreme climate conditions. That creates a sense of complacency.
International agencies like Greenpeace believe otherwise. According to their reports, high surges in sea levels, caused by super typhoons, will threaten Hong Kong once every 10 years by mid-century. They estimate that about 28 square kilometres of Hong Kong’s coastal lands—equivalent to 147 Victoria Parks—will be under seawater, affecting nearly 100,000 human lives. Any areas below the four-metre sea level are at the highest risk of storm surges. Will your home be safe?
This is the apocalyptic scenario that awaits Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong Observatory’s record of Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, storm surges flooded the coastal areas of Tai O, Shek Pik, Mui Wo, Cheung Chau, Heng Fa Chuen, Siu Sai Wan, South Horizons, Lei Yue Mun, Tseung Kwan O, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Sai Kung, and Yuen Long. There is nowhere to call a safe zone anymore.
It is time for people to participate in climate action. Student movements around the world are picking up momentum, calling for a change in behaviour and lifestyle. Fridays for Future Hong Kong is a movement floated by Greenpeace to raise awareness and the participation of students in climate action.
It is urgent to consider the role of the Church in this movement and raise awareness among the faithful of their personal responsibility in caring for our land, our nation and our universe. Joining the “Friday movement” for the care of the universe would be a meaningful project that the Church could consider promoting among the faithful.
In the Catholic Church, Fridays are traditionally devoted to the meditation of the Passion of Jesus, Divine Mercy, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. According to the new Code of Canon Law, abstinence—defined as the giving up of red meat—is to be observed in the whole Church on each Friday of the year. The Diocese of Hong Kong provides a dispensation to the faithful from abstinence on Fridays, provided the faithful perform some special acts of charity or piety.
Did you know that our acts of abstinence could be a huge step towards cutting carbon emissions? A BBC report published in 2016 on research led by scientists at the Oxford Martin School, found that a vegetarian diet, or even simply cutting down meat consumption to within accepted health guidelines, would cut food-related emissions by 63 per cent and make people healthier. According to this study, current food habits are responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and therefore a major driver of climate change.
Perhaps, this is a chance to commit our Fridays to the care for our common home. If a few hundred thousand Catholics were to abstain from meat on Fridays, that would be a huge step in the right direction. Linking climate change with our spiritual exercises, good health, and eating habits could provide a perfect beginning for our personal plan of action for a healthy environment. jose CMF
