Catholic News Service
Representatives of Catholic organisations called upon people to address climate change through actions in their lives and advocacy with political leaders following a United Nations report that warned that the Earth’s temperatures continue to rise, putting human lives in danger.
Solutions can be as simple as planting trees, reducing electricity usage in the home and on parish property, and driving less and walking more, the representatives of groups working on climate-related issues said.
In addition, they said that it is becoming increasingly urgent for Catholics to boost engagement with members of Congress to urge them to enact policies that will reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Reducing the use of oil and natural gas, the burning of which scientists have determined produces greenhouses gases that lead to global warming, is crucial to mitigate the effects of a changing climate, said Dan Misleh, founder of the Catholic Climate Covenant.
It warned that global temperatures will rise this century beyond the two degrees Celsius [3.6 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer targeted under the 2015 Paris climate agreement if the current pace of fossil fuel usage continues
“There’s lots of easy solutions. It’s a matter of just getting people aware and encouraging action,” Misleh said.
Thousands of pages long, the report released on April 4 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] paints a dire picture of the consequences facing the world if carbon emissions are not reduced immediately.
It warned that global temperatures will rise this century beyond the two degrees Celsius [3.6 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer targeted under the 2015 Paris climate agreement if the current pace of fossil fuel usage continues.
Scientists have measured temperatures that already have risen by more than 1.1 degrees Celsius [two degrees Fahrenheit] warmer since pre-industrial times, leading to more devastating natural disasters such as flooding, long-term drought, forest fires and stronger hurricanes, and the displacement of millions of people from their homelands.
UN secretary general, António Guterres, told journalists on April 4 the report demonstrates that governments and corporations have delivered “a litany of broken climate promises” as they continue to prioritise fossil fuels for energy and ignore the goals of the Paris accord.
Recognising the concern raised by Guterres, Misleh said everyone needs “to cut emissions dramatically so the future, especially for our children and grandchildren, is not going to be as awful as we are heading for.”
It is very clear that the human race is destroying our common home. It is very clear that powerful world leaders are not taking action to stop the current climate crisis that we are in
Lindlyn Moma
There is no better time to begin to end dependence on fossil fuels than the season of Lent, said Susan Gunn, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
A representative of the Laudato Si’ Movement charged that world leaders “are failing to hear the cry of the poor” and called people of faith to seek strength from the Holy Spirit to act to protect the earth.
“The IPCC report doesn’t say what we do not already know,” Lindlyn Moma, advocacy director for the organisation, said from South Africa on April 5, adding,”It is very clear that the human race is destroying our common home. It is very clear that powerful world leaders are not taking action to stop the current climate crisis that we are in.”
The report said greenhouse gas emissions continued to grow from 2010 to 2019, but at a slower pace than in the first decade of the 21st century. The rate of growth slowed from 2.1 per cent annually to 1.3 per cent annually, the report said.
However, the report’s authors said that unless countries rapidly quicken the pace to cut emissions, the earth on average could see temperatures 4.3 to 2.4 to 3.5 Celsius [6.3 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer by the end of the century, a level that will cause severe effects worldwide.
Elsewhere, CIDSE, a network of 17 Catholic development agencies from Europe and North America, called for immediate “deep and urgent emissions reductions.”
In an April 4 statement, the organisation said it was inspired by Pope Francis and his actions to address climate change. CIDSE’s secretary-general, Josianne Gauthier, echoed Guterres, saying that “corporate power is hindering climate justice.”
Gauthier said, “This means to really tackle climate change, we need to address our economic system,” adding, “As Pope Francis has said, we cannot live within an economy based on insatiable and irresponsible growth. We are motivated to challenge the system based on the direct experiences of people at the forefront of climate change, who need mitigation urgently.” CNS
