May Action Alert: Climate Change
Background
A major UN conference on the climate will be held in Copenhagen in December of this year. The primary purpose of the conference is to design a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol which will expire in 2012. According to Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), “this conference may not yield a new global climate treaty with every minor detail in place. But hopefully it will close with agreements on four political essentials, thereby creating a clarity the world needs. The four essentials are: 1) How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases? 2) How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions? 3) How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed? And 4) How that that money going to be managed?”
“Climate change imperils the most precious treasures of our planet and the effects are so severe and so sweeping that only urgent global action will do. We are all in this together. We must work together.” – Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General
“Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for the entire human family. No nation or business sector can ignore the ethical implications present in all economic and social development. With increasing clarity scientific research demonstrates that the impact of human actions in any one place or region can have worldwide effects.” –Pope Benedict XVI
Sixteen of the world’s 19 largest cities from Jakarta to Shanghai are under threat from sea level rise caused by warming of the oceans. Everywhere, the environment is changing in response to human activity. People in developing countries will be both first and worst affected with global change.
The Catholic community, led by Pope Benedict XVI and the bishops, is addressing the important moral issues surrounding climate change, including prudence, poverty and the common good. These important efforts include convening, education, public policy development and advocacy. The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change seeks to contribute a distinctive and authentic Catholic voice to the public debate highlighting the human and moral dimensions of this issue and encouraging the Catholic community to become involved in practical and public policy remedies to address climate change.
This month, instead of a single action, several ideas will be offered. If you are already involved with the climate issue, you may want to choose a specific action. If you are not currently involved, you may opt to take the time to inform yourself about the issue and learn what is happening in your own community.
1. http://www.catholicsandclimatechange.org provides an excellent overview of church teaching on climate change and assists the Catholic community in linking personal stewardship and care for creation with the moral responsibility to practice solidarity.
2. Join the Catholic community in signing the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor. Launched on Earth Day, April 22, 2009, the St. Francis Pledge is a promise and a commitment by Catholic individuals, families, parishes, organizations and institutions to live our faith by protecting God’s Creation and advocating on behalf of people in poverty who face the harshest impacts of global climate change. The St. Francis Pledge asks us to: PRAY and reflect on the duty to care for God’s Creation and protect the poor and vulnerable. LEARN about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of climate change. ASSESS how we-as individuals and in our communities contribute to climate change by our own energy use, consumption, waste, etc. ACT to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to climate change. ADVOCATE for Catholic principles and priorities in climate change discussions and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable. To sign the pledge go to http://catholiclimatecovenant.org/the-st-frances-pledge/
3. http://www.unep.org/wed/2008/english/Information_Material/factsheet.asp provides twelve concrete steps to help you kick the CO2 habit.
4. Plan an awareness raising event: invite a speaker or watch a video about climate change and take action.
5. Collect news items that highlight local efforts to conserve energy.
6. Develop a prayer service on the stewardship of creation. Share with others. (This can be sent to info@catholicsandclimatechange.org)
7. Go to http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/index.html to find specific actions you can take at home, at the office, in school and on the road.
8. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a major worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments are encouraged to plant a tree with the objective of planting at least one billion trees each year. In a call to further individual and collective action, UNEP has set a new goal of planting 7 billion trees by the end of 2009. The campaign strongly encourages the planting of indigenous trees and trees that are appropriate to the local environment. For more information go to http://www.unep.org/billiontreecanmpaign/
9. Contact the people in your own geographic community who are working on environmental issues and ask them to give a talk or workshop on their efforts.
10. Learn more about the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of more than 2,000 scientists from around the world. Go to http://www.ipcc.ch/
11. Sponsor a workshop in your local area to educate people about what they can do to mitigate and adapt to the realities of climate change.
April Action Alert
Background
1) There is no on-going, permanent, all-inclusive, international forum to democratically monitor and study the impact on development of the present economic/financial system.
2) The current structure of the G20 and the Bretton Woods Institutions (IMF and World Bank) do not provide equal representation of all stakeholders, nor do they fulfill the call of the Monterrey Consensus for consistent follow-up and evaluation of policies.
3) The agreements made in Monterrey in 2002 called for mobilization of national and international financial resources for sustainable development. There is still need for enhanced participation, political commitment, and implementation of the Monterrey Consensus.
4) The current economic crisis underscores the need for intense scrutiny and reform of current financial policies and structures. Action-oriented commitments are urgently needed.
5) As the new U.S. administration studies the impact of international financial policies, members of NGOs following the Financing for Development (FfD) process, hope to see a definite shift in U.S. support for more inclusive, more global, and more sustainable policies.
Our NGO groups are following negotiations in preparation for the UN Conference on the World Economic and Financial Crisis – set for June. We are concerned that, at present, the U.S. tone and position do not reflect much change from the previous administration. In response we are contacting our UN Ambassador.
Ambassador Susan E. Rice
Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations
140 East 45th St.
New York, New York 10017
For a Postcard:
Dear Ambassador Rice,
At the approaching UN Conference on the World Economic and Financial Crisis, I ask you to support a negotiated outcome document which includes the creation of a permanent, inclusive, follow-up mechanism to monitor, and reverse international financial policies and practices which negatively impact human development.
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March Action Alert: U.S. (See Canada Action Alert)
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Background
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged nations to break the deadlock that has hindered global disarmament talks in recent years, stressing that making progress in this area will free up vitally important resources for development at a time when the world is facing a financial crunch.
He told the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters that the global financial crisis is only the latest reminder of the high opportunity costs associated with massive investments in weaponry.
“At a time of fiscal cutbacks and constraints, global military expenditures run to about $1.3 trillion each year,” he stated, adding that a fraction of that amount could help guide the international community out of the food crisis, reach the globally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and tackle climate change.
Take action by writing to:
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20005
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov
Dear President Obama:
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently addressed the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. While citing the importance of international security and the need to establish a robust verification system pertaining to nuclear weapons, he urged the international community “to move beyond the stalemate that continues to hinder our work for disarmament and nuclear proliferation.” Given the current global financial crisis and its effects on the most vulnerable, it appears both unethical and immoral for global military expenditures to exceed $1.2 trillion each year. An investment in human development would address one of the leading causes of conflict which is poverty. Therefore, I urge you to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Sincerely,
March Action Alert: Canada
Background
About half of America's migratory birds fly from destinations as far-flung as Chile to nest in Canada's boreal forest. In Alberta, that forest lies above tar sands that contain oil reserves second only to Saudi Arabia's. The excavation of the tar sands -- projected to pump $2.4 trillion into Canada's economy between 2010 and 2030 -- could reduce the region's migratory-bird population by almost half, according to a peer-reviewed study released Dec. 2 by U.S. and Canadian environmental groups.
Tar sands oil production has a larger environmental impact and is less efficient compared with conventional oil production. In particular, such production makes heavy use of water and causes greater groundwater pollution. As conventional sources of oil are depleted, non conventional sources of oil will increasingly be relied upon to make up the difference. Environmental impacts from tar sands oil fields will grow in direct relation to the expected exponential increase of production over the next 20 years.
Take action by writing to:
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20005
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov
Dear President Obama:
I urge your leadership on stimulating our economies by moving aggressively on green energy and transportation solutions that curb global warming. Nothing is more important to our future. In discussions on a North American approach to energy and global warming, special treatment for tar sands oil development would be inconsistent with the necessary transition to a new energy economy that reduces greenhouse gasses wherever they are produced.
Tar sands development is a step backwards. It has rightly been called the most destructive project on earth because of the excessive global warming pollution it produces and the way its toxic mining operations devastate the Boreal forest and human health. Both the U.S. and Canada have vast potential in renewable energy and green economic solutions. Let’s build a relationship between the two countries on the foundation of hope for the future, and not on dirty tar sands oil.
Sincerely,
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