Climate Change

Bill Cherry · #1 Aug 13, '09, 9:15 am

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/se...change_en.html

INTERVENTION BY THE HOLY SEE
AT THE MEETING OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
DEBATING ON THE THEME: "ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE:
THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE WORLD AT WORK"
(NEW YORK, 11 - 12 FEBRUARY 2008)

ADDRESS OF H.E. MSGR. CELESTINO MIGLIORE

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

The ongoing debate on climate change has helped put into focus the inescapable responsibility of one and all to care for the environment, thereby building consensus around the common objective of promoting a healthy environment for present and future generations.

The recent UN Climate Change Conference in Bali has shown that through increased concern for our neighbor, in particular for those most vulnerable to climatic change, we are better equipped to adopt strategies and policies which balance the needs of humanity with the urgency for a more responsible stewardship.

We know that the Vatican takes this seriously and is encouraging everyone to 'reduce their carbon footprint'. There are some out there in the main forums who do not accept it as a reality, let alone of moral concern. (I lost the morality debate on a technicality) So, I would like to brush up on my facts and fallacies about this.

4elise · #2 Aug 17, '09, 10:01 pm

You are right as we get out there on the forums it does help 'sharpen' our own discussion - but sometimes we have to just SPEAK TRUTH.

I think that is where I am at the moment - I was trying to be polite, logical, informative, but see where that gets us!

I think it is time to SPEAK TRUTH ----- to be PROUD of the position of the Catholic Church - YES it is a moral issue, YES we should care, and YES we should take action!

Thanks for fighting the good fight!

4elise · #3 Aug 21, '09, 9:51 am

http://www.skepticalscience.com/

This source gives those of us trying to speak about the science resources to address every possible argument against the anthropogenic causes of climate change - LOADED with information!

redhen · #4 Aug 22, '09, 3:00 pm

You can watch an intro video from the National Academy of Sciences
http://americasclimatechoices.org/

Then read through a climate change article.
http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/...al_impacts.pdf

Hope that helps some.

"There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew."
- Marshall McLuhan

Bill Cherry · #5 Aug 22, '09, 5:37 pm

Thank you for the links redhen! (o boy! another pdf to save

) any way they are informative and I personally thank you for the addition to my 'arsenal' (a violent word, but appropriate!) of information!

You rock!

lynnvinc · #6 May 20, '10, 2:58 pm

Thanks so much for this group and this topic.

I've been mitigating GW for over 20 years & trying to get others to do so, telling them about all the $avings without lowering living standards (we've reduced our GHG -- which means many other pollutants, as well -- by over 60%, saving money) -- mostly to no avail.

And the attacks have gotten stronger, even in the Church. I was about to give up trying to inspire others to mitigate a few years ago, and that week at Mass the reading was something about how if someone is doing something wrong and you fail to tell him, the sin falls back on you.

So into the trenches again....

I finally started a blog to address all the red herrings, strawmen, and greenwash.... Real Catholic Environmentalism at http://catholicecology.wordpress.com

I'm so glad I found this group. I've been pretty much alone in this effort.

lynnvinc · #7 Aug 9, '10, 7:28 am

Here is my Little Way of Environmental Healing:

We are faced with enormous environmental problems that kill people, and destroy property and wildlife. Everyone needs to help solve these.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus teaches us the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood. She felt she could not perform the big mortifications of the saints. We also feel we cannot go back to a lifestyle without cars and modern conveniences.

St. Therese, though, was determined to become a saint. She read, "Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a little child will not enter into it." Following this, St. Therese in childlike simplicity offered God all of her small deeds of ordinary life, and placed all her trust in God to help her scale the cliffs of perfection and avoid temptations. This is the Little Way. "Not everyone can fast, or wear hair shirts, or spend hours in prayer," she used to say, "but everyone can love!" One thing alone is needful: all must be done for love of God.

What is needed to solve the big environmental problems is a life of many small deeds done out of love for God. We need to offer many small prayers to help us understand the problems and find solutions, and then more prayers to carry out our actions in daily life.

We need faith that our small deeds will, with God's grace, amount to more than a meaningless drop in the bucket, letting Jesus multiply our fish & loaves; Mother Teresa said our love makes our small deeds infinite. We need hope that we will one day be rejoicing with God in heaven, so we need not be too concerned with worldly riches, comforts, and status. We need the charity of joyfully sharing God’s bounty and beauty with others around the world and in the future by helping to save the Earth.

4elise · #8 Aug 22, '10, 4:37 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by lynnvinc

Here is my Little Way of Environmental Healing:

We are faced with enormous environmental problems that kill people, and destroy property and wildlife. Everyone needs to help solve these.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus teaches us the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood. She felt she could not perform the big mortifications of the saints. We also feel we cannot go back to a lifestyle without cars and modern conveniences.

St. Therese, though, was determined to become a saint. She read, "Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a little child will not enter into it." Following this, St. Therese in childlike simplicity offered God all of her small deeds of ordinary life, and placed all her trust in God to help her scale the cliffs of perfection and avoid temptations. This is the Little Way. "Not everyone can fast, or wear hair shirts, or spend hours in prayer," she used to say, "but everyone can love!" One thing alone is needful: all must be done for love of God.

What is needed to solve the big environmental problems is a life of many small deeds done out of love for God. We need to offer many small prayers to help us understand the problems and find solutions, and then more prayers to carry out our actions in daily life.

We need faith that our small deeds will, with God's grace, amount to more than a meaningless drop in the bucket, letting Jesus multiply our fish & loaves; Mother Teresa said our love makes our small deeds infinite. We need hope that we will one day be rejoicing with God in heaven, so we need not be too concerned with worldly riches, comforts, and status. We need the charity of joyfully sharing God’s bounty and beauty with others around the world and in the future by helping to save the Earth.

I love this... we do need faith that every small choice - no matter how little makes a difference.

lynnvinc · #9 Aug 26, '10, 3:03 pm

I'm disturbed by the extensive AGW denialism here at CAF. It's pretty snippy and vicious. I was surprised some 3 yrs ago when we finally got cable and were able to see EWTN (which I'd heard about for decades) that they also had some anti-environmentalist rhetoric and climate change denialism. Esp having Fr. Sirico of the Acton Institute (heavily funded by Exxon) come on the World Over and put down environmental problems. But also snippy and snarky attacks against environmentalism or Al Gore on other programs and during homilies.

I wrote several times to EWTN, and I finally wrote a joint email to Raymond Arroyo and Dr. James Hansen (head of climate science at NASA) about AGW, that it is a serious problem, explaining some basics about it, and that Dr. Hansen, I was sure, would be happy to answer any Qs or clear up any doubts he might have, and that Dr. Hansen is a good Christian, a Methodist.

To my surprise Jim wrote back to both of us and said my points about AGW were accurate, but that he was baptized in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but his wife, children, and grandchildren were all Catholics, and his daughter-in-law's father was an official in the church.

I don't always get to see World Over, but I haven't heard a snarky word against AGW, Al Gore, or environmentalists since.....

Just let me know if you hear any anti-environmentalism on EWTN. We've got to keep reminding them about Church teachings on the subject....

lynnvinc · #10 Mar 20, '12, 2:29 pm

Hi all,

I've started a thread on "How can we mitigate global warming" at http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=656903

Hope you can participate.

lynnvinc · #11 Apr 10, '12, 10:17 am

Here's an article about a student who reduced her "carbon footprint" from 15.6 tons of CO2 to 2.7 tons per year: "Small steps greatly reduce carbon footprint" http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/ar...nt-3469768.php

One step she took was to reduce her meat-eating by 2/3s -- which I'm thinking might also be a health benefit for her to come decades later during her "cholesterol years."