CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE POOR:A PLEA FOR ACTION

8/9/2019 CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE POOR:A PLEA FOR ACTION

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MISSOURI CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

MESSENGERThe bishops of Missouri, speaking together on matters of public policy, form the Missouri Catholic Conference. November 2007

CLIMATE CHANGE

AND THE POOR :

A PLEA FOR ACTION IN MISSOURI

AND AROUND THE WORLD

I was fortunate to be invited by the MissouriCatholic Conference to their AnnualAssembly on Sept. 29, 2007 and sharesome thoughts about climate change andthe Catholic Church’s particular approachto this emerging moral and spiritualconcern.

Having worked at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for eleven years, I gaineda profound respect for the beauty and clarityof our Church’s social teachings. This bodyof teaching begins with the Gospel andhelps us read the signs of the times throughthe eyes of faith. It provides a set of principles and a framework upon which thethorny moral issues of our day can beexamined. Beginning with the life anddignity of each human person and includingthe care of God’s creation, these principlesmay not offer specific remedies to specificproblems, but they help point the way.

My understanding of this framework hasenabled me to find a way to put my passionfor social justice into practice within aChurch that I love. The beauty of thisteaching is that it is always a “both/and”

approach. We need to protect human lifeand promote human dignity. We have rightsas human beings but also responsibilitiesto secure those rights for others. We insistthat each person has a right to work and ameaningful wage and the employer has aright to expect a fair day’s work.

Many of you live the Gospel and theseteachings in everyday ways or extraordinaryways. I am humbled by those who devotecountless hours to saving the lives of theunborn or ensuring that we not destroy lifein laboratories. Others feed the hungry or counsel the lost or witness their faith incountless ways through family life and inthe workplace.

As for me, I have found a calling to assistthe Church in her message on caring for creation. I don’t for a minute think that thisought to be everyone’s calling or that all theother good work we do as a Catholic

community should be dropped in favor of dealing with climate change and theenvironment, but it will become anincreasingly important part of our witnessand action as a community of faith.

In this article, I will examine Catholicteaching and climate change, offer a brief explanation of the science of climatechange, look at possible impacts of awarming planet, especially the impacts onpoor people, and offer some practical andpublic policy prescriptions for dealing withclimate change and its impacts.

CHURCH TEACHING AND

CLIMATE CHANGE

In 2001, the U.S. Catholic bishops issued astatement on climate change, Global

Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue,

Prudence and the Common Good . Theyemphasized three basic principles includingprudence and the common good, but alsopoverty: the poor, who have contributed theleast to climate change, will likely suffer itsworst consequences:

We especially want to focus on the needs

of the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable in

a debate often dominated by more powerful

interests. Inaction and inadequate or

misguided responses to climate change will

likely place even greater burdens on already

desperately poor peoples. Action to mitigate

global climate change must be built upon a

foundation of social and economic justice

that does not put the poor at greater risk or

place disproportionate and unfair burdens

on developing nations.

The bishops are expanding on Churchteaching that is as old as Genesis and asnew as Pope John Paul II’s 1990 World Day

of Peace message, The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility. While notfocused specifically on climate change buton the broader theme of care of Creation,the late Holy Father began the message indramatic fashion:

by Dan Misleh, Executive Director, Catholic Coalition on Climate Change



In our day, there is a growing

awareness that world peace is [also]

threatened…by a lack of due respect for nature, by the plundering of

natural resources and by a

progressive decline in the quality of

life…Faced with the widespread

destruction of the environment,

people everywhere are coming to

understand that we cannot continue

to use the goods of the earth as we

have in the past…a new ecological

awareness is beginning to emerge

which, rather than being downplayed,

ought to be encouraged to develop

into concrete programs and

initiatives.

Before a recent round of talks I wasgiving to national Catholicorganizations, I was talking with afriend of mine who’s not exactly sureabout the urgency of addressingclimate change and he said,somewhat sarcastically, “So are yourepresenting Al Gore?” “No,” Ireplied, “I hope I’m representing thePope.” That came as a bit of a shock.When asked what I meant I said thatPope Benedict XVI has becomeincreasingly vocal about the climatechange issue. In July of this year hesaid this:

Today, we all see that man can

destroy the foundations of his

existence, his earth, hence, that we

can no longer simply do what we like

or what seems useful and promising

at the time with this earth of ours, with

the reality entrusted to us. On the

contrary, we must respect

the inner laws of creation,

of this earth; we must

learn these laws and obey

these laws if we wish to

survive.

Consequently, thisobedience to the voice of the earth, of being, is moreimportant for our future

happiness than the voicesof the moment, the desiresof the moment. In short,this is a first criterion tolearn: that being itself, our earth, speaks to us and wemust listen if we want tosurvive and to decipher this message of the earth.And if we must beobedient to the voice of theearth, this is even truer for the voice of human life.Not only must we care for the earth, we must respectthe other, others: both theother as an individual

person, as my neighbor,and others ascommunities who live inthe world and have to livetogether.

We share one world and nothingillustrates that clearer than our

atmosphere. The air we breathe andthe air we pollute circulates aroundthe globe indiscriminately. Theaccumulation of greenhouse gasesthat is now blanketing the earth isimpacting our temperature as well aswildlife and human life and dignity.The Holy Father expressed urgencyin addressing the crisis last month.Speaking to thousands of youngpeople in Italy, he said:

One of the areas in which work

appears to be urgent is without a doubt

that of protecting creation...To the new

generations the future of the planet is

entrusted, in which there are evident

signs of a development that has not

always known how to safeguard the

delicate equilibriums of nature.

Before it is too late, it is necessary to

make courageous decisions that

reflect knowing how to re-create a

strong alliance between man and the

earth...A decisive ‘yes’ to the

protection of creation is necessary

and a firm commitment to reverse

those tendencies that run the risk of

bringing about situations of

unstoppable degradation.

Climate change currently impactsmany, including the poorest people

in our country and beyond. In June,the bishops of Alaska held an all dayhearing on climate change in Alaska.They heard from many differentperspectives: oil companies drilling in

the Arctic, advocates for alternativeenergy sources, the tourism and

fishing industries, among others.Each had a particular message onhow climate change is impacting their industry or service. But arepresentative from Newtok, a smallAlaskan village near the Bering Sea,truly captured the attention of theaudience. He described how eachyear the river delta is inundated byrising sea level. Now the entirevillage is at risk of flooding…theyalready have had water lapping upagainst their doorways. The entirevillage must now move to higher ground.

Climate change will impact all of usinto the foreseeable future. Scientistsagree that climate change will createlarge-scale weather events like moreintense floods, longer droughts andheat waves. As the bishops and thepope have already said, and as theexamples of Katrina and the 2005Tsunami have shown us, suchnatural disasters will impact poor people the most. They have thefewest resources to get out of harm’sway or to recover from suchdisasters.

Climate change could exacerbate theconditions of poverty. Those alreadyfood insecure could become moreinsecure. Those with armed conflictwithin their borders (often over pasture or farmland) may find moreconflict as water and food resourcesshrink. Those with water shortages

could be hurt by longer droughts.Those in low-lying flood plains could

experience flooding more often andmore intensely.

Should some of the predictions cometrue about climate change, we maysee millions of environmentalrefugees especially those living inlow-lying areas or who are dependenton glacial melt for their water, as anexample.

From Genesis to Paul, we arereminded of our role as caretakersof creation and stewards of all life.The stories of creation, the soaringpoetry of the Psalmists about thebeauty of creation, the notions of

jubilee and fallow land…all of thesebiblical themes and stories call onhumankind to be faithful to the gift of creation given freely by the Creator.The gifts of the Eucharist itself arefrom the earth: here we take breadand wine and transform them into thebody and blood of Christ.

The resources we have wereintended for all people, not just someof us. We must demonstrate in veryconcrete ways a love of neighbor thatdemands compassion and sacrificeand care for creation.

BUT WHAT IS CLIMATE

CHANGE?

So what is c l imate change?There are many solid resources

on this and I urge you todo your own researchabout i ts causes andeffects. A simple websearch wil l y ield manyexcellent sites. There arel inks to some of theset h r o u g hwww.catholicsandclimatechange.org or the U.S.b ishops’ websi te:

w w w . u s c c b . o r g / e j p /climate. But let me try toexpla in i t non-scientifically.

As winter approaches, wetend to put an extra blanketon the bed. As we fade off to sleep, our bodies radiateheat but the blankets holdmost of that in. By themorning, we’re warm andcomfortable. But imaginethat as you slept, someoneput on an extra blanket,maybe a down comforter.Now you’ve gone from nice

and toasty to sweaty anduncomfortable. The buildupof certain gases in theatmosphere (primarilycarbon dioxide from burning

The remains of St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.More than two years after it’s destruction, Catholics continue to hold Mass in a tent. Bishop

Thomas J. Rodi of the Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi during his keynote speech at the

MCC’s Annual Assembly, thanked Missouri Catholics for their generous support as the

diocese continues recovery efforts.



fossil fuels) is like that downcomforter – it’s just a little bit too

much.

As the sun warms the globe, muchof that heat is absorbed and keepsthe earth’s overall temperature “justright.” The buildings, plants, soil,water, and snow that absorb this heatalso radiate some of it back intospace. But the buildup of greenhousegases is trapping more of this re-radiated heat causing the overallaverage annual temperatures to rise.

For hundreds of thousands of yearsthese gases have stayed relativelystable and by proxy data gleanedfrom gas bubbles trapped in ice cores

in places like Greenland andAntarctica, scientists can say withvery high accuracy that the planet hasnever had more than about 280 partsper million of carbon dioxide. Sincethe dawn of the industrial age, theconcentrations have crept up toaround 380 ppm today. Is the earthwarming? Yes. Scientists are alreadyseeing increases in average yearlytemperatures, especially in thenorthern latitudes.

The problem with carbon dioxide,however, is that it sticks aroundawhile (approximately 70 years). Thecarbon dioxide we put into the

atmosphere today will be around asour children and their children growto adulthood. Plants and the oceanscan absorb some of this, but we’reputting more in than either plants or the oceans can absorb. So even if we stopped all fossil fuelconsumption today, temperatures willcontinue to rise until theconcentrations become more stable.It’s a little bit like trying to stop pre-heating an oven – even after you turnit off, it continues to heat a little untilit begins to cool down. The bigdifference is the timeline, of course.The oven will begin to cool soon after

the heat is off whereas the climatemay not cool for decades or evencenturies.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE

IMPLICATIONS OF A

WARMER PLANET?

Some of these were mentionedalready: stronger and longer heatwaves, more intense floods anddroughts. Secondary impacts willalso become evident. With moreintense heat waves, nighttimecooling is less likely, especially in

urban areas. Some health officialsare already warning that heat-related deaths could double by2020. More heat may also meanmore smog and allergens.

More heat means morewater evaporation leading to

bigger and more intensestorms. Flooding raises thepossibility of more death bydrowning, but also moredamaged crops leading tofood shortages and, in manyplaces that depend onsubsistence farming, morefamine.

Mosquitoes and other disease-carrying vectorsthrive in adverse weather conditions. Malaria alreadykills 3,000 people each day,most of them small children.

Massive migrations couldbecome the norm as peopleescape droughts or flooding.Such environmentalrefugees could severely taxthe relief and developmentwork by governments and byhumanitarian organizations.

In areas dependent on mountainsnow and glacier melting, climatechange may mean too much water right now (glaciers melting too fast)and not enough water at the end of the century (no more glaciers). Dryareas are predicted to get drier. Sealevels will rise – the debate is over

how high – inundating coastal areasand adding salt water into freshwater sources. Such is the case in Newtok,Alaska.

The United States, with all our resources and wealth, will not beimmune from climate changeimpacts. Most of these impacts willbe economic: loss of crops due todroughts or floods, encroachment byrising sea level into developments,and storm damage. But economicimpacts always hit low-incomefamilies and individuals hardestbecause they have the least cushion.

Poor children living in our cities aremuch more likely to contract asthmathan those living outside the cities.The ozone, which increases withrising temperatures contributes tothis. Low-income families are alsoless likely to carry health insurance(Hispanic and African Americans are2.5 times less likely to haveemployer-provided health insurance)and thus more likely to wait until acrisis moment requiring emergencyroom care, before addressing thehealth problem.

But could there be upsides to climatechange? There is likely to be more

land in agriculture, especially in thenorthern latitudes. Excessive heatcan kill some pests. Warmer weather generally creates more wind that mayhelp disperse pollution. In addition,

warmer winters will reduce cold-related mortality. On the balance,however, the majority of scientistsbelieve that a dramatically alteredclimate will be bad for humans as wellas for plants and animals.

USING THE GOLD C ARD

A colleague of mine was stuck in anairport during a snowstorm. But he’sa “gold” customer of his favoriteairline. Pulling out his gold card, hegot on the next flight out.

This is how climate change couldwork: those of us in the developedpart of the world have the gold cardand will be able to get to the head of the line when the impacts come. Therest of the folks are stuck at theairport.

Most of us in the United States havethe means to get out of harm’s wayin a natural disaster, or to rebuild our lives. The poor, who have so little tobegin with, will not be so fortunate. If Hurricane Katrina taught us anything,it is that the poor will rely on apartnership of government, business,charity, and individual generosity tohelp them recover and get back ontheir feet.

Ultimately, our public discourse aboutremedies to climate change will leadto public policy prescriptions. In thefaith community, we will rely on our principles to help guide our role in thisdebate. For example, the Catholicbishops call for prudent action in themidst of uncertainty, the promotion of the common good over self-interest,and the protection of the poorestamong us, which is not only a basicresponse to the Gospel mandate to

love our neighbor, but a test of our faith and faithfulness. It is Jesus for whom we do these things (Mt. 25).

As public officials debate andlegislate, we must remind them thatthe winners can’t just be some in theenergy industry (making a profit

trading carbon credits, for instance)or some environmental groups(scoring reductions in greenhousegas emissions and demonstratingprogress to their funders). Thebishops and others in the faithcommunity will advocate for provisions that protect the lives anddignity of the poorest – at home andabroad. People of faith believe thatthis should be everyone’s first priority.

WHAT C AN WE DO?

There are many small and simplethings each of us can do starting

today. The important thing is to start.Here’s a short list:

A ROUND THE H OME

! Begin purchasing compactfluorescent bulbs to replaceincandescent ones. They are alittle more expensive, but lastlonger and save money in thelong run because they use muchless electricity. Your electric billwill drop and less carbon dioxideends up in the atmosphere.

! Wrap your hot-water heater withan insulating blanket. Availableat home improvement stores for about $20, you’ll recover thisamount easily within a fewmonths.

! Install low-flow showerheads and

Pope Benedict XVI recently stated: “ Today, we all see that man can destroy the foundationsof his existence, his earth, hence, that we can no longer simply do what we like...wemust respect the inner laws of creation, of this earth; we must learn these laws and obeythese laws if we wish to survive.



take shorter showers.

! When the weather cooperates,dry your clothes outside on a lineinstead of in the drier.

! Insulate your house, weather-strip around, or if you can affordit, replace your doors andwindows with more energyefficient ones.

! Replace your old appliances withEPA’s “Energy Star” ratedproducts. AND retire the oldones…don’t put the old fridge inthe basement too keep the 12pack cold.

! Unplug all those chargers – justbecause your phone is charged,doesn’t mean it’s not drawingelectricity. Put all your chargerson a power strip and turn it off before you go to bed. Sameholds for computers and other equipment – turn them off whennot in use.

! Check with your local utilitycompany to see if they areoffering power from renewablesources like wind or biomass andpurchase at least a portion of your energy from those sources.

! Keep your thermostat a little

higher in the summer and a littlelower in the winter.

T RANSPORTATION

! Carpool to work or school withothers or take publictransportation when possible.

! Combine trips when you need touse your car.

! Make sure your car tires areinflated properly.

! If you’re going to replace your car, look for the one with thehighest mileage in your preferred

class. In some cases, this maybe a hybrid, but check twice –some hybrids actually get lessmileage than a car with a smaller engine.

! Dust off that old bike, oil thechain, pump the tires and feel likea kid again on that highly efficienttwo-wheeled machine.

O THER I DEAS

! Plant more trees: If planted on thesouthern exposure of your property trees can help cool your home in the summer when the

leaves are out and warm thehouse when they drop their leavesand winter approaches. They helpabsorb carbon dioxide as well.

! Buy local: join a food co-op or

make friends with a vegetablefarmer. Much of our food travels

for hundreds of miles.Purchasing locally saves thattransportation fuel and helps thelocal economy.

! Educate yourself and share your knowledge with neighbors andparishioners.

Many of these same things could bedone in your parish, too. Our churches, rectories, schools, andother buildings could benefit fromsome energy efficiencies and savethe parish some cash in the long run.

The bottom line is that if we all did a

little, we could keep a lot of greenhousegases out of the atmosphere.

At the public policy level, cities, statesand the federal government arebeginning to act on climate change.Many cities are working to improvethe efficiency of their buildings andreplacing auto fleets with moreefficient cars. States are workingcooperatively to with utility companiesto lower overall emissions.

At the federal level, many inCongress are crafting legislativeremedies to deal with this issue. TheU.S. bishops and others in thereligious community will be at thetable to focus lawmakers’ attentionon how these policies impact the leastamong us: at home and abroad.

The approach that has the most playis a “cap and trade” system wherethe government puts a price ongreenhouse gases by issuing permitsfor each ton of carbon dioxide. Thosein energy or manufacturing sectorsare required to hold these permits. If they go over their limit, they will haveto purchase permits from those thathave a surplus. The result of thisprocess is income generated fromthe selling of permits for public

benefits and lowering of greenhousegases.

The bishops believe that poor peopleat home and abroad should have firstclaim on these public funds. For example: energy bills will likely riseas the cost of producing energy willget more expensive. Since energycosts are a significant percentage of the household budget for low-incomefamilies, a spike in heating or coolingcosts will create a genuine hardshipfor them. Therefore, some of thesenew resources should go to offsetthese costs.

Likewise, the poorest people on earthcontribute the least to climate changebut will suffer its worstconsequences. The United States,having contributed the most toclimate change on a historical basis

has a moral obligation to help theleast developed countries adapt to

climate change and assist them indeveloping their economies in moresustainable ways than we have done.

CONCLUSION

In the Book of Deuteronomy, Yahwehsays: “I call heaven and earth todayto witness against you: I have setbefore you life and death, theblessing and the curse. Choose life,then, that you and your descendantsmay live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holdingfast to him.”

In the context of climate change,

these words challenge us anew. Weare on the cusp of a whole new world,one largely of our making and whosedirection is in our hands. Thechallenge is to demonstrate our loveof the Creator by honoring Creation.We are asked to choose life. Thiscertainly means choosing human life,but it is more than that. We are askedto choose all life. If we fail to chooselife, to protect human life and allcreation, then we and ou r descendants may be at risk.

In the words of Pope Benedict XVI:“[I]f we must be obedient to the voice

of the earth, this is even truer for the

voice of human life. Not only must we

care for the earth, we must respect

the other, others: both the other as

an individual person, as my neighbor,

and others as communities who live

in the world and have to live together.”

In the months and years ahead,politicians, scientists, environmentalgroups and business leaders willdebate the best course of action todeal with climate change. Thesedebates will be vigorous andsometimes contentious. But too oftenthe real needs of the poorest peoplewill be absent.

Climate change will test all of us –especially those with more than our share of the world’s resources – tocontemplate in a morecomprehensive way the notion of solidarity. We need to begin to thinkin terms of sacrifice and restraint; of simplifying our lives and becomingmore prayerful and careful about thechoices we make as consumers. Or,as one of my colleagues hassuggested, maybe we ought to thinkof our response as a “a really longLent.”

Documents

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE POOR:A PLEA FOR ACTION