PLANET EARTH DAY – APRIL 22:
Sister Karen J. Hartman, S.F.P. In our day and age we are hearing so much about Climate Change. There are pros and cons to this ever evolving topic. Scientists, ecologists and theologians have studied the many aspects of these phenomena and all conclude that we, individually and communally, have a responsibility to do our part in making changes that will honor and respect life and care for the planet for future generations. To commemorate Planet Earth Day I would like to share a few quotes and ideas about Climate Change. Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out on occasion and his reflections give us substance to contemplate: In his message on World Day of Peace in 2008 the Pope says: On another occasion Benedict XVI says: The challenges of global climate change provide a timely opportunity for education that motivates changes in our actions in order to better care for the integrity of God’s creation entrusted to us. Our Catholic tradition and recent church documents call us to humility in recognition of our interdependence with all life. We are invited to change at many levels: our personal choices, our parishes and faith-based institutions, and our advocacy for policies that support a sustainable energy and environmental future. As we grow in understanding our role as humans in the web of life, we can be guided by the Scriptural maxim to act justly, and love tenderly while walking humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8). The Ecological human – an invitation to humility*
Our very name as humans derives from the root shared with humus, the top layer of soil. Our bodies are made up of the earth: the vitamins and minerals that plants took from the air. Our Ash Wednesday rituals remind us that we are of the earth, and to the dust we shall return. Humility invites us to recognize that humans are part of, not apart from, the web of life. What happens to the rest of the ecosystems impacts us and what we put into our air, soil, water and earth becomes part of us. Humility also invites us to recognize our appropriate role as humans and the importance of each member. Each part of the web of life is needed for the functioning of the whole and parts together are of service to the others. The term “ecosystem services” has been developed by ecologists to describe these free services. Ecosystems (e.g., forest, lakes, wetlands) give numerous services to humans including: air and water purification, mitigation of floods and drought, soil generation and preservation, waste detoxification and decomposition, nutrient cycling and movement, seed dispersal, pollination, control of pests, maintenance of bio-diversity, and providing aesthetic beauty that lifts the human spirit. Preserving natural ecosystems and thus these free services will help ensure the common good and can help lessen the impacts of global climate change. Humility in addressing Global Climate Change Over the past 150 years since the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels (the releasing of the carbon preserved in dead plants) and removal of plants that take up carbon (through deforestation and urbanization) has increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Because carbon dioxide gas holds heat, the increased thickness of the “blanket” is contributing to a global warming. Ways that enhance photosynthesis (e.g., conserving forests and other ecosystems, decreasing urban sprawl) or decrease fossil fuel use (e.g., use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal) are all actions that confront global climate change. We have a moral responsibility since the impacts of climate change will be disproportionate on poor people, both locally and globally. Along with higher temperature, increases are predicted in rainfall, storms, flooding, droughts, and coral reef bleaching. Together these will impact agriculture, natural resources, health and shipping. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in their 2001 report highlighted the environmental justice dimensions, stating that “Those with the least resources have the least capacity to adapt and are the most vulnerable.” It is poor people globally that will often suffer the greatest exposures to heat impacts because of already having a higher sensitivity, and lower resistance, resilience and coping ability. With temperature increases, the melting ice caps will increase ocean level. This in turn will particularly impact those in coastal and small island communities, as they will be ravaged by storms. We could lose entire cultures when low-lying areas disappear into the ocean. Walking humbly, acting justly
Acting Justly, Loving Creation
We will find that some of these choices can be made immediately as individuals and are in keeping with a simpler lifestyle. Being a voice of justice in public policy decisions ensures there are systemic incentives to promote the changes that better care for creation. Providing a prophetic voice that speaks for the impact on poor people, the global community and future generations is a key role that we can support in confronting climate change. It is easy to become overwhelmed at the immensity of the challenges before us. Yet we must keep walking forward, supporting one another and trusting in our God who continues to beckon us to change our lives to address the impacts of global climate change. Humbly remembering our place in the web of life, convinced of our interconnections with all life throughout the planet and across the generations, may we ever respond to God’s call to tenderly love all of creation by our acts of justice. *This information is taken from my notes from a seminar given by Leanne M. Jablonske, FMI, Ph.D. She is a Marianist Sister, ecologist, climate change scientist and pastoral minister. She directs the Marianist Environmental Education Center in Dayton, Ohio. © Franciscan Sisters of the Poor |
