Dear First Name,
When the Arctic is warmer than Great Britain in February, we know something is wrong. As a changing climate generates wild weather swings in the Northern Hemisphere, we are reminded that our future could be grim if we do not begin to look deep into our souls to examine our own complicity. Advent provides a time for this introspection and often our Lenten sacrifices include lifestyle changes, which are becoming mandatory—especially by those of us in developed nations—in a climate-threatened world.
We also know that in less than four weeks, we celebrate Easter. By April 1 we will certainly begin to see signs of spring, signs of hope. Our Northern winter turns to spring. I believe that our sincerity in living our Lenten commitments pleases God and we are rewarded with hope: hope that is realized in a turning away from our sinful past and towards a brighter future. But in the end, God requires us not to be perfect but to become ever more faithful to living the Gospel. We thank you for your lifestyle commitments and for your faithfulness to our common work. We look forward in hope to a brighter future for our planet and its people because of you.
Dan
Dan Misleh
Founding Executive Director
Catholic Climate Covenant
Catholics Leading the Way
2018 Earth Day Program Now Available!
The Covenant’s 2018 Earth Day program is now available! We invite your parish, school, youth group, university, or religious community to celebrate this year’s Earth Day (April 22nd or a date of your choosing) with a one-hour education program designed to address, both individually and collectively, the growing problem of single-use disposable plastic.
The “Beyond A Throwaway Culture: Reduce Waste-Grow Community” program includes prayers, readings, actions, and a short video to help you explore how we as Catholics can work individually and collectively to move beyond a throwaway culture. By the end of the hour, we hope you and your community will commit to using less disposable plastic and participate in activities to reduce single-use plastic.
Your group is encouraged to participate in the “Beyond a Throwaway Culture” program and brainstorm how to reduce our use of disposable plastic.
Download the Earth Day Program
“Communicating Climate Change to People of Faith” Webinar
On February 20th, the Covenant hosted an incredibly informative webinar, “Communicating Climate Change to People of Faith.” The webinar featured atmospheric scientist and Christian leader Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and the Covenant’s own Dr. Dan DiLeo, who explored:
1) How to communicate successfully about climate change within our own faith communities.
2) Key narratives and messaging strategies that work.
3) The unique challenges and strengths within the Catholic community for successful climate change communication.
To view the recording and see the webinar slides go here.
CATHOLIC ENERGIES: Helping Catholics Take Action to Reduce Energy Waste
- Lower energy costs for Catholic facilities to enable them to redirect resources back into their core missions.
- Provide education & resources to engage Catholics to live their faith authentically, including our common call to be stewards of God’s creation and to seek justice for our vulnerable sisters and brothers.
Faithful Action on Climate Change
“Climate Change: Morphing into an Existential Threat” Lecture
On Feb. 21st, Creighton University hosted Dr. Veerabhadran “Ram” Ramanathan, Ph.D. in a public lecture: “Climate Change: Morphing into an Existential Threat”. Dr. Ramanathan is a world-renowned climate scientist who serves as a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and advised Pope Francis on Laudato Si’. He also represented the Holy See at the United Nations Climate Negotiations in 2015 and 2016. In the 1980’s he predicted, correctly, that greenhouse gases would lead to observable warming by the year 2000. He focused his lecture on “how the cry of the Earth should be heard with the cry of the poor”.
To watch the recording of the lecture go here.
The day after the Lecture, The Omaha World-Herald published an Op-Ed highlighting many of the issues that Dr. Ramanathan touched upon during his lecture: Midlands Voices: Let's build consensus for action to promote climate stability, written by Richard Miller (associate professor of systematic theology and associate professor of sustainability studies at Creighton University) and Dan DiLeo (assistant professor and director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton, and Catholic Climate Covenant consultant).
Meet Us in St. Louis!
The 2018 Saint Louis Climate Summit (April 22-24) hosted by Saint Louis University as a part of its yearlong Bicentennial Celebration, will bring some of the most authoritative minds in climate science and related disciplines to the Midwest for three days of discussion on climate change. The list of world-renowned speakers including Cardinal Peter Turkson, Carl Pope, Mario Molina, Peter Raven, Jane Lubchenco, Jeffrey Sachs, and more.
View Conference Agenda and register here.
Feature article from Healthcare Ethics: Is Fossil Fuel Investment a Sin?
The Winter 2108 edition of “Healthcare Ethics USA” (published by our partner Catholic Health Association) features an essay co-written by Erin Lothes Biviano, Ph.D., Cristina Richie, Ph.D., Dan DiLeo, Ph.D., and Tobias Winright, Ph.D. calling on Catholic health care systems and institutions to lead the way among all health care systems and institutions by seriously considering financial divestment from fossil fuel. Read the article here.