December Action Alert: Let the bells ring, the conch shells, drums and gongs sound 350 times for climate justice!
Since time immemorial in cultures across the world musical instruments like bells and drums have been used to warn people of imminent danger – but also to call people to religious service, marking important moments in worship and seeking to connect to God.
Sunday 13 December marks the height of the talks at the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen.
At 3 p.m. – marking the end of a high profile ecumenical celebration at the Lutheran Cathedral in Copenhagen – all the churches in Denmark will ring their bells, and Christians around the world are invited to echo them by sounding their own bells, shells, drums, gongs or horns 350 times. We envisage a chain of chimes and prayers stretching in a time-line from the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific – where the day first begins and where the effects of climate change are already felt today – to northern Europe and across the globe.
Why 350 times?
1. 350 refers to 350 parts per million: This is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere according to many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments. For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 ppm of CO2, but now the concentration stands at 390 ppm. Unless we are able to rapidly reduce CO2 levels again, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt. By joining hands with Christians around the world we can have a greater impact in order to stop the destruction of God's creation and of human livelihoods.
How can your church or group join in?
2. Invite your parish to join this international celebration by ringing the parish bells at 3:00 PM, your local time.
3. Ring the bells at your Motherhouse and/or other possible sites. Spend some time in prayer at 3:00 PM, alone or with others, in gratitude for the gifts of Creation and in asking for the wisdom and courage to safeguard the environment. Go to www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-program for a prayer service.
For more information go to www.bellringing350.org
November Action Alert: The Shared Societies Project
Background
The theme for this year’s Commission for Social Development is Social Integration/Inclusion. In other words, how do you create a society in which the contributions of all members are welcomed and valued? In preparation for the Commission in February members of the Committee for Social Development are hosting education sessions to better inform ourselves about the topic and how we might engage with governments to make social inclusion a reality. A recent presentation by the Club of Madrid offered a very concrete project to facilitate social inclusion called The Shared Societies Project.
The Club of Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democratic values and leadership around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its members – 70 democratic former Heads of State and Government from 50 countries who contribute their time, experience and knowledge to this mission. The Club of Madrid’s membership constitutes the world’s largest forum of ex-Presidents and Prime Ministers and offers today’s leaders an unequalled body of knowledge and political leadership. Club of Madrid Members have the experience, independence, stature and convening power to tackle policy challenges and leadership issues at the international level and directly with leaders in transitional and consolidating democracies.
The Shared Societies Project components focus on some of the challenges that are key to managing dialogue, diversity and social cohesion. These include women’s political participation, next generation leadership, dialogue among religious and political leaders, and freedom of association and democratic dialogue in the Arab world. The Shared Societies Project is based on the belief that societies are most likely to be peaceful, democratic and prosperous when leaders and citizens recognize the value of diversity and build a shared society. The project aims to make “a world safe for difference,” providing policy tools for addressing the challenges of difference and transforming them into opportunities for a shared, democratic future.
The Club of Madrid is asking people throughout the world to sign a Call to Action to world leaders. Go to the following website: www.thesharedsocietiesproject.clubmadrid.org/call-to-action-registry/ and click on the button that says Join this Call to Action. Add your name to people from around the world calling on all of our leaders to think of the greater good of all people everywhere.
For those who do not have access to the internet please send me your name and I will register you. If you do not have internet access and would like more information about The Shared Societies Project, jot me a note and I will send you information in the mail.
Sister Caroljean Willie SC
NGOrepresentative@sisters-of-charity-federation.org
October 2009 Action Alert
“Climate change affects us all, but it does not affect us all equally. The poorest and most vulnerable-those who have done the least to contribute to global warming-are bearing the brunt of the impact today” – Ban Ki-Moon
Background
October 24th, United Nations Day, is also the International Day of Climate Action. It is a day to call the world’s political leaders to reduce carbon in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, the acceptable “safe” level scientists say will keep us from suffering the worst ravages of global climate change. We need an international agreement to reduce carbon emissions quickly and 2009 is shaping up to offer the best opportunity for real change.
The United Nations is working on a global climate treaty. The UN-led Seal the Deal Campaign aims to galvanize political will and public support for reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement in Copenhagen. Reaching a deal by the time the meeting ends in on December 18 will depend not only on complex political negotiations, but also on public pressure from around the globe.
People throughout the world are invited to participate in a planetary day of action on October 24, 2009 to send a strong message to world leaders that we will hold them accountable for working together in the interests of the human community and creating a treaty that will safeguard the planet for present and future generations.
Choose one or more of the following actions:
1. The website www.350.org invites you to organize or participate in an action in the place where you live, something that will make the most important number (350) visible to everyone. People in more than 1000 communities around the globe have already announced plans- school children in Bangladesh will be planting 350 trees, scientists will be hanging banners saying 350 on the statues on Easter Island, 350 scuba divers will be diving underwater at the Great Barrier Reef, and a thousand more creative actions like these.
2. Go to www.sealthedeal2009.org and learn more about global action on climate change. Sign the petition for a fair climate change agreement at the Copenhagen conference.
3. Write to local and national government leaders to urge them to take concrete actions to reduce carbon emissions in your home communities and throughout the country.
4. Design a prayer service on care of the environment.
5. Join a local group that works to protect the environment.
6. Plant a tree.
7. Educate yourself about the effects of climate change. Go to the websites of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change at http://unfccc.int/2860.php and/or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at www.ipcc.ch/ .
8. Take one specific action in your own life to reduce your consumption.
9. Create art, a drawing, painting, sculpture, mandala, etc. that speaks of the environment that surrounds you.
“The earth is ultimately a common heritage, the fruits of which are for the benefit of all. Today, the dramatic threat of ecological breakdown is teaching us the extent to which greed and selfishness—both individual and collective are contrary to the order of Creation, an order which is characterized by mutual interdependence.”
-Pope John
September Action Alert:
Background
Legislation pertaining to health care reform will be delayed until after the August recess. According to advocates in DC, legislators are hearing from those who oppose reform by a ratio of 3 to 1. There is an urgent need for the voices of those who seek the common good and in support of individuals who lack healthcare.
“The Catholic bishops of the United States have been and continue to be consistent advocates for comprehensive health care reform leading to accessible and affordable health care for all (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, USCCB, 2007). In a nation with the resources we have, health care should be such that all our citizens receive the kind of health care that provides for the needs of all in a coherent and consistent way. Health care involves fundamental issues of human life and dignity, and is a critical component of the Catholic Church’s ministry. The Church provides health care, purchases health care and picks up the pieces of a failing health care system. The Catholic community encounters and serves the sick and uninsured in our emergency rooms, shelters and on the doorsteps of our parishes. One out of six patients is cared for in Catholic hospitals. We bring strong convictions and everyday experience to the issue of health care.” (USCCB, 2009)
Suggested Actions
• Contact your Congressperson by phone ( 202-224-3121) or write a letter to Honorable (Name) U.S. Senate (zip 20510) OR U.S. House of Representatives (zip 20515) Washington, D.C
Sample letter: Please do whatever you can to make sure healthcare reform legislation passes this year. We can't afford to let this opportunity pass. We need healthcare reform to: prohibit insurance companies from penalizing people because of pre-existing conditions, gender or health status and eliminate annual or lifetime caps on benefits; require all health plans to cover a package of essential benefits; be accessible to everyone in the U.S.; and be affordable, funded and administered in a simple, direct way.
• Educate yourself and others about the multifaceted dimensions of healthcare reform. Network, the National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, offers a two hour program (Let’s put our hands together for Healthcare for All) to use in your parish or school at http://www.networklobby.org/HEALTHCAREoutline.htm
• Plan a group visit to the local offices of your members of Congress.
• Prepare letters to the editor of local newspapers.
• Plan media or educational events to engage more people in your community in advocacy for healthcare reform.
Additional Resources
www.faithfulreform.org (sign on to the “Faith Inspired” vision statement and check out additional resources)
www.catholichealthcare.us/OurVision
www.visionandvoice.org/ (download a four-session adult education series)
www.networklobby.org/issues/2009%20Issue%20Agenda/healthcare_page.htm
June Action Alert:
“International Mother Earth Day”
Background
The United Nations General Assembly recently adopted a unanimous resolution designating April 22nd each year as International Mother Earth Day. The resolution was proposed by the government of Bolivia and co-sponsored by 50 other countries. President Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, spoke shortly after the resolution passed. “Sixty years after adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mother Earth is now finally having her rights recognized,” said Morales. Urging the world community to accept a set of principles that would protect the planet’s resources and “right to life”, the Bolivian president said society cannot put its own narrow interests above those of the Earth. “Not just human beings have rights, but the planet has rights,” he said. “What’s happening with climate change is that the rights of Mother Earth are not being respected.”
In this context, Morales outlined certain principles to be considered. The first among them is the “right for no ecosystem to be eliminated.” The second “is the right for Mother Earth to live without contamination.” The third refers to “the right to harmony and balance.” In laying out the fourth principle, Morales said: “We are all interdependent. We now must begin to realize that the Earth does not belong to us,” he said. “It’s the other way around. We belong to the Earth.”
At the meeting, the General Assembly president, Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, said that “it is only right that we take care of Mother Earth as Mother Earth sustains our humanity.” He continued, “the world must listen to the indigenous peoples because, despite all odds, they have sustained their profound links with nature.”
Pablo Solon, the current Bolivian ambassador to the UN, has held several meetings with religious NGOs to ask for our help in promoting the concept of the rights of the Earth. He hopes to hold a panel discussion with several ambassadors in the near future about specific rights that must be accorded to the Earth. This is a new and bold initiative at the UN and certainly timely in view of the crises evolving as a result of climate change.
Please support the work of the Bolivian mission to recognize the rights of Mother Earth by writing to:
Ambassador Pablo Solon
Bolivian Mission
211 E. 43rd Street, Suite 802
New York, NY 10017
Dear Ambassador Solon,
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for the recent passage of the resolution to recognize the rights of Mother Earth and to thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of the whole earth community. As a member of the Sisters of Charity Federation I strongly support the text passed by the General Assembly stating that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home and that, in order to achieve a just balance among economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.
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/ br /> 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
March Action Alert: U.S. (See Canada Action Alert)
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February 2009 Action Alert-U.S. (See Canada below)
The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is committed to keeping the promises for international financial aid to developing countries in both Monterrey and Doha alive. One of the major and most effective ways to do this is to keep our federal governments aware of our watchfulness and concerns for those who are living in poverty. Jubilee USA has developed a letter addressed to the new Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner. For Computer users: See materials at www.jubileeusa.org and follow directions to the action you would want to take. Message for non-computer users: ** During this time of financial crisis, developing countries are under greater duress to secure food, water, fuel; just the basic essentials. As a member of a religious congregation I have serious concerns that people living in poverty have what they need each day to sustain life. I support:
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
**Written information going to the new secretary should be held till after the inauguration of our new president. It is important that our elected and appointed federal officials know that we are watching our legislators and that we are speaking on behalf of those living in poverty. More info:
February 2009 Action Alert-Canada
The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is committed to keeping the promises for international financial aid to developing countries in both Monterrey and Doha alive. One of the major and most effective ways to do this is to keep our federal governments aware of our watchfulness and concerns for those who are living in poverty. In Canada: On or about February 27th, the new federal budget will be made public. You are asked to watch for new spending for International Aid. Advocates contacted in Canada feel there is need for an increase from 8% to15%. Message: During this time of financial crisis, developing countries are under greater duress to secure food, water, fuel; just the basic essentials. As a member of a religious congregation and the broader faith community I have serious concerns that people living in poverty have what they need each day to sustain life. It is my hope that foreign aid during this FY’09 reach 15% and that full funding for debt relief payments to the World Bank be assured. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Contact info:
More info:
January 2009 Action Alert
December 2008
General Assembly resolution 62/187 mandates a Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) to "assess progress made, reaffirm goals and commitments, share best practices and lessons learned and identify obstacles and constraints encountered, actions and initiatives to overcome them and important measures for further implementation, as well as new challenges and emerging issues". This conference will take place from November 29-December 2, 2008 in Doha, Qatar. It is essential that the preparations for the meeting are inclusive, transparent and lead to a positive agreed outcome. Countries must honor the commitments already made at Monterrey. The Outcome document for the conference is being negotiated at this time. The present financial crisis highlights the interdependence of one country and economy on another. Therefore, the negotiation must be of benefit for all countries, particularly the poorest ones. It needs to be a genuine partnership where every member state of the United Nations has equal voice working to produce global balance and appropriate economic and trade policies that will benefit all stakeholders.
Take action by writing to:
We support the following recommendations of the UN Committee on Financing for Development:
For further information go to: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/doha/hearings/civilsociety/keyrecommendations.pdf
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