August 2023 Newsletter
Issue #78
It's in Our Hands
“It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 2.7°F; without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors,
it will be impossible,”

The last 8 years were the warmest on record, despite the cooling impact of a La Niña event for the past 3 years. Melting of glaciers and sea level rise - again reached record levels in 2022. Antarctic sea ice fell to its lowest extent on record, and the melting of some European glaciers was, literally, off the charts.

The average global air temperature recorded above the Earth’s surface was 62.92°F on July 4th-- the highest that has ever been recorded. The previous record was set the day before.

 In August of 2021, 11% of the counties in the US, representing 84.8 million people, experienced temperatures above the 20th Century normal. During the same time, 0 counties experienced lower than normal monthly temperatures. At the same time, 203 counties in the U.S. experienced precipitation higher than the 20th Century normal, representing 13.7 million people. During the same time, 0 counties experienced lower than normal monthly levels.
             USA Facts

Shallow waters off south Florida recently topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit potentially setting a new world record with temperatures more commonly associated with hot tubs.​

Climate refugees

The term “climate refugees” describe the increasing large-scale migration and cross-border mass movements of people that were partly caused by such weather-related disasters such as food and water shortages and rising sea levels. The number of people displaced by climate change-related disasters since 2010 has risen to 21.5 million
 
Over the past 30 years, the number of people living in coastal areas at high risk of rising sea levels has increased from 160 million to 260 million --90% of whom are from poor developing countries and small island states. For example, in Bangladesh it is predicted that 17% of the country will be submerged by the rise in sea level by 2050, and 20 million people living there will lose their homes.
                                               World Economic Forum

The 5 countries with the most displacements due to climate disasters:

India--5,018,000
Philippines--4,094,000
Bangladesh--4,086,000
China--4,034,000
The U.S.--916,000


At least 1.2 billion people could be displaced by environmental threats by 2050.                    


These 20 companies have contributed 35% of all carbon dioxide and methane to the environment
since 1965:

  • Saudi Aramco--59 billion tons (state owned)
  • Chevron--43 billion tons (investor owned)
  • Gazprom--43 billion tons (state owned)
  • ExxonMobil--41 billion tons (investor owned)
  • National Iranian Oil Co.--35 billion tons (state owned)
  • British Petroleum (BP)--34 billion tons (investor owned)
  • Royal Dutch Shell--31 billion tons (investor owned)
  • Coal India--23 billion tons (state owned)
  • Pemex--22 billion tons (state owned)
  • Petróleos de Venezuela--15 billion tons (state owned)
  • PetroChina--15 billion tons (state owned)
  • Peabody Energy--15 billion tons (investor owned)
  • Conoco Phillips--15 billion tons (investor owned)
  • Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.--13 billion tons (state owned)
  • Kuwait Petroleum Corp.--13 billion tons (state owned)
  • Iraq National Oil Co.--12 billion tons (state owned)
  • Total SA--12 billion tons (investor owned)
  • Sonatrach--12 billion tons (state owned)
  • BHP Billiton--9 billion tons (investor owned)
  • Petrobras--8 billion tons (state owned) 


74% of Americans support the U.S. taking steps to address global climate change and back an energy landscape that prioritizes renewable sources like wind and solar. Yet, 59% oppose ending the production of gas-powered vehicles by 2035 and there’s limited support for steps like eliminating gas lines from new buildings.

Over 150 Catholic banks, universities, foundations and others have pledged to end their investments in fossil fuels.
                                         Yale Climate Connections


For more on the Environment, click here.
Other Resources
Climate Accountability Institute
Engages in research and education on human caused climate change, dangerous interference with the climate system, and the contribution of fossil fuel producers’ carbon production to atmospheric carbon dioxide content. This encompasses the science of climate change, the civil and human rights associated with a stable climate regime not threatened by climate-destabilizing emissions of greenhouse gases, and the risks, liabilities, and disclosure requirements regarding past and future emissions of greenhouse gases attributable to primary carbon producers.

For more on the Environment, click here.
Ecology, the Liturgy and the Sacraments
By Kevin W. Irwin. Based on the principle that the liturgy is the enactment of "the work of our redemption" through the raising up, acknowledging and revering elements of the cosmos, the earth, and our "fellow creatures" in our common home. Argues that concern for the environment is a traditional Catholic premise based on the goodness of creation and that God is creator of "heaven and earth." Also argues that an ecological approach to sacramental theology can help to understand underlying factors and principles in the enactment of the liturgy of the sacraments about how and where God is discovered in the world in general and in the liturgy and sacraments in an intense and focused way through engagement with all who dwell in our common home. Read more.

For more on the Environment, click here.
The Parish as Oasis: An Introduction to Practical Environmental Care
By Kevin Hargaden & Ciara Murphy. A practical and accessible introduction to how local churches can contribute to the healing the environmental crisis. By focusing on practical and accessible “experiments” that any parish can explore according to their own context and capacities, this book seeks to equip people with a hands-on understanding of the ideas unpacked in Laudato Si’. It consists of three parts: an introductory essay that situates the theological vision of the book, a practical array of experiments that congregations can undertake to care for our common home, and a conclusion pointing people to further resources. While intellectually rigorous, it is written in an accessible, non-technical fashion. The practical experiments draw on real-world examples, including interviews, to give each of these sections an easy magazine-like feel. Read more.

For more on the Environment, click here.
International Refugee Assistance Project
IRAP is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Serves the world’s most persecuted individuals and empowers the next generation of human rights leaders. Learn more.

For more on Refugees, click here.
Creating Spaces for Women in the
Catholic Church
Edited by Sarah Kohles OSF. Presents the struggle of theologically educated lay women with the Catholic Church. Holds that lay women lack a network of communal, ministerial, financial, and spiritual support that religious women have. Points out that lay women carve out spaces for themselves within the church, but they tend to be small-scale, localized, and temporary. The final chapter, "Giving Voice and Creating Space," explores potential pathways forward for collaboration between sisters and lay women to create a stronger network support for lay women. Read more.

For more on Gender Inequality, click here.
Jewish Muslims:
How Christians Imagined Islam as the Enemy
By David M. Freidenreich. Uncovers the hidden history of Islamophobia and its surprising connections to the long-standing hatred of Jews. Explores the history of this complex, perplexing, and emotionally fraught phenomenon. Makes the case that, then and now, hate-mongers target "them" in an effort to define "us." Analyzes anti-Muslim sentiment in texts and images produced across Europe and the Middle East over a thousand years and shows how Christians intentionally distorted reality by alleging that Muslims were just like Jews. They did so not only to justify assaults against Muslims on theological grounds but also to motivate fellow believers to live as "good" Christians. Read more.

For more on Religious Intolerance, click here.
Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise
A PBS documentary featuring Henry Louis Gates, Jr. that embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state of black America—and our nation as a whole.

For more on Racism, click here.
World Central Kitchen
One of the first organizations to the frontlines, provides freshly made meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. Their work is guided by the belief that food is a universal human right. WCK teams across the world are committed to serving chef-prepared meals to people with the dignity they deserve. Learn more.

For more on Hunger, click here.
Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino”
By Héctor Tobar. Assembles the author's experiences as the son of Guatemalan immigrants and the stories told to him by his Latinx students to offer a rebuke to racist ideas about Latino people. Decodes the meaning of "Latino" as a racial and ethnic identity in the modern U.S., and seeks to give voice to the angst and anger of young Latino people who have seen latinidad transformed into hateful tropes about "illegals" and have faced insults, harassment, and division based on white insecurities and economic exploitation. Investigates the US-Mexico border "wall," Frida Kahlo, urban segregation, gangs, queer Latino utopias, and the emergence of the cartel genre in TV and film. Read more.

For more on Racism, click here.
WomenSpeak
A company that offers clothing, accessories and home products that express rights and equality for women. Also has Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Be Kind product lines. Learn more.

For more on Gender Equality, click here.
Doctors for America
Teaches physicians and medical students advocacy skills and advocates at a state and federal level, focusing on access to affordable health care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. Mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics on the pressing issues of the day to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. Believes that:
  1. Every person in America has a fundamental right to equitable, high-quality, and affordable health care.
  2. Everyone should have the opportunity to lead a healthy life.
  3. Every part of society should value and promote healthy families and communities.
  4. Doctors should take a leadership role in improving health care and ending health disparities.

For more on Health Care, click here.

Still Hungry at the Feast:
Eucharistic Justice in the Midst of Affliction
By Samuel Torvend. Invites readers to expand their experience and understanding of the Mass and Eucharist, as more than a personal encounter with the risen Christ. Drawing on recent research, the history of eucharistic reflection among Christians, and contemporary commitments to economic justice, the book invokes the integral relationship between eucharistic practice and eucharistic mission. Stresses the pattern and meaning of the Mass toward care for the wounded creation and solidarity with the poor and outcast. Lectionary references and homilies are available for liturgical preparation at the back of the book. Read more.

For more Justice resources, click here.
A Song for Cesar
A documentary that presents a unique view of the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. Tells the story about the musicians and artists – including Joan Baez, Maya Angelou, and Carlos Santana – who dedicated their time, creativity and even reputations to peacefully advance Cesar Chavez’s movement to gain equality and justice for America’s farmworkers. Also explores other facets of Cesar’s life – from childhood to his final days.

For more Justice resources, click here.
The Center on Conscience & War (CCW)
Founded in 1940, CCW is a non-profit organization that advocates for the rights of conscience, opposes military conscription, and serves all conscientious objectors to war. Learn more.

For more Peace resources, click here.
By Dorcas Cheng-Tozun. Offers six possible ideas for social justice work other than the traditional leading, advocating, organizing etc. These include:
  • Connectors: relational activists whose interactions and conversations build the social capital necessary for change
  • Creatives: artists and creators whose work inspires, sheds light, makes connections, and brings issues into the public consciousness
  • Record Keepers: archivists who preserve essential information and hold our collective memory and history
  • Builders: inventors, programmers, and engineers who center empathy as they develop society-changing products and technologies
  • Equippers: educators, mentors, and elders who build skills and knowledge within movements and shepherd the next generation of changemakers
  • Researchers: data-driven individuals who utilize information as a persuasive tool to effect change and propose options for improvement

With real-life examples of highly sensitive world-changers, expands the possibilities of how to have a positive social impact, affirming the particular gifts and talents that sensitive souls offer to a
hurting world.

For more Public Witness resources, click here.
 Important Dates This Month
Individuals Honored This Month
August 9th
If the Church stays silent in the face of what is happening, what difference would it make if no church ever opened again?
August 14th
The most deadly poison of our times is indifference.
August 15th
The life of "peace" is both an inner journey toward a disarmed heart and a public journey toward a disarmed world. This difficult but beautiful journey gives infinite meaning and fulfillment to life itself because our lives become a gift for the whole human race. With peace as the beginning, middle, and end of life, life makes sense.
August 21st
What is a pilgrimage? Isn't it a group of people, in the company of one another, who are travelling together for a holy purpose? Our journey is a pilgrimage that has Jesus Christ as both its origin and its destination.
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To learn more, click here.
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