EarthBeat Weekly: Will Pope Francis attend COP28?

Will Pope Francis attend COP28? Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change June 22, 2023 Pope Francis looks at a gift offered by John Kerry, President Biden's special envoy for climate issues, right, during a meeting that also included Joe Donnelly, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, left, June 19 at the Vatican. (CNS/Vatican Media) The 2023 United Nations climate change conference, COP28, is less than six months away, and Catholics across the country and around the world are preparing ways to influence conversations among leaders about how best to preserve a livable planet for all. On Monday, United States climate envoy John Kerry met with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss, among other things, plans for the annual climate summit that is set to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Nov. 30-Dec. 12. NCR Vatican correspondent Christopher White reported that Kerry, a Catholic, said he'd like the pope to play a leading role in rallying religious leaders to push for environmental action. And according to Kerry, Francis might be open to attending COP28 in person. Read more: US climate envoy John Kerry says Pope Francis an ally in lead-up to COP28 climate summit The architect of the Paris climate accord, adopted at COP21 in 2015, agrees that Catholics — especially in the U.S. — can have a significant impact on achieving climate goals set to help avoid more severe ramifications of a warming world on vulnerable communities. In a keynote address June 14 for the "Laudato Si' and the U.S. Catholic Church" conference, co-hosted by the Catholic Climate Covenant and Creighton University, Christiana Figueres, who served as executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010-2016, proposed that the U.S. Catholic Church should commit to zero emissions by 2040 as an institution. See what else she said to kick-off the conference aimed at increasing U.S. participation in the Vatican's Laudato Si' Action Platform in NCR environment correspondent Brian Roewe's report: At Catholic climate conference, Paris Agreement architect challenges US church to commit to net-zero emissions Still, representatives from Catholic organizations who participated in person and virtually in last week's mid-year U.N. climate talks in Bonn, Germany, felt those conversations lacked the urgency and energy they deserve. Carmelite Fr. Eduardo Agosta Scarel of the Laudato Si' Movement and Gina Castillo of Catholic Relief Services said in a commentary that there are lingering injustices between developed and developing countries that must be addressed before certain climate solutions can move forward. They also highlighted Pope Francis' call to phase out fossil fuels fast and expedite a transition to clean energy. Read more: After Bonn, COP28 needs to be a course correction on climate action   An elevated view shows the dramatic decline of water levels at Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nevada, March 13. (OSV News/Reuters/Bing Guan) What else is new on EarthBeat: Catholics in states affected by ever-shrinking Colorado River draw on Laudato Si' A megadrought jeopardizes the Colorado River and, with it, water supplies for major U.S. cities and farms. Catholics in affected states are complementing efforts to prevent disaster with Laudato Si' firmly in mind, reported Kimberley Heatherington for OSV News. As conflict, climate cause refugee numbers to rise, Catholic agencies urge support On World Refugee Day, organized every year on June 20 by the United Nations, Jesuit Refugee Service urged increased support for migrants. And Catholic Relief Services is urging Congress to fund U.S. international assistance that addresses the impact of climate change, reported Fredrick Nzwili for OSV News. People fleeing home due to the impact of climate change do not qualify for refugee status or protection under international law.  Pope tells astronomers to seek surprises in scientific discovery Pope Francis told students of the Vatican Observatory Summer School that even as humanity better understands the vastness of space, "perhaps the most amazing thing about this universe is that it contains creatures like us, men and women who possess the ability to observe it with wonder," reported Justin McLellan for Catholic News Service. Brazilian president invites pope to visit Amazon, discusses war Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gave Pope Francis a statue of Our Lady of Nazareth, patroness of the Amazon, and an invitation to attend the October festival that celebrates her, reported Justin McLellan for Catholic News Service. The Vatican statement released after the meeting said there was discussion on "the promotion of peace and reconciliation, the fight against poverty and inequality, respect for Indigenous peoples as well as protection of the environment." Ecological economics can help us build a better world We need to recognize that to talk about the vulnerability of our climate is also to talk about our own vulnerability and the vulnerability of the goods and services that make up our economy, writes Elizabeth Garlow. This is the second essay in a series based on the seven goals of the Laudato Si' Action Platform. You can see more of EarthBeat's LSAP coverage here. Can churches spread the gospel of solar in coal country? Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church in West Virginia installed an array of 60 solar panels with a scrappy financial model, hoping to lead by example and inspire other communities in Appalachia to transition to solar energy as well, reported Rebecca Randall for Sojourners. It might be working. This story is part of "Growing a Green Church," an ongoing series focused on churches' efforts to steward their buildings and land effectively in the context of a changing climate. Find more stories in the series here.   What's happening in other climate news: UN adopts world's first treaty to protect high seas biodiversity —Douglas Gillison for Reuters Biden plan will give more than 100 federal buildings green upgrades —Maxine Joselow and Vanessa Montalbano for The Washington Post Republicans didn't always deny the reality of climate change. Then, George W. Bush took office —Matthew Rozsa for Salon On Chicago's South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities —Brett Chase for Chicago Sun-Times and Aydali Campa for Inside Climate News Ambitious Saudi plans to ramp up Hajj could face challenges from climate change —Riazat Butt for The Associated Press Why this year's summer solstice matters so much for a new religious movement mired in controversy —Simranjit Khalsa for Religion News Service   Final Beat: Starting next week, the EarthBeat Weekly newsletter will be delivered to your inbox on Fridays at 10:00 a.m. CT, instead of at 6:00 p.m. CT on Thursday evenings. This will allow me to include any stories posted to EarthBeat on Friday morning and truly make the weekly newsletter a roundup of the full week's coverage. If you don't want to wait for Friday to receive your faith and climate news with a message from me, sign up for the EarthBeat Daily newsletter, which sends article links to your inbox every 24 hours when there is new content on the EarthBeat website. And of course, you can always follow us on social media @EarthBeatNCR (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Thanks for reading EarthBeat! Stephanie Clary Environment Editor National Catholic Reporter sclary@ncronline.org   Featured Advertisers   Looking to Hire? Offering Retreats? Selling Books? Place an Ad in NCR's Online Classified Section for Only $75 per Month!   Advertisement