Floods, droughts, heatwaves — Will things ever be 'normal' again?

Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change

July 14, 2023

Emergency personnel maneuver a boat used to rescue residents of flooded homes in Stony Point, N.Y., July 9, 2023. (OSV News/Reuters/USA Today Network/Seth Harrison)

Many writers hope their work will resonate with readers for a very long time. A notable exception to that standard might be those of us who write about climate change.

This week, I found myself thinking about an essay I published in Millennial Journal back in 2017. Written shortly after Hurricane Harvey hit the southern coast of the United States, in it I talk about the model of Noah as an environmentalist and what the biblical story of The Great Flood can teach us about humanity's role amid ecological disasters. I wish it wasn't still relevant today.

But from floods in Vermont, to droughts in California, to wildfires in Canada and hazardous air quality in New York, extreme weather events continue. And those I've just cited are all contained to what's being experienced in North America. Across other regions of the planet, the situation is regularly much worse, plaguing often already vulnerable communities with preventable suffering that leads to death for plants, creatures, ecosystems and human communities.

It does not have to be this way. In fact, in its report last year, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, regarded as the leading scientific bodies on the topic, said the solutions we need to mitigate and adapt to climate change already exist and we know what they are and how well they work. What's lacking is the political and financial willpower to develop effective solutions to scale, implement them accordingly and do it quickly. While pursuing that political and financial support isn't going to be easy, it means predictions of a perilous future do not have to become reality.

Correcting the course of climate change is possible. We see glimmers of what that could look like in how some communities of faith are responding to current climate catastrophes.

In response to intense flooding across much of Vermont this week, a Catholic parish opened its doors to provide refuge for those who couldn't safely stay home. A community member among them prepared a meal for those staying the night at the church.

On the other side of the country, experiencing the opposite precipitation problem, an Episcopal church in California has converted their lawn and gardens with water conservation front of mind in response to ongoing drought.

Read more: In California, drought-resistant church gardens conserve water, connect community
[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.]

While we need systems-level solutions to create the necessary thrust toward a livable future, it's heartening to be able to share examples with you of faith communities addressing the current needs of those displaced by climate impacts and making choices to prevent further environmental degradation.

I look forward to the day when reading about the biblical "Great Flood" doesn't feel so relevant, and our role as protectors of creation isn't something about which people need to be constantly reminded. Because if you know the story well (at least the children's version), you know it ends with a rainbow.

St. Mary's Episcopal Church is four blocks from the Pacific Ocean in downtown Laguna Beach, California. In 2022, the gardens transitioned to all native California plants. (Martha Simkins Davis)

What else is new on EarthBeat:

Revise a self-centered spirituality with this daily ecological examen
Spiritual director and co-coordinator of EcoPhilly Nicholas Collura suggests that we connect contemporary ecological convictions to ancient Catholic heritage and ancestry for a functional cosmology inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'. This essay is part of a series based on the seven goals of the Laudato Si' Action Platform. You can see more of EarthBeat's LSAP coverage here.

Gardening helps priest from India connect with Catholics in Vermont
Gardening helps Vermont's Fr. Benny Chittilappilly, a Vocationist priest from southern India, better understand his parishioners who farm and garden and sometimes struggle with the weather, reported Cori Fugere Urban for OSV News. Gardening also helps him better understand the parables of Jesus, who often used examples from nature to make a point.

'Right to life' at stake: Catholics react to high court's ruling on Navajo water rights
After a 5-4 Supreme Court decision struck a blow to the Navajo Nation's request for federal assistance in securing water for the reservation June 22, Catholics who minister among Native Americans shared their thoughts on the historic water crisis facing the Southwest U.S. and the Indigenous populations who live there, reported Tony Gutiérrez for OSV News.

What's happening in other climate news:

How climate change drives hotter, more frequent heat waves —Joseph Winters for Grist

'They're in the air, drinking water, dust, food …' How to reduce your exposure to microplastics —Amy Fleming for The Guardian

Climate talks chief, who also heads oil company, says world must 'attack all emissions, everywhere' —Frank Jordans for The Associated Press

How northern Mexico became a climate migration destination —Caroline Tracey for High Country News

Final Beat:

On July 14, Catholics celebrate the feast day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Indigenous saint from North America, popularly considered a patron saint of ecology.

Shauna'h Fuegen recently wrote an essay for EarthBeat about how her Catholic faith and Mohawk heritage (the same as Kateri's) have taught her to embrace sustainable living. You can read it here.

Feugen serves on the board of the St. Kateri Conservation Center. Established by Bill Jacobs in 2000, the center promotes a holistic approach to ecological restoration in the spirit of its namesake saint. Learn more about their work in this story from Claire Schaeffer-Duffy for EarthBeat last year.

Thanks for reading EarthBeat!

Stephanie Clary
Environment Editor
National Catholic Reporter
sclary@ncronline.org