A climate focus at the Parliament of the World's Religions

Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change

August 18, 2023

Members of Cristo Rey Parish prepare before the Parliament of the World's Religions Parade of Faiths on Sunday, Aug. 13, in Chicago. (AP/Paul Beaty)

Since I started in my role as NCR environment editor during the pandemic years, I haven't had a lot of opportunities to connect with people in person. This week it has been especially wonderful to chat with folks face to face at the 2023 Parliament of the World's Religions being held in Chicago from Aug. 14–18 at McCormick Place. The theme for this year's gathering is "A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights," and within that framework there is an intentional and significant focus on ecological concerns.

It's been a bit of a struggle to decide which sessions to attend each day because every single one of them is important, and so many of them are relevant to the reporting we do here at EarthBeat.

On Monday, I attended a session titled "Climate, Racism, and…Property?: The Call to Climate Justice for Religious Property Owners" that focused on the Nuns & Nones Land Justice Project. Global Sisters Report international editor Soli Salgado reported on the initiative last April, saying that through the Nuns & Nones Land Justice Project, sisters are learning how to create new land legacies that center racial and ecological healing.

And in April this year, the director of the N&N Land Justice Project Brittany Koteles wrote an essay for EarthBeat about the role the Doctrine of Discovery still plays today and what Catholics should be doing about it. It has been one of the most-read pieces on EarthBeat so far this year.

Then on Tuesday I met up with Luke Henkel, the North America Programs Coordinator with the Laudato Si' Movement. Henkel was at the gathering to screen the film "The Letter," which NCR environment correspondent Brian Roewe covered upon its release last fall. In his report, Roewe spoke with the documentary's director about how he brought Pope Francis' landmark encyclical "Laudato Si', On Care for Our Common Home" to life for the big screen. Wesley Cocozello, Luke Henkel, Stephanie Clary

I also chatted with Wesley Cocozello, communications and programs manager for justice, peace and ecology for the Missionary Society of St. Columban, about what appears to be a growing focus on biodiversity and conservation, in addition to climate change, among faith communities in their conversations about creation care. Cocozello also plays a key role in organizing the Faiths for Biodiversity initiative, which Roewe reported on throughout his coverage of the United Nations conference on biodiversity,
COP15, in Montreal last December.

Other conference days were filled with sessions on the importance of interfaith dialogue and partnerships, faith organizations and houses of worship implementing climate solutions that work, shared commitments on how to move forward in good conscience, and lots of story ideas for you to look forward to at EarthBeat in the months to come.

In an essay for EarthBeat this week addressed to the gathering of the Parliament of the World's Religions, Ugandan youth climate activist Vanessa Nakata said it might be "surprising" to some that people of faith would care so deeply about the planet, but the way she sees it, this work is the work of religious leaders because it centers on justice.

Flood victims from Mtauchira village carry food they received from the Malawi government in Blantyre March 16 in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy, which destroyed their homes. (OSV News/Reuters/Esa Alexander)

What else is new on EarthBeat:

Cycle of food insecurity continues in Africa as aid heads to other world crises
Climate change and economic hardships are not only making life difficult for ordinary citizens in Malawi, but also they are posing challenges to the church, as humanitarian and Catholic agencies step up interventions, reported Tawanda Karombo.

Why Catholics should divest from plastic in their closets
As other sectors, such as transportation and energy, discuss winding down their dependence on oil, the fossil fuel industry is banking on plastics in clothing as a growing revenue stream over the next 20 years. The moral call to divest includes our closets, says Lizzy Case in this essay.

As Maui rescue continues, families and faith leaders cling to hope, tackle reality
At a Sunday Mass at a church in Kapalua, Hawaii, BishopClarence "Larry" Silva of the Honolulu Diocese appealed to somber parishioners not to abandon their faith. "If we are angry with God we should tell him," he said in his sermon, adding that "God loves us in tragedies and good times and bad times," reported Bobby Caina Calvan, Giovanna Dell'orto and Audrey McAvoy for The Associated Press.

On global warming, yes, there is hope
The good news is there are ways to reduce and eliminate the growth in global warming; the bad news is I am not sure we will implement them fast enough, says Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese in his latest column for Religion News Service.

One congregation offers case study as Episcopal Church works toward 2030 carbon neutral goal
Diverting funds from mission and ministry outreach to building upgrades makes for difficult conversations. But by 2018, St. Martin's had reduced its carbon footprint by about 60%, its annual natural gas bill by 50% and grid electricity bills by 75%, with overall energy costs reduced by nearly 20%. In 2021, St. Martin's achieved net-zero carbon, reported Lynette Wilson for Episcopal News Service. 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:

Judge Rules in Favor of Montana Youths in a Landmark Climate Case —David Gelles and Mike Baker for The New York Times

Extreme water stress faced by countries home to quarter of world population —Sandra Laville for The Guardian

Minnesota Tribal School Fights To Eliminate Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water —Zoya Teirstein for Grist

NYC Buildings Complying With Emissions Law Faster Than Expected —Stephen Lee for Bloomberg Law

Final Beat:

Wednesday was the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act. Yet, a recent Washington Post poll showed that 71% of Americans have heard "little" or "nothing at all" about the landmark climate legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden last summer. The law includes more than $300 billion in climate provisions, including tax incentives to make clean energy and energy efficiency projects more affordable for businesses, individuals and houses of worship. EarthBeat broke down the main points from our reporting on the matter for an anniversary post on the @EarthBeatNCR Instagram account. And you can read Roewe's full reporting here.