EarthBeat Weekly: From a bishop in Tucson to journalists in NYC, climate hope exists

From a bishop in Tucson to journalists in NYC, climate hope exists Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change September 29, 2023   Participants with the banner of the Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement march from St. Paul the Apostle Church to the main rallying point for the Sept. 17 climate march in midtown Manhattan. (GSR photo/Chris Herlinger)  Last week, I spent two days during Climate Week NYC at "Climate Changes Everything: Creating a Blueprint for Media Transformation," a conference for climate journalists and journalists who want to do a better job of telling the climate story. Held at Columbia University and cosponsored by Covering Climate Now, the Columbia Journalism Review, The Nation, The Guardian and the Solutions Journalism Network, it was an event full of valuable listening and learning. I left at the end of the conference full of ideas and enthusiasm for new projects at EarthBeat, and also with a real sense of pride for the work that we already do. With a small staff within the niche landscape of Catholic media, EarthBeat is publishing reports and commentary on many of the same major climate stories as other larger mainstream media outlets — always while asking why these stories should matter to Catholics or what they have to do with Catholicism. For me, one of the things that approaching climate news from a Catholic angle has always meant — and that was emphasized by last week's conference about climate journalism in general — is being attentive to how care for creation is connected to other topics of conversation or issues of concern. Popular culture calls this intersectionality. Pope Francis calls it integral ecology. No matter its name, it is a critical part of effectively telling the climate story. Sometimes it means including points about the environment within stories that run outside of the dedicated climate beat, such as in this story about the 2023 Farm Bill, published in NCR's news section on Tuesday, that discusses why some Catholic groups want environmental components of the legislation to be prioritized. Other times it means planning content in a way that highlights how it relates to other justice issues, such as NCR environment correspondent Brian Roewe's recent feature story on how climate change is affecting migration in Honduras. That story ran on Earthbeat and NCR's homepages during National Migration Week to make clear this was not just a climate story. Other reports at Earthbeat this week connected to issues of health, economics, finance, politics and activism. There are so many entry points for people to encounter climate news. And because Pope Francis repeatedly and emphatically talks about how intricately everything is interconnected, it feels like the only way to tell a Catholic climate story is to do it in this way.  It also helps us reach new readers with stories that matter. If you know someone who might not click on the climate section, but would be interested in one of the other topics listed above, consider sharing the article link with them. They just might be surprised to find how much resonates with their own experience or interests.  Thanks for helping us share the Catholic climate story. What else is new on EarthBeat:   Bishop Weisenburger says climate change is an issue of 'life and death' by Stephanie Clary Bishop Edward Weisenburger says climate change "is a practical, local issue of local concern." He spoke to EarthBeat about his recent op-ed on climate change and hope, and his hopes for Pope Francis' "Laudate Deum."   New American Climate Corps aims to boost clean energy, jobs for young people by Kimberley Heatherington, OSV News The announcement was greeted with "excitement and hope" by Kayla Jacobs, program manager of youth mobilization at Catholic Climate Covenant.    Pope says his new ecology document is titled 'Laudate Deum' by Catholic News Service Pope Francis said the title of his new letter on the environment will be "Laudate Deum," (Praise God), a frequent refrain in several psalms.   Catholic groups underscore urgency of United Nations 'Climate Ambition Summit' by Kimberley Heatherington, OSV News The "Climate Ambition Summit" excluded the U.S. and China because the U.N. invited only leaders from nations with concrete plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.   Catholic action on climate issue must continue, advocates say by Chris Herlinger With a week of marches, workshops and a U.N. summit behind them, Catholics say they must continue and expand their work to increase public pressure for change on climate action.    Catholics ask Biden to deliver debt relief to countries most at risk from climate change by Brian Roewe As President Biden urged global cooperation at the U.N. to combat climate change, U.S. Catholic groups are calling on his administration to use debt relief to help countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.   The increasingly perilous lot of the pilgrim shows us all the path on climate by Marqus Cole, Religion News Service We must take up the opportunity to partner with God in bringing "heaven to earth" through positive actions that restore creation and defend the most vulnerable from climate harms.   What's happening in other climate news: Report: The world’s most critical climate target is still within reach — Akielly Hu for The Guardian Why Biden's allies are scrambling to elevate his landmark climate law — Timothy Puko for The Washington Post The Father of Environmental Justice Exposes the Geography of Inequity — Yessenia Funes for Scientific American ‘We Can’t Drink Oil’: How A 70-Year-Old Pipeline Imperils The Great Lakes — Oliver Milman for the Guardian "Indigenous Brazilians Celebrate Land Claims Win - But Fight Goes On" — Andre Cabette Fabio for Thomson Reuters Foundation Times launches Climate California — The LA Times Final Beat: Another takeaway from the "Climate Changes Everything" conference in New York last week was a sense of community hope and optimism. Yes, sometimes working in climate news can be hard, feel defeating and even lead to despair. There's a reason terms like "climate anxiety" and "climate grief" have developed in recent years. And yet, this was a room of people who know the extent of the climate crisis — and also know that we have the solutions we need to protect life on Earth. We just need to share information about them and implement them well. Here's a brief video put together by Covering Climate Now of journalists at the conference sharing their thoughts. Thanks for reading EarthBeat! Stephanie Clary Environment Editor National Catholic Reporter sclary@ncronline.org Instagram: @stephanieclaryncr     Featured Advertisers   Recover our foremothers in faith!  Tell the whole story of Mary Magdalene’s apostolic witness on Easter Sunday!  Sign the petition today!   Advertisement