EarthBeat Weekly: Catholics respond to Biden's climate legacy

Catholics respond to Biden's climate legacy Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change July 26, 2024 President Joe Biden is pictured after speaking at Prince William Forest Park on Earth Day, April 22, 2024, in Triangle, Virginia. Biden announced $7 billion in federal grants to provide residential solar projects serving low- and middle-income communities and expanding his American Climate Corps green jobs training program. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Three days after President Joe Biden announced he would step aside as the Democratic Party's nominee for this year's U.S. presidential election, the White House on Wednesday hosted its first-ever summit on environmental justice. That's just one reason Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese called Biden "the strongest environmental president that we've ever had," saying he "has done more to fight global warming than any other president." Robert Bullard, "the father of environmental justice" and a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, agrees. On his way to the summit July 24, he told NCR environment correspondent Brian Roewe, "When it comes to the work of elevating environmental justice, this administration has moved the needle further than any one administration on environmental justice that I have worked with." And Dan Misleh, executive director of Catholic Climate Covenant, expressed similar sentiments, saying, "No president has done more for the environment than Biden, in terms of sheer dollars and programs." "I think this is a place that I have just a huge amount of respect for President Biden, because I do believe that this is a deeply held moral conviction on his part," Rev. Susan Hendershot, president of Interfaith Power & Light and a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, told Roewe. Some other leaders of faith and justice ministries acknowledged the significance of Biden's climate and environment initiatives, but also noted disappointments. "While the president will likely be most remembered for bold policies that incentivize the transition to a renewable energy economy, we need to point out that his record is mixed in protecting communities overburdened by fossil fuel and other polluting industries," said Marianne Comfort, justice coordinator for Earth, anti-racism and women for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. "Biden acknowledged climate change and took some action — important actions — based on it, and yet he didn't do everything he could have done," said Michele Dunne, executive director of Franciscan Action Network. For more on the climate legacy of the nation's second Catholic president, read: As Biden exits presidential race, faith activists tout his major environmental wins     What else is new on EarthBeat: Laudato Si' Commission calls Jesuit higher education to climate action by Daniel R. DiLeo If Jesuit schools are to avoid corporatization and make mission- and science-based greenhouse gas reduction commitments, they should require substantive formation in Catholic social teaching for senior administrators and trustees.   US promises $240 million to improve fish hatcheries, protect tribal rights in Pacific Northwest by Rebecca Boone, The Associated Press The U.S. government will invest $240 million in salmon and steelhead hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest to boost declining fish populations and support the treaty-protected fishing rights of Native American tribes.   Catholics should confront AI's environmental costs by Céire Kealty Current estimates on AI's energy usage and subsequent environmental impacts paint a concerning picture — one that Pope Francis has painted in Laudate Deum.   What would a Harris presidency mean for the climate? by Zoya Teirstein, Grist A look at Kamala Harris' record on clean energy, climate diplomacy, and environmental justice in California, the Senate and the White House.   Nonprofit co-founded by 'Sister Jaguar' continues to support Amazonian Achuar people by Margaret Plevak Maketai, an Arizona-based nonprofit co-founded by Sr. Judy Bisignano and Sandra Morse, partners with an Ecuadorian nonprofit, Fundacion Mente, on projects ranging from reforestation of the rainforest to ecotourism.    Despite hopes, Brazil's Indigenous communities still unsafe, bishops' report says by Thomas Milz, OSV News The Brazilian bishops' Indigenous Missionary Council, known by its Portuguese acronym CIMI, released its 2023 annual report on the situation of Indigenous peoples July 22 "with deep sadness" in view of the increased number of violent attacks, explained Cardinal Leonardo Steiner of Manaus in presenting CIMI's report in Brasilia, the nation's capital.   Taste and see the goodness of creation: Contemplating with the senses by Christina Leaño As many in our church gather this week as part of the National Eucharistic Revival, explore how your senses allow you to "taste and see that the Lord is good.''    Activists: Without more moves toward sustainable future, extreme temps may be here to stay by Kimberley Heatherington, OSV News Last year was the hottest year on record for the world, since global records began in 1850, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. In recent weeks, Western states such as Arizona, California, Oregon and Nevada have all posted record-breaking heat — but in the East, North Carolina and Maryland have also shattered records.   What's happening in other climate news: Planet Sets Record for Hottest Day Twice in a Row —Derrick Bryson Taylor for The New York Times World leaders pledge billions to sports and sustainability at pre-Olympics summit —Sylvie Corbet for The Associated Press The Great Salt Lake isn't just drying out. It's warming the planet. —Joshua Partlow for The Washington Post Some 400 children die of rising heat across Europe and Central Asia —-Deborah Castellano Lubov for Vatican News Ponder your place in the vast web of creation —Emily Sanna for U.S. Catholic   Final Beat: How can contemplation be a way of deepening our relationship with God and creation? How do you contemplate? How can contemplation help us develop ecological habits, such as simplicity, humility and solidarity? How can contemplation help us cultivate that interior peace that can be the foundation for right-relationship with ourselves, our God and each other, including creation? Christina Leaño, associate director of the Laudato Si' Movement, is exploring these questions and more in EarthBeat's summer series: "Contemplation With Creation." Read it here. Thanks for reading EarthBeat! Stephanie Clary Environment Editor National Catholic Reporter sclary@ncronline.org Instagram: @stephanieclaryncr     Featured Advertisers   Looking to Hire? Offering Retreats? Selling Books? Place an Ad in NCR's Online Classified Section for Only $75 per Month!   Advertisement