EarthBeat Weekly: Decade-old scars of environmental disaster in Vietnam

Decade-old scars of environmental disaster in Vietnam   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change April 17, 2026   Thi Mai sells fish at a market in Hue, Vietnam, on Apr. 4, 2026. She like other locals believe the chemical alteration of the water after the 2016 Formosa marine disaster has stunted the growth and quality of the catch. (Photo: Reporter in Vietnam) For many fishermen in Vietnam, the memory of April 7, 2016, does not fade with the tides. That day marked the beginning of the Formosa marine disaster — one of the most devastating human-caused environmental catastrophes in Vietnam's history. Ten years later, for the Catholic communities spanning 200 km of coastline, the "common home" described by Pope Francis in Laudato Si' remains a place of profound brokenness. While the government claims the waters have recovered, the families who live by the rhythms of the sea say the environmental penance is far from over. The disaster was precipitated by the Taiwanese-owned Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, which admitted to illegally discharging a cocktail of phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxides into the ocean. The toxins formed dense compounds that settled on the seabed, suffocating the marine ecosystem. Read more: Vietnam's coastal Catholics hold the scars of Formosa disaster 10 years later What else is new on EarthBeat:   Daughters of the Redeemer pilot 'climate-smart' agricultural program in Zambia by Derrick Silimina In 2022, the Daughters of the Redeemer launched the Community Transformation Programme, which supports five Zambian villages with agricultural mentorship, nutrition programs, and water, sanitation and hygiene activities. Read more here »   Indiana bishops put Eucharist at center of call to 'integral ecology' in new pastoral by Gina Christian, OSV News The letter was commended by Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, who extended Pope Leo XIV's blessing to the bishops. Read more here »   Pope Leo upholds Vatican opposition to nuclear weapons despite Trump's 'weak' critique by Brian Roewe The pope's repeated calls for a world without nuclear arms challenges the president's accusation that he has been soft on the nuclear issue. Read more here » What's happening in other climate news: Americans' view of environment hits new low ahead of Earth Day: Gallup —Max Rego for The Hill Iran war's global energy crisis sharpens China's advantage in clean tech —Chan Ho-Him, Aniruddha Ghosal and Anton L. Delgado for the Associated Press Afghanistan's capital is in the grip of a water crisis —Elena Becatoros for the Associated Press Supreme Court hands win to Chevron, Big Oil in environmental damage case —Julian Mark for the Washington Post Big win for mining as Senate votes to remove moratorium on Boundary Waters watershed —Ana Radelat for MinnPost BLM advances contentious South Dakota uranium mine —Hannah Northey for E&E News A Trump 'blockade' is stalling hundreds of wind and solar projects nationwide —Brad Plumer and Rebecca F. Elliott for The New York Times Environmental groups take Trump administration's 'God Squad' to court —Wyatt Myskow for Inside Climate News Final Beat: In the top story in this week's newsletter, the name "Formosa" may sound familiar for some readers. Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation is one of five subsidiaries of the Taiwan-based Formosa Plastic Group, the corporation behind efforts to build a massive petrochemical facility in southeastern Louisiana, an area often referred to as "Cancer Alley." At the center of the effort to oppose the Formosa Plastics plant is Sharon Lavigne, a Catholic activist who through her grassroots group RISE St. James has rallied community and environmental organizations to prevent another industrial facility from being built in the region already inundated with dangerous levels of pollution. Lavigne's work for environmental justice has been recognized with the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize and a year later the prestigious Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame. Still, the eight-year struggle to block the Formosa plant continues.  While a state judge in 2022 vacated air regulation permits for the proposed plant, which she said posed "serious health consequences" for residents, that decision was overturned in 2024. In February, RISE St. James and environmental groups filed a new lawsuit to block the air permits.  "Formosa wants the state to keep this project on life support, even though it would double toxic air pollution in an already overburdened parish, and LDEQ keeps extending the permit as if our lives don't count," Lavigne said in a statement. "How many of our neighbors have to die? We're still here, we're still fighting, and St. James Parish is not a sacrifice zone." As always, thanks for reading EarthBeat.   Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org     Featured Advertisers   Looking to Hire? Offering Retreats? Selling Books? 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