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Peace and Justice Topic of the Month:
The Shame that is Ours
February 2010
By Sister Caryn Crook
“…I wish to compose a new “Praises of the Lord” for his creatures. These creatures minister to our needs every day; without them we could not live; and through them the human race greatly offends the Creator. Every day we fail to appreciate so great a blessing by not praising as we should the Creator and dispenser of all these gifts.”
(St. Francis in the Assisi Compilation)
If the globe is warming, why did citizens from Tennessee to Florida experience record cold temperatures this January? Is global warming a concocted hoax by environmentalists to get their liberal agenda passed through Congress? The term “global warming” causes many misunderstandings of what is occurring in our atmosphere. The rising of global temperatures have been documented for years. Ocean temperatures are rising and influencing the weather making some areas warmer and some areas colder. Climate change is a more accurate term because it better encapsulates what is occurring. The dispute among scientists is not the rising global temperature, but the reason why the climate is changing.
Higher global temperatures are affecting all of creation. The consequences of climate change are elevated sea levels, more extreme weather events and an increase in infectious diseases, just to name a few. Ecosystems are also responding to climate change. The results of a recent study published in “Plants & Gardens News” indicated that in Ithaca N.Y., spring flowers are blooming 19.8 days earlier than they did 50 years ago. This has enabled insects to emerge earlier in response to the blooming flowers. Birds are migrating earlier to ensure that their food sources are available. This is another manifestation of our interconnectedness with all of creation. As temperatures rise, everything is affected.
The controversy lies in what is causing the temperature to rise. Most scientists agree that temperatures are rising due to an increase in carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. Other scientists believe that it is from natural fluctuations in weather patterns that happen every few hundred years. Should billions of dollars be spent on curbing the effects of climate change especially when we are experiencing shaky economic times? The use of fossil fuels affects more than temperatures; fossil fuels increase asthma rates and other ailments especially those living close to factories. Mining of fossil fuels has detrimental effects on the environment, which impacts wildlife and humans. By reducing the amount of air and water pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels, we could reduce global temperatures, increase people’s health, protect and care for creation. I say it is worth it, and I believe that St. Francis would agree.