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The beginning of the end, and, if so, whose?
by Joan Chittister on Dec. 13, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionWelcome to Cop15, the UN Conference on Global Warming being held in Copenhagen. Denmark is not easy to forget. In the first place, every school child knows the tales of fearless, seafaring Danes. In the second place,every traveler remembers Copenhagen as the city of $20.00 hamburgers and $40.00 seven minute taxi cab fares. Copenhagen is, in fact, the second most expensive city in the world, just slightly less expensive to live in than Oslo. But that will be nothing compared to the price the world pays for this conference.
Without a doubt, the price for all of us will be high if some kind of agreement passes here that limits gas house emissions of fossils fuels in developed countries. The price will even be higher if it doesn't. Worse, the price may well be catastrophic if any kind of agreement passes that limits development for the poorest countries of the world but is simply designed to allow rich countries to get even richer.
The Conference on Climate Change isn't about climate change at all, you see. The overwhelming body of scientists and politicians know that global warming is real, that it threatens rich and poor countries alike, that it is inevitable unless something is done to reverse the process and soon. No, this UN conference on global warming is not about science. It's about money. So, on Friday, the demonstrations started.
The generation that knows that they will be the people left to pick up the bill for the decisions not made here are being carted away in police vans in order to lower the din of the world's cry for equity, for help. So, the generation of young that will not be allowed to make the decision whether to save the planet or reduce it to dust have come to Copenhagen from all over the world. Along with the voices of so many others.
People from island nations, for instance, facing immanent danger from rising water levels in the world will be the first to have to deal with the effects of dislocation. People in lands going to dust and stone from the dried up river beds around them, will soon be unable to eke out a living in those parts of the world. People sweltering from rising temperatures and shorter growing periods will watch as the Garden of Eden shrivels around them. But as the world fills with ecological refugees, the rest of us will bear the costs of what we do not spend now to avert it, as well.
So, there is a tone of quiet desperation in the city now. And an undercurrent of anger, as well, at the United States, in particular. A young woman addressed a hall full of NGO delegates as UN delegates canceled the second of Plenary sessions of the week in order to flee into private committee meetings together. The disappointment was palpable. "We are now at the point," she said, "where the United States is using multilateralism to get the rest of the world to agree to plans and programs that will simply justify what the United States has already decided to do. And these plans are being made despite their effect on other countries in the world--especially the poorest of the poor."
Instead of plenaries, UN committees worked feverishly to design a solution to the impasse over degrees of emission and amounts of economic support necessary to bring poorer nations the willingness to forego them. If as a human race we are to dissuade another whole body of presently underdeveloped nations from seeking their economic Eden in an economy based on fossil fuels-as we have-some plan for underwriting the energy engines of the economies of the poor while we control our own is imperative.
The young woman was not hopeful about the equity of it all. Nor were all those many in the hall who applauded her analysis.
From where I stand, several strains were clear: Whatever agreements come out of Cop15, enforceability is key. Classism-poor against rich-is a danger. Multilateralism that does not support those nations who stand to be as smothered by the effects of national agreements that deny them economic development as they are by the effects of achieving it through the energy sources of the past will become a major political problem in the future. And, finally, this is only the beginning of a real struggle to resolve it.
And, oh yes, there is one more thing we might want to be aware of as we use our water in unlimited quantities and fuel our over-fueled homes and that is the African voice that answered the young woman's analysis. "The only thing to do," he said, "is to work with a coalition of smaller governments and isolate the United States entirely. That is what we did to stop apartheid. Then, eventually, the United States will have to come along."
Time is running out, they tell us. Maybe we should, for our own sakes, if for nothing else, join the human race now-before it's too late.
Sr Joan of all people to buy
Sr Joan of all people to buy into the notion of a "climate crisis" is you! In the 1970s we were entering an ice age. But we still have the poor. During that time the crisis of over-population was introduced, without any of the disasters coming to pass. But we still have the poor. Then there was bird flu, then SARS. But we still have the poor. How could we forget Y2K. But we still have the poor. Swine flu. But we still have the poor. All of these various crisis and we survived, but there still is great poverty in the world.
You are correct when mentioning the poor developing countries. That's who is going to pay for renewable energy for them, not us, our politicians might do some small gesture but they will not want to engage in their career ending political suicide. Cheap energy such as coal, coke, natural gas and other fossil fuel are the only hope for poor developing countries to emerge from poverty. Wind, nuclear, hydro-electric demand huge amounts of money these countries do not have to spend.
Sr Joan you very well know we have cheap technology for clean water, for water transport, for food production and for transport food items. Instead at the 2nd most expensive city to live in, a group of individuals fly in private jets to a conference that is as speculative as global cooling, the population crisis, SARS, bird flu, Y2K, swine flu and when this passes, we will still have the poor in developing countries. However, those folks in private jets, they'll make money!!
Please Sr Joan stop this scientific silliness and let's force our politicians to invest in clean water and its transport to drought areas, and food production and its transportation to areas of famine. If global warming is true, perhaps a child out of these developing countries might grow-up and provide the answer. To be honest I'm very, very disappointed with you. In the end, if global warming is true, I'd rather drown attempting to ensure poor in developing countries have the resources to grow than investing in causes sponsored by people flying in private jets!!!!
You can adopt the denialist
You can adopt the denialist position if you like. You can even assume that Earth has no limits to its carrying capacity, thus no population crisis. The poor will always be with us, and I expect their numbers to swell over the decades.
If this conference is about money and power then the outcome will ultimately be catastrophic for the entire globe. Perhaps not this year or next, but within my lifetime and possibly yours. You, and millions (if not billions) of others, have bought into the notion that growth is good and indeed necessary. It is that concept which nearly bankrupted our economy last year because it was built on a house of cards that collapsed. It is a notion we have successfully sold to the world and it is no surprise to me that China and India are the chief emulators of our "non-negotiable" way of life. One can hardly criticize the developing nations for having bought into the key concept underlying our economy. The fact that it is unsustainable seems to matter not a bit to either the developed countries, or their developing brethren.
So long as we continue to insist on Business As Usual, merely substituting other sources of energy for fossil fuels, we will find ourselves on a fast track to sharply reduced standards of living, with little to no preparation. Rather than unwind into a life that is more fulfilling spiritually, that is respectful of the limited natural resources available to us, and encourages the development of mutually enhancing communities, we are likely to find ourselves struggling just to survive. In that instance the poor will be better prepared, having struggled all their lives. In the meantime, the damage to the Earth will be done and the assumptions of what constitutes a "better" life will have to be retooled.
By the way Father I suggest you take another look at the availability of water. That is the next battleground in the competition for resources. Don't hold your breath expecting it to be shipped hither and yon no matter how worthy the purpose. You don't have to worry about drowning to ensure the poor have the resources to grow, you are more likely to starve.
Toys are a fantastic way to
Toys are a fantastic way to get kids learning. This Christmas gone, I bought my five year old some toys from the Play and Pretend range . The food items are particularly good and thats what I bough.
All good games has their own variation, therefore it's always important to pick proper games to play with kids. By not telling children that certain toys are educational we offer them the ability to learn without really realizing it.
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In other words, James
In other words, James Holland, since we will always have the poor with us it is OK to do nothing when they are the ones who are crying for help? To deny global warming is to deny the earth revolves around the sun. Oh, that's right, the Church already did that and finally had to admit its error. You seem obsessed about those flying in private jets to Copenhagen. To be sure, the coal, gas and other fossil fuel entities are also flying in their private jets to stop the efforts of those you are criticizing. At this holy time of the year, when we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, the advocate of the poor, just what steps are you taking to relieve the suffering of the poor? Sr. Joan, keep up the good work. If more priests and bishops, not to mention the hierarchy, would do as much as Sr. Joan, this would be a much better world.
Fr James Hollan, the tone
Fr James Hollan, the tone from you towards Sr. Joan is a big disappointment.
Not only do we "still have the poor" Fr., but many, way too many have died of starvation since 1970, so not all survived the various crisis.
You say: "Cheap energy such as coal, coke, natural gas and other fossil fuel are the only hope for poor developing countries to emerge from poverty. Wind, nuclear, hydro-electric demand huge amounts of money these countries do not have to spend."
The difficulty of this view you possess now as a solution for the poor, denies the catastrophic effects of fossil fuels on the environment and on the health of those who are exposed to deadly, cancerous toxins that are released into the environment before, during and after the process of exploiting such resources. It also does not take into account that the populations of developing countries, in order to be competitive on the world market would have to become a slave labor pool of people. Those benefiting monetarily would not be the people you mention, but would be the wealthy who would financially gain.
Your view is too simplistic, short-term thinking, does not take many factors into consideration. While the initial cost may be more for alternative energy sources, there will be more of a solid foundation to meet the energy needs of developing countries. It would allow them freedom and independence from the wealthy who capitalize on them being dependent on their products at increasingly higher cost over time. Wind power would eventually create more energy and over time that is a cost reduction. The same goes for Solar. I noticed you did not even mention solar power. This is the direction we need to go in and we have the technology to do it, but not the investment to do it because wealth is still largely in the domain of the oil industry, of which you are promoting.
In the long run, countries that develop alternative energies will have the wealth and those who do not will suffer from all of the consequences of oil production and the political and health problems connected with it.
I will add here, that the economic problems we now have are tied to the notion that short-term speculative investments are the answer. You can transport all the food and water to developing countries, but they will still be poor and dependent for another generation unless they can build and create the circumstances that will enable them to be independent and self-sustaining economies in the long run.
Global warming is for real Fr. When more carbon is released into the environment it does change the environment. I suggest you read up on the evolution of the earth. The earth became inhabitable to humans only very recently in its 4.5 billion year existence. Humans arrived about a minute ago if one uses one year as the starting point of the Earth's existence. It could become uninhabitable by humans very quickly. This is not the science of Y2K hysteria, but in having a true history of this planet we live on and how it evolved over time into what makes it inhabitable to humans.
But Fr. Holland, the ones who
But Fr. Holland, the ones who will surely drown are the very poor that you keep reminding us will always be with us -- the poor of small island nations that will be inundated, the poor of low-lying countries like Bangledesh whose land-mass will shrink dramatically. You can put your head in the sand about the overwhelming scientific consensus that human-caused global warming is already happening, and that catastrophic effects are just around the corner if we do not act quickly to reverse the existing warming trends. But that will in no way help the poor that we will always have with us -- and whom we in all moral justice owe quick action, because their energy-poor economies in no way caused the problem while we developed nations pumped the atmosphere full of green-house gases to the breaking point.
You can't judge the accuracy of a scientific case by personal habits and lifestyle like "people flying in private jets!!!!" (perhaps inconsistent, it is true, but totally irrelevant to the scientific merits). The prospect of global warming is not "scientific silliness" and the consequences for the poorest peoples of the earth will be so dire if politicians behave as you predict and seem to license. So why not be part of the solution the poor desperately need -- rather than adding to the problem with logic drawn from "Chicken Little"? You should be thinking instead about what happened to "The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'"
Dear Father James
Dear Father James Holland,
Once again you refuse to look at the observations of the preponderance of scientists. You opt to ignore the disappearance of glaciers, polar bears and the long term charts showing the earth is warming. Yes, clean air and water is important, but maybe if you wish to drown, you could try Southern Scotland, or if you wish not to have water at all try Australia. You seem to want to use your title of priest to convince others about science not only about this article but in your writings to so many others. I wish you would try to understand the scientific method instead of all your incessant criticism of those who are trying to sincerely consider intelligent solutions.
R. Dennis Porch, MD
Father, you say this very
Father, you say this very well. Sadly, many folks, Sr. Joan included, have taken global warming as a dogma. In fact, for many Catholics, it seems that global warming is more a defined and certain dogma than is the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
No matter what comes out of this climate conference, the United States Senate will not ratify or accept any treaty or protocol. The Kyoto Protocol was never even submitted to the Senate by President Clinton or Vice President Gore. So will be the fate of any protocol or treaty entered into at Copenhagen.
China will not accept any treaty, Europe will likely accept the treaty, but at the same time, do whatever it wants to (as it has always done). So, you are correct that the poorer developing countries will be the ones to bear the majority of the cost and attendant suffering as a result of any treaty from this conference. The result of this will be to push those nations further into poverty and further into the third world.
This entire climate change business is a colossal lie and a giant joke. It is a myth, and the only way in which scientists can "prove" their theory of global warming is to suppress all contrary data (as proven by the emails leaked from the University of East Anglia).
If these people really cared about the planet, they would be working to help those who inhabit it, rather than working to cause an increase of hardship and suffering, all in the name of the Biggest Lie in History.
Please Clint and all you
Please Clint and all you naysayers. It doesn't take rocket science to understand that it took millions, even billions of years for photosynthesis to produce the hydrocarbon deposits which are being released into the atmosphere at an extremely accelerated rate only in very recent industrial times. Where do you think the photons of heat that are being released now are going?
The recent and rapid release of hydrocarbon contaminants into the atmosphere is caused by human activity and is causing massive pollution as well as temperature rise. The biggest threat to the future of humankind, is humankind itself! What religion is credible that denies obvious reality? Wake up to the reality of evolution and human misdirection.
Clint always fails to back up
Clint always fails to back up his absurd pronouncements with the facts.
How's that polar ice cap doing? What does Nobel Peace Prize Winner Gore warn about it this week?
What does Pope Benedict say?
What does Pope Benedict say?
http://ncronline.org/news/vat
http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/benedict-issues-forceful-environmental...
Roma locuta est, causa finita est
Well, a Papal pronouncement
Well, a Papal pronouncement does not "prove" anything in regard to global warming. The phrase you mention refers more to the Catholic belief that doctrinal and moral pronouncements from Rome are final. While the phrase is very old, it is closely related to the concept of Papal Infallibility, which is rooted in Scripture and Church tradition, and which, developed by the Holy Spirit, was pronounced during the First Vatican Council. So, when the Holy Father makes a doctrinal statement ex Cathedra (Immaculate Conception of Mary), when the Holy Father reiterates a traditional doctrinal truth in an authoritative manner (the Church is incapable of ordaining women as ministerial priests), or when passing judgement on an actions intrinsic morality (abortion is intrinsically immoral) -- then debate must cease. Rome has spoken, the matter is finished.
However, outside of these parameters, the Holy Father's pronouncements are not binding to the same degree. Our Holy Father's message regarding the environment is an example of a prudential statement. In such a case, the Holy Father gives us Christian principles (which I don't think anyone can argu with), and says how these principles can be applied. Any statement on the application of these principles is not neccessarily infallible. For this reason, Catholics are allowed to have very divergent opinions on how to apply moral principles in the political arena (Good Catholics can show preferential option for the poor either through taxcuts or through increased social services), so long as the moral principle itself is not contradicted (Good Catholics can not expand access to abortion, because this contributes to an intrinsically evil action, no matter how much said Catholic works to decrease the need for abortion). Finally, when speaking on such subjects as science (such as the cause of global warming, or heliocentrism, or what have you), no infallibility at all is invoked or can be invoked. Therefore, debate on the prudential application of moral principles can continue, using the Holy Father's words as guidance, and issues of science can continue regardless of the Holy Father's opinion. In the first case, one can come to a different conclusion from the Pope and still be a Catholic in good standing, so long as moral principles are kept. In the second case, the conclusion is completely unrelated to one's standing in the Church. So Global Warming is still the subject of debate.
This is the way I have understood the matter, but if my statement here is in anyway opposed to the Truth contained in the teachings of the Catholic Church, I will completely recant this post.
What a horrible charge to
What a horrible charge to make against the Catholic laity (that many Catholics believe in global warming as dogma more than they believe in the Eucharist). It is pure meaness, Clint, and you should regard it as sinful. It reflects such a primitive, angry way of dealing with controversy - associating a belief you do not hold with one that is distorted and patently untrue, an attack in veiled form. Debate the facts, if you must, but stop the unfounded accusations, please.
And after spending trillions
And after spending trillions of dollars against poverty, we still have the poor. In fact we were told we would always have the poor. The Church's primary mission is not the well being of the poor. It is the spreading of the Gospel. Taking care of the poor is a fruit of the first mission. While I applaud all those who are passionate about social justice, I mistrust their motives. They seem to have a political agenda. Mother Teresa's example of feeding the poorest of the poor yet remaining obedient to Rome and true to Church teaching is the example religious and laity should strive for. Not social agitators and community organizer types like Sr. Joan.
Tom A., you refer to a line
Tom A., you refer to a line in the Gospels in which Jesus says "the poor you will always have among you." He said it because Jesus knew he would not be among them for much longer. In this world, we will always have the poor amongst us, but that is not an excuse for us to go with our Bibles and tell the Gospel, but to live the Gospel.
We live the Gospels by being Christ-like and by bringing his light into this dark world. The light is love that we need to bring into the world. That is the primary mission for all Christians that Jesus taught us.
Without the trillions of dollars against poverty, surely we would have ignored the poor and many more would have died or not received a message that there is love in the world which is the sign of Christ in the world.
We have a community food bank and were it not for that many would go hungry here. Be not against those who are trying to help those who cannot afford even food for their children. Be not against them. You may find yourself in need of food one day and I seriously doubt you will ask them if they are a social agitator and/or community organizer type like Sr. Joan, before you accept bread or hot soup on a cold frigid day from them. I doubt then you will "mistrust their motives."
Tom A., the primary mission
Tom A., the primary mission of Jesus was the well being of the poor. If that is not the primary mission of the Church perhaps the Church has it all wrong. It is time the Church got out of politics and turned back to its origins, i.e. the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Tom A. again Jesus came to
Tom A. again Jesus came to proclaim the gospel yes but what kind of gospel? The coming of the kingdom of God which is integral salvation, which is human liberation, which is living life in its fullness. Preaching the gospel without working for justice and social transformation is hollow. Read the 1971 Synod of Bishops' Justice in the World. What kind of theological outlook do you have? When you proclaim that the Church get out of politics do you mean to say both the laity and the clergy should not exercise their prophetic mission to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable? Yours is a political statement too that goes in favor of the status quo whether you deny it or not. The dictators, oligarchs, political warlords, the powers-that-be would love you and your political theology so much Tom.
Sr Joan, I receive your info
Sr Joan, I receive your info from an email group I belong to. Thanks for keeping us all informed! I really appreciate you. Have you seen this story? Sr TERESA FORCADES, doctor in Public Health, reflects on the history, and gives scientific data, of A type flu and lists all the irregularities related to this subject. She explains the consequences of the declaration of a PANDEMIC, the political consequences from this declaration and makes a proposal to keep calm. She calls for an urgent activation of all legal mechanism and the participation of all citizens in this matter. Here is her video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0JqQyl09zQ
Blessings.. ~janet
This conference is not about
This conference is not about climate change, nor is it about money. It's about centralizing power and facilitating the creation of a "new world order" under the guise of controlling climate change. I, personally, am not against a new world order if it were driven by Christian values, but this one will not be...the Bilderbergers are a'building.
Those of use unfamiliar with
Those of use unfamiliar with Peter's Bilderberger reference (which would seem to reach out to one of those pre-monopoly self-serve roadside hamburger stands, but does not) might find information by googling Bilderberg Club. The Wikipedia article has this following contorted citation:
According to the investigative journalist Chip Berlet, the origins of Bilderberger conspiracy theories can be traced to activist Phyllis Schlafly. In Berlet's 1994 report Right Woos Left, published by Political Research Associates, he writes:
“ The views on intractable godless communism expressed by Schwarz were central themes in three other bestselling books which were used to mobilize support for the 1964 Barry Goldwater campaign. The best known was Phyllis Schlafly's A Choice, Not an Echo, which suggested a conspiracy theory in which the Republican Party was secretly controlled by elitist intellectuals dominated by members of the Bilderberger group, whose policies would pave the way for global communist conquest.[28] ”
And you have struck straight
And you have struck straight to the heart of the matter. The entire purpose of this is to centralize control, particularly economic control. As this centralized power exerts such control, gradually we will be told not only what light bulbs to use (as we are already being told), but also what car to drive, and how far, what food to eat, and on and on. It is all about control and power and this global warming myth is the means by which they hope to gain that control and that power.
Hopefully, though, the United States will continue to stand in defense of freedom and democracy in the face of obvious lies, falsified "scientific data" and, to quote the Da Vinci Code, a truly dark "con of man".
Dear Mr. Green, You will not
Dear Mr. Green,
You will not need to be told what car you can drive, it will be the one you can afford to put gas in or electrically charge. Perhaps you will even be able to afford one! For us not to look at scientific realities then to think we can go on willy nilly without meaningful plans is mighty stupid!
Peace and understanding,
R. Dennis Porch, MD
Dr. Porch, pray what
Dr. Porch, pray what scientific evidence do we accept? Do we accept the "evidence" offered by the scientists at the University of East Anglia, evidence that has been manipulated and falsified? Do we accept the evidence offered by the global warming skeptics, evidence that was suppressed by those same scientists and peer reviewers at the University of East Anglia? Do we accept the evidence of our eyes and bodies, evidence that demonstrates that the last few winters have been among the coldest on record in many places in the world?
You see, the reality is that there is no clear and absolute scientific evidence to support the theory of man-made global warming, nor is there any absolute and clear evidence to dismiss it. However, to act with haste on an unproven theory as our current administration is seeming keen to do, without seriously considering all consequences, is not only stupid, it is profoundly dangerous.
do you not find those twisty
do you not find those twisty flourescents much more economical in the long run than your incandescent bulbs, even 40 watt?
Do you not find a more efficient automobile more economical in the long run as well? Even from your solipsistic viewpoint does this not make sense to you?
Is not a nice apple far better for you than that big mac? Did not your grandmother teach you about an apple a day keeping the doctor away, especially as you also deny yourself accessible and universal and comprehensive health care?
Certainly you Chicago school Milton Friedman clones are free to choose but why shoot yourself in the wallet to spite your grandchildren's noses?
Which specific data do you find falsfified? Seen that polar ice cap recently?
That's funny Clint. The
That's funny Clint. The centralization and control you describe is and has been accomplished much more effectively by unfettered capitalism - through leveraged buy outs, mergers & acquisitions, monopolistic strategies and multi-national corporate greed. It wasn't Climate change activists that brought the economy to where it is now.
So far Sister Joan's
So far Sister Joan's commentary has been attacked here as radical and ideological. But it may not be radical enough. The mass release of long-sequestered carbon into the thin shell of atmosphere has to bring changes and there will be winner's and loser's, mostly losers. I tend to think that anything we do, at this point, will only soften the landing. I expect billions dead by the end of the century, but they'll be mostly poor foreigners, so that isn't so bad.
Personally, I'd rather believe a climatologist than Sarah Palin. And when it comes to conspiracy theories, I don't believe Big Energy, who has the money to put in place seven lobbyists for every environmental one.
Anyway, good for you, Sister Joan. And a Merry Christmas.
I look to the Reverend Sister
I look to the Reverend Sister Joan Chittister OSB (past President of US Benedictine Prioresses) each day, and to her many writings, for her strength and her guidance in our Roman Catholic Faith.
The Reverend Sister Joan Chittister OSB here speaks powerfully and prophetically as always, and in line with recent pontifical pronouncements.
We are now about a generation too late, as Bush killed even Kyoto's weak agreements, and thus the end draws nearer.
We shall see nothing here but the US and other militarily powerful pirate imperial nations imposing their commercial interests upon the poor and most vulnerable, who cry out for justice, a cry God does not ignore.
Charles, you once again show
Charles, you once again show your ignorance. Kyoto came out in 1997. Who was President then? Was it one of the evil Bushes? Nope--Bill Clinton, liberal hero. Clinton never even presented the treaty to the Senate to be ratified. Now they said they would not ratify it, but he did nothing to push it.
And one of W's first acts was
And one of W's first acts was to kill it forever, as blithely and as publicly as he did his hundreds of death penalty victims in Texas.
Know your history.
and weep.
My ignorance always shows, but these are the facts.
If the climate-change accord
If the climate-change accord in Copenhagen had been struck in the time of Obama’s predecessor, Liberals would be condemning it and blaming Bush for the failure to do better, but instead they’re in silver-lining mode. Their Speaking Truth to Power means Speaking Truth ONLY to a Republican President. Their Speaking Truth turns sotto voce when spoken to a Democratic President.
P.S. You and the Straw Man in The Wizard of Oz have the same problem, Charlie.
My goodness, such
My goodness, such comments!
First, there's no "if" about it. The Greenland and Antarctic ice caps are melting, Alaskan villages have surf when they used to have pack ice, German coastal lands are flooding (see Spiegel site today). Ocean levels are rising. Our weather has grown unusual in the Pacific Northwest ... possibly lots of other places, but only speaking of what's known reliably reported. To deny the reality of global warming is to label oneself as in need of mental health services. And more Bilderberger nonsense. The Holy Catholic Church acknowledges global warming is real. Whether mankind caused all this, or is 'merely' making it worse, is a useless debate. We can spend trillions fixing our own gaseous waste, or spend ten hundred times as much trying to fix the planet later. When I have a computer and a checkbook in my car, and park at a known safe place, like a pastoral parking place at my Church, I still lock the car; the risk may be low, but the consequences of a theft are extreme. I pick up my grandson after school; the risk that he would be harmed on a five block walk are very, very small; the consequences if he's harmed are extreme. The overwhelming majority of scientific opinion, and virtually all climatologist, except a few who are working for a vested interest, are in agreement global warming is real and dangerous. Those who deny should get their heads out of the sand (this site being the wrong place to use a more graphic image).
When, o, when will the United
When, o, when will the United States leadership begin to listen to our spiritual leaders instead of our economic leaders. I count Joan Chitister as a prophet of our times. We would do well to start listening to them, and putting their words into action, instead of cramming our communication media with Tiger Wood's tragic family life, or the latest football scores, or better yet...those commercials that make our young feel so inadequate...
Yes, we still have the poor.
Yes, we still have the poor. In fact we have a whole lot more poor than we would have had if we had responded positively to the previous crises, and if we don't deal with overpopulation it will get very, very much worse.
You can't keep ten horses in a ten-acre pasture unless there is someplace else to get food for them. There is no place else to get food for us, and the earth is not growing -- only the population is growing
Dear Sister Joan, As someone
Dear Sister Joan,
As someone living in New Zealand I deeply appreciate the indepth analysis you provide for me. I have given up listening or watching the "news" and am grateful that I have a clear, concise, unambiguous and courageous statement from you, about what is really going on.
You stand alongside all those who have prophetically cried out for an end to power and for the real addressing of the ills which befall our world. The old Kings take a long time to die in whatever guise they present ourselves, and Herod is still rampaging throughout the world, seeking to destroy the divine child - whatever evolving consciousness that sacred image carries.
Thank you.
Sr. Joan says: "The
Sr. Joan says: "The Conference on Climate Change isn't about climate change at all, you see. The overwhelming body of scientists and politicians know that global warming is real, that it threatens rich and poor countries alike, that it is inevitable unless something is done to reverse the process and soon. No, this UN conference on global warming is not about science. It's about money."
She is correct. It is about money.
The thing that no one notices about this whole global warming debate is that no one can tell us what the REAL effect of the world changing its habits would be.
Politicians are calling for dramatic cuts to green house gases yet they are unable to give solid numbers and assurance that anything that is done would actually work.
This is all about money. Be very wary of people who create dire emergencies who are also calling for the political power to remedy the emergency.
Global climate change may or may not be caused by human activity. But make no mistake that the proposed remedy is nothing more than a power grab.
Sister Joan may want to check
Sister Joan may want to check her facts before she writes. China, the leader of the mini-revolt in Copenhagen, is now the world's leading polluter. What most of the third-world nations really want is not less pollution, but funding from first-world nations to reduce pollution, which they have been no more successful at than the United States. When Brazil is asked to control the destruction of the rain forest, the response is that developed nations should worry about their own rain forests, but Brazil needs the development to take care of their people. Sister Joan is one of my favorite authors on many subjects, but knows little about this particular issue, and whining is no substitute for substance.
When I was a child, I
When I was a child, I wondered what would happen when we ran out of coal. Later, I began to wonder what would happen to the exhaust from diesel smoke. We're starting to see the answers. Comforts we've grown accustomed to have hidden costs. Warm homes, easy mobility, power tools, and electronic communications come with prices we didn't anticipate. Now, we've become addicted - or at least dependent. We can say, "Live simply, that others may simply live." but it's difficult to make the adjustments.
I have said it before and
I have said it before and I'll say it again: the principle engine driving environmental degradation, including climate change, is OVERPOPULATION. The Herculean task of producing enough food to feed nearly seven billion (and growing) mouths every day contributes immensely to things like deforestation, and the depletion of potable water supplies. Nitrate run-off from fertilizers are polluting streams, lakes and rivers.
The United States certainly should be taking heat for its obstructionist policies in Copenhagen, but so should the Vatican for its obstructionist policies against implementing sane, rational population control policies and, principally, its insane objection to artificial contraception. Yes, I know that the Vatican calls contraception "intrinsically evil"; it is interesting that the hierarchy has never said the same thing about child molestation.
Good grief people! The
Good grief people! The evidence is there. People are raising grapes in England for wine where they previously were unable to do so. People are are growing more vegetables in Greenland where they were previously unable to do so. The alcohol content in wine is growing due to the change in grapes due to warmer temperatures. Cheese in some parts of Europe now tastes different due to the effects of higher temperatures on the animals and what they consume. People in Europe--Poland--even are getting air conditioners when they were previously unnecessary.
The reason the US. has been against doing something about it is that it will force big business to spend money to keep emissions down. They are the darlings of the Republican party.
This is a major life issue!
Please look into the Medival
Please look into the Medival Warm Period.
Sister Joan what great
Sister Joan what great Spirit-unrest we can anticipate among us the generation making the decisions. I pray the generation of young people of which you mention will pay will also be capable of forgiveness and not an eye for an eye.
TALK TO FACEBOOK???? Dear Sr.
TALK TO FACEBOOK????
Dear Sr. Joan, and others who know US government/megacorporation policy MUST CHANGE, or else....
Could the solution be TALK TO THE GRASSROOTS?
Do we need to go to Facebook/Twitter and get the buzz going? And present data.
Jesus seemed to move on grassroots levels.
WE DO NEED TO RALLY AND ACT FAST.
Scientific silliness, Fr.
Scientific silliness, Fr. Holland! the North Pole is melting, for God's sake! Ask your Rogue Woman from Alaska for verification. Watch my lettuce and peas wither in the mid-December sun.
Copenhagen, Denmark is a fitting place for a modern Beowulf to cross the seas and slay the monster Grendal.
Why did the "poor nations" walk out today? Because of the same monster that destroyed the World Trade Center. World Trade is heavily weighted in favor of the haves and the have-mores.
Why did they come back? Despair. Like the Danes fled and then returned to Heorot. The military-industrial complex exists to keep the rich man's foot on the poor man's neck. The monstrous words emanating from the mouth of Mr. Cheney yesterday are attacks on democracy.
The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacks by the poor on the rich. No air force, no army, no navy--so they used box cutters. We stupidly missed the point.
We sorely need Mr. Obama (or somebody!) to grow a spine, to sail to Denmark and slay the corporations who have a strangle-hold on the throat of the earth.
Maybe Mr. Kucinich would save our kingdom if we'd just give him a horse. Like in the story _Beowulf_, swords won't work.
Our modern hero must use his bare hands and take down the mother, too. The mother of our unjust world trade system is giving heartless and conscienceless corporations "personhood," unlimited economic and political power, and "eternal" life. Our Beowulf will have to be the strongest man or woman alive.
Sister Joan, I think, is the strongest woman alive. She might be the one Hrothgar needs to dive into the boiling, bloody lake where Grendel's mother lives. I wish the king knew her.
Fr. Holland sure doesn't. You, Fr. Holland are just like my pastor with your broken-record response: the poor we will always have with us--an excuse to do nothing. Sister Joan would not object at all to employing cheap technology for clean water, for water transport, for food production and for transport of food items. A straw-woman argument!
But there's an angry, stingy fire-breathing dragon lurking down in the earth-vault by the shore, an underground barrow near the sea-billows and heaving waves, heaped inside with exquisite metalwork. We need a _real_ dragon-slayer, not a milquetoast big-mouthed Unferth, to get the warden of that trove.
If a person is sick or
If a person is sick or injured, they usually go to a medical professional. If we want information about a sport, we consult with someone as enlightened as possible about that sport. If we want information about climate change, we should seek information from climate professionals. One good site (there are many) is nasa.gov. Many people get their information from others who are not professionals in the climate field. Science is about collecting data, analyzing data correctly, communicating with others, and peer review.
Please excuse a bit of
Please excuse a bit of anti-hierarchicalism, Fr. Holland, but your pronouncement from on high sounds like you may have aspirations. I read Joan's assessment of Cop 15 as an attempt to balance the various pressures that exist at the conference. Of course, no media commentary is allowed by our 24/7 gossipers at Tiger's peccadillos.
The conference has been billed as Seattle on steroids; may the PEOPLE of rich nations and poor nations alike finally have a voice in how justice may rain down.
Sister Joan, I think your
Sister Joan,
I think your analysis is spot-on. I am somewhat surprised at those who think that global warming is in some way speculative. I am also surprised at the commenters who think that overpopulation is not a tremendous problem in our world. Sadly, I don't look to the U.S. for progressive leadership in this area. It may be up to groups of smaller governments to form coalitions which have the ability to act independently of the G7 nations. Make no mistake, I think the U.S. has a great heritage and a great mission in the world today. At the same time I can see that the forces of capitalism are driving the overuse of the world's resources in an extremely dangerous way.
So where is the current
So where is the current leader to take on this challenge and unify the people against the travesty of global climate change? Where is the Ghandi, the Mandela, the Martin Luther King? Have all the rest sold out to the monied class? Or is it that most of the media is now in corporate hands, so no one will be able to claim a world stage?
see Father Sean from Dublin
see Father Sean from Dublin as we refuse to hear Nobel Peace PRize Winner Al Gore.
I agree with all that Father
I agree with all that Father James Holland has articulated so very well !!
When asked about global warming, the poor woman from Bangladesh replied: "I dont know, but I do know that wihout clean water my children will die !" That is serious.
Global warming is neither here not there.....
it is everywhere
it is everywhere
To Sister Joan Chittister,
To Sister Joan Chittister, OSB:
I have been following your travelogue with interest. Your comments on attending Cop15, the UN Conference on Global Warming being held in Copenhagen, prompt me make a few comments of my own.
Your international air flights from the USA to Australia and then to Denmark and later back to the USA will have generated air miles slightly in excess of 38,000. Assuming flights by jumbo jet (say a Boeing 747) in economy class and in aircraft 80% full, your personal share of the jet fuel expended will have been 2,700+ kg and of the CO2 emissions 8,400+ kg, with a total global warming effect of 25,200+ kg CO2 equivalent.
While you berate the United States for holding back on economic support to assist developing countries in complying with any Cop15 treaty, your personal CO2 emissions traveling hither and yon identify you as an American no different from other Americans. If you are serious about greenhouse gases you will stop emitting CO2 through so much international travel. Does it really make sense to talk environmental virtue while practicing environmental vice?
Are you saying that all
Are you saying that all international flights should be stopped? If Sr. Joan had not occupied those seats on her flights, someone else would have. In order for CO2 to be curtailed as in your analysis this would have to come to pass. Wouldn't those massive corporations love that!
To Anonymous: Did I say ALL
To Anonymous:
Did I say ALL international flights should be stopped? Let’s just put an end to “conference tourism”. It’s unnecessary and a big contributor to climate warming. And, let me ask you, should someone promoting the reduction of greenhouse gases be contributing so heavily to the generation of them?
Dear Doctor, you assume
Dear Doctor, you assume Economy Class probably because she is living under a vow of poverty, but on international trips she always flies Business Class.
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The truth of cap and trade is
The truth of cap and trade is that it is LOVE CANAL'S baby. What indistrialized nations need to do is back away from the table. Why is it important for some to wear plastic fingernails? Why must there be NASCAR? Does the world need the excess associated with the Super Bowl? Americans need to back away from the table and allow our consumption to match our production. We have subsidized the importing of crude oil for decades.
One interesting question: "Who, literally, was in the room the day it was decided that America would import refined mobile transportation resources, primarily gasoline and diesel?" I think we need to know their names. Who decided to put the refinery burden on other nations, which makes it appear that we are not part of the equation?
Cap and trade is a con game of gigantic proportions-the newest form of colonialism.
Maybe you are right. If we
Maybe you are right. If we join the rest of the world then people will want to stop coming here. Then we may be able to fix our own problems and continue to be the land of the free and the land of opportunity. But, lowering our standards to live like the rest of the world? Nope. I want my Constitutional right to freedom and not only that it is a God given right to all. casino en ligne
I know not to what god you
I know not to what god you refer, but God has given us the right to love our neighbor as ourself.
Matt. 25:41ff
Get outside and see the standard of living of most people in America nowadays
and love us.
frère charles du désert OSB OBLAT (Congrégation de Subiaco)
Mark if you're steeped in the
Mark if you're steeped in the teaching of the Gospel on sharing and the social doctrines of the Church (Catholic) you will not write this way.
I agree with you Mark, we
I agree with you Mark, we should help the rest of the world to live like us and not lower our comfort to live like them. grosse salope
Sister Joan might consider
Sister Joan might consider becoming more concerned with the "beginning of the end" of her religious community first. The "climate change" that took place after the Second Vatican Council has given her and many other religious community their own version of "global warming." Perhaps Sister might pay more attention to saving her community and listening to the findings of the Apostolic Visitation before she starts worrying about the earth as a whole.
Too bad the publishing of the
Too bad the publishing of the comments waited until all at once, today. I'm glad that Rev. Holland received such a thrashing and so few complements.
But there seems to be too many Unferths among us and among the people where I live. I think there are too few readers, too.
Sr. Joan seems to be mistaken in her second sentence: "Denmark is not easy to forget. In the first place, every school child knows the tales of fearless, seafaring Danes." Most of the commentators seem wholly oblivious to those tales.
Mr. Obama claimed many positions in his Oslo speech that are mistaken as well. For instance that the cold war is over. The cold war did not end with the Berlin Wall's destruction. Beck/Palin/Hannity/Limbaugh/Lou Dobbs/Bill O'Reilly continue to wage the cold war daily inside America.
In fact, we carry on the war here, too. Wealthy corporations control our views, our minds themselves.
Interesting, isn't it, that our Pope is going green? Maybe we could get him to back up Sister Joan and help her to slay the monsters in Copenhagen.
"The only thing to do is to
"The only thing to do is to work with a coalition of smaller governments to isolate the United States entirely. That is what we did to stop apartheid. Then eventually the U.S. will have to come along." This quote of an African woman appeared toward the end of the article. It's significant, I think, especially in light of proposals made by some African Bishops during their synod this past October. The gist of these were that perhaps a coalition the churches of East-West developing nations is called for to help ameliorate the catastrophes, human and of nature, that occur and will occur in developing nations. It's important to realize also that these same bishops passionately called for solidarity in working to make their own countries better places to live in. They are at the point of wanting to have their own African voices heard in the halls of power where ever these may be; they recognize the need for collaboration with others in the same boat as they - in the throes of "new economic colonization." The quote above is no pie-in-the-sky statement. It's a growing sentiment in developing areas of the world, in what's been called the Global South. The questions aren't only those of water, warming, population, poverty, violence, sustainability, nutrition, health, pollution and so forth. They are deeper and much more pervasive, all inclusive: the right of human beings to control our own destinies - in collaboration, in community with respect for our dignity. That doesn't mean closing our minds and hearts; it means transformation of consciences, reconciliation, and new ways of doing things. It means we need to regard ourselves as global citizens, citizens of the planet rather than citizens of an isolate nation. The world turns; the time of attention to Global North has to become attention to the Global South. Will it take a coalition of East-West developing nations (with all their friends) for us to realize this?
If the deniers don't believe
If the deniers don't believe that clean energy can be less costly and more efficient than what is presently used, than I invite you to go on the web and find truthout.com,from Dec 13, 2009 and look for the story "Argentina: Solar Villages Light Up The Andes:. In the extremely high altitude of the Andes where temperatures can range from 20 degrees during day to 25 below at night, solar energy is making life in more than 30 villages more comfortable and environmentaly cleaner because even one of their solar ovens reduces firewood consumption by 50 to 70%. I don't imagine the people in those villages have a lot of money to throw around, and also don't imagine they are adverse to using clean energy.
If we could get past all the deniers who say we have to stick with polluting energy, we may actually be able to do something to change the downward direction of our climate and provide more jobs.
I believe God gives us the intelligence and ablity to take care of Her creation; we just have to be smart enough to use it.
People from island nations,
People from island nations, for instance, facing immanent danger from rising water levels in the world will be the first to have to deal with the effects of dislocation.
....
Not to worry. If you've missed it, a whisteblower laid out how climate 'scientists' have been inventing data (from the Harry_read_this file 'leave out data post 1960 it will be artificially generated later); perverting 'peer review'; inventing non-sense statistical techniques (Michael "hockey stock' Mann); hidden the much warmer Medieval Warm Period in UN documents.
We should not be ruining the life of working class and poor people globally for this hoax, which is verging on fraud.
Yes, I have agreed what
Yes, I have agreed what dwyerj1 said.
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Those of you who believe the
Those of you who believe the earth is getting warmer came to this mind-set based on what someone told you or some book that you read. Very few of you have been there on the front line to see if what you are saying is true. How do you know if you are being told the truth. You don't. I've been there and most of the information being given to the public is not true. Check out the people that you believe in so strongly. There are misinformed folk on both sides.
A friend just called to say
A friend just called to say you had a new Lenten booklet ($6.00) about women speaking out and used the Sunday readings as well. Would be interested in knowing the title so I can order and maybe have our parish use this Lenten season. Hope to hear from you.
Louann - Our Lady of the Mountain Catholic Church, Ashland, OR 97520
and thank you very much.
you are probably right, the
you are probably right, the fact is that if we join all the world, people didn't come anymore here. In God We trust ...
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