Here is a significant piece of encouraging news. Yasmine Hafiz of Huffington Post informs us that U.S. Bishops Call For Reduction On Carbon Pollution.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called on the Environmental Protection Agency to combat climate change in a May 29 letter. It specifically focused on the issue of carbon pollution, particularly from power plants.
“The USCCB recognizes the importance of finding means to reduce carbon pollution,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami. “These standards should protect the health and welfare of all people, especially children, the elderly, as well as poor and vulnerable communities, from harmful pollution emitted from power plants and from the impacts of climate change.”
Addressed to Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the letter emphasized the need for specific action on the issue. "We appreciate your commitment to address this urgent global challenge confronting the human family. The USCCB stands ready to work with you, the Administration, and members of Congress to ensure that measures necessary to address climate change both care for creation and protect 'the least of these.'"
Yasmine Hafiz also informs us that the National Catholic Reporter asserted in a recent editorial that "climate change is church's No. 1 pro-life issue." (Thanks to commonmass for bringing to my attention that the National Catholic Reporter is an independent more liberal Catholic group no affiliated with the more conservative UDCCB.)
Wow, this is heavy duty support for the direction the Obama administration intends to announce on Monday with new aggressive goals to reduce carbon emissions at our nation's coal powered electric generation plants by 20%.
Saying "climate change is church's No. 1 pro-life issue," is also jumping right into the middle of the U.S. domestic political dynamics on our progressive side, so this seems highly significant to me.
Speaking as a scientific humanist I am impressed with the new directions Pope Francis seems to be taking the church. Just a note to critics of the church, especially the few who object every time someone here notices or congratulates the church for what seem to be many signs of positive new directions, My praise of this and other recent positive directions does not mean I am unaware of, or forgive them for, other "shortcomings" - anymore than it does when I praise centrist Democrats, the Obama Administration, or "those" who write pootie and woozle posts. (humor alert. Please see my Controversial study finds cat lovers are smarter than dog lovers, stirring up inter-special rivalry for background on inside joke.) (Also see footnote for critics of church.)
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(Footnote): Noticing, or praising a person, or organization for specific improvements, does not mean we are overlooking or forgiving other short-falls. When trying to forge a political coalition among broad diverse we chose to make alliances with other groups, none who are perfect, in order to achieve our goals.
Recently, when I have praised Pope Francis or others in the church for what appear to be promising new directions I receive a number of comments asking if I have forgotten about the the victims of pedophile priests, the Vatican's suppression of U.S. nuns in the slap down of the Leadership Conference petition a few weeks ago, the church's treatment of women, the GLBT, its role in the genocide of Native Americans, Africans, and their religions, the Crusades and Holy Wars, the Dark Ages, and the persecution of those they considered to be pagans, the original real Pagans etc. and the suppression of the Gnostic Gospels at the Constantinople Conference of the 4th Century. No I have not, and I did not and do not support any of these things.
Nor have I forgotten a long tradition of feeding the poor, caring for the sick, and other charitable works which would place the church high on any list of progressive forces in the last two eons.
My personal goals go well beyond the Daily Kos goals of merely electing more and better Democrats and include a broad range of progressive-liberal, environmental, health, education, national and other goals I hold as a progressive, liberal Democrat. My impression is that most of the people here are in the same camp, or I would not be here.
The Catholic Church has over 1 billion adherents and we are engaged in an uphill political battle with the right over basic "no-brainer issues" like should we even take modest reasonable steps go try to mitigate carbon emissions. Because we've been losing this battle while the fossil fuel industry dominates Republican Party, and they the House.
The United States has sunk the last several rounds of international climate change treaties because the G.0.P. dominated House refuses to go along. We now have the possibility of overcoming this obstacle and making a first major forward step by virtue of President Obama's courage and willingness to take a unilateral and controversial executive action using E.P.A. regulations which his administration will announce on Monday.
We will need every ally we can get especially in this next six months when the fossil fuel industry and Republican Party launches an aggressive counter attack. Progressive-liberal Democrats are already working with environmentalists, scientists, moderates, conservatives, educators, and many others we do not entirely agree with to make this modest 20% reduction in coal fired carbon emissions just one first step among many others. Scientists tell us we will need to reduce all carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by over 30% to 40% a lot more quickly than we are on course to accomplish, if we want to avoid the benchmark 2 C degree temperature rise by 2050.
9:21 AM PT: Please check out this fun photo rich space exploraiton post I made last yesterday evening.
9:24 AM PT: (Thanks to commonmass for bringing to my attention that the National Catholic Reporter is an independent more liberal Catholic group no affiliated with the more conservative UDCCB.)