Kenyan bishop laments climate change in diocese
February 22, 2010
Noting that “it has practically not rained in three years,” a bishop in north-central Kenya has lamented the effects of drought upon his diocese.
“The failure of the Copenhagen Summit has deeply disappointed us, as we have been experiencing the deadly effects of global warming for years now,” said Bishop Peter Kihara Kariuki, IMC. “The population depends on aid from the Church, the government, and NGOs to eat and drink. The little water that is collected is not potable. The people have to use drinking water sent by the government with a tank, at several distribution points. There are people who have to travel dozens of kilometers to get water.”
“This area has for years been neglected by the government: the only activity promoting human development was that of the Church, which still remains very active with schools and health clinics,” the Bishop of Marsabit added. “The government is working with these facilities, providing medicines and personnel.”
11% of those who reside within diocesan boundaries are Catholic; the majority are Muslim.
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Posted by: lynnvinc7142 -
May. 03, 2010 10:58 PM ET USA
GW linked increasing droughts in Africa was what got me to start mitigating GW 20 yrs ago, and we've done so cutting our GHGs by 60%+ & saving $$ without lowering living standards. If you seek 1st the kingdom of God, all will be added unto you! It's not that a single drought or mega-hurricane can be attributable to GW, but that GW increases the likelihood of these. Studies show the African droughts over the past 4 decades fit the pattern of what is expected with GW.
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Posted by: New Sister -
Feb. 22, 2010 6:45 PM ET USA
This topic does seem to be popular among African priests - we had a chaplain from Ghana who was a good & kindly priest, but who wanted us to include "Global Warming" in CCD as a social issue… luckily there just wasn't *time*
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Posted by: polish.pinecone4371 -
Feb. 22, 2010 11:39 AM ET USA
He’s blaming the current drought there on global warming. Would he also blame the African droughts in the 70's and 80's on the same phenomenon or the droughts that killed multiples of millions in China in the 20's, 30's and 40's?
