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US bishops call for climate policy that heeds ‘cry of the earth’ and the ‘cry of the poor’

December 01, 2023

» Continue to this story on USCCB

CWN Editor's Note: In a statement issued ahead of COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, two bishops who chair USCCB committees said that “climate goals must represent both the ‘cry of the earth’ and the ‘cry of the poor,’ and include the financial support by developed nations for adaptation, resilience, and recovery of the most vulnerable.”

“Despite the tremendous growth of renewable energy worldwide, the global economic system remains largely powered by fossil fuels,” said Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan. “Decarbonization of the economy—through the replacement of fossil fuels with secure, reliable, affordable, and clean energy—is the preeminent environmental challenge faced by all nations.”

The chairmen of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and the Committee on International Justice and Peace warned that “no government will be successful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the long run if it requires a significant increase of the energy costs of middle—and low-income citizens ... Justice for the poor, including the 3.3 billion people worldwide with limited energy and 700 million without any electricity, constitutes an essential test of ethical climate policy.”

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  • Posted by: feedback - Dec. 01, 2023 8:58 AM ET USA

    If they really cared about "the most vulnerable," how about being more outspoken in defense of babies in the womb? Or, making a proper McCarrick report, showing how and why such corrupt individual was elevated to the very top of US hierarchy? How about expressing some support for Bishop Strickland and for Cardinal Burke, since the scandalous injustice done to them is now publicly known? How about telling pope Francis that he should rather die for his flock in China than throw them to the wolves?