'Environmental refugees' demand response to climate change

Social justice news
April 2004

Church leaders press Prez and Congress on global poverty promises to keep
New guide helps consumers make wise buys
'Environmental refugees' demand response to climate change
UK Catholic aid group condemn U.S. attempt to block cheap HIV/AIDS treatment
UN Envoy warns of Sudan ethnic cleansing
World Court slams U.S. death penalty procedures

'Environmental refugees' demand response
to climate change
The rising number of environmental refugees due to climate change and environmental degradation demands a commitment to action by Christians, according to the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of Brisbane, Austrailia.

The Commission estimates that 25 million people around the world have already been forced to leave their homes because of environmental crises such as rising sea levels. This number could swell to 150 million by 2050.

The Commission's Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that Christians should consider changing their lifestyles to respond to this growing problem.

"Climate change produced by global warming is emerging as an enormous problem which will force millions of people in our Pacific neighbourhood to leave their homes and we must try to do something now to limit the impact of the problem," Arndt said.

"By the middle of this century, the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is likely to sink beneath the sea because the developed world has not learned to reduce the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil," he said. "We are urging Christians to change their household and transport behaviors to reduce their reliance on energy derived from fossil fuels."

"Many people in our neighbourhood face the threat of rising sea levels, and we cannot ignore their plight if we care about our fellow human beings," he said.

Arndt has been part of a team presenting workshops to over 100 Catholics within the Brisbane Archdiocese.

"We are teaching people about global warming and climate change and how they can reduce their use of energy at home and in their transportation," he said.

"We are very pleased to see such a positive response from Catholics in the north of the Brisbane Archdiocese," he said. "What we are doing is helping Catholics to find ways to take direct responsibility for the environmental crisis of global warming so that they can respond to the needs of people who are facing catastrophe," he said.

"This is integral to living out our faith in daily life because caring for the Earth is about caring for people."

The Commission's home energy workshops are being presented as a result of funding from the Cool Communities Project, which is a joint venture between the Australian Greenhouse office, a Federal Government agency, and peak environmental councils around Australia.

For more information, please contact Peter Arndt.

Back to page top