On Wednesday the Woods Hole Research Center, one of the world's top climate research labs, hosted a webinar on how faith communities are addressing climate change and how scientists and religious leaders have teamed up in Massachusetts and "found common cause in the climate crisis." You can watch a recording of the webinar here.
Titled "A Call to Action: Protecting Our Common Home," the webinar was timed to mark the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment and human ecology, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home." In that groundbreaking document, Francis wrote "The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all." The pope also affirmed the broad scientific consensus that climate change is ocurring and is largely driven by human activity.
"Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it," Francis wrote, adding specifically "There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced, for example, substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy."
The webinar featured Dave McGlinchey, chief of external affairs at Woods Hole, which is based in Falmouth, Massachusetts; Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, founding pastor of New Roots AME Church, Boston; and NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters. In his comments, Winters spoke about efforts to implement Laudato Si' within the U.S. Catholic Church.
Check back later for the full video. In the meantime, you can read more about the initiatives he highlighted in the EarthBeat coverage below:
Laudato Si' at 5
Five years ago, Pope Francis asked us to care for Earth. Have we listened? | May 24, 2020
Read the full Laudato Si' at Five feature series
Laudato Si' in action in California
In pastoral statement, California bishops outline Laudato Si' action plan | June 18, 2019
Atlanta Archdiocese Laudato Si' Action Plan
How four dioceses are actually doing something about the climate crisis | Nov. 8, 2019
Four factors driving pace, scale of climate action in U.S. dioceses | Nov. 1, 2019
Action plan offers Atlanta Catholics down-to-earth ideas to implement encyclical | Dec. 4, 2015
Catholic Energies program
Catholic Charities to build D.C.'s largest solar array | July 16, 2019
A Virginia parish switched to 100% solar power — and paid nothing | July 1, 2019
Faith Science Alliance in Massachusetts
Religious leaders, scientists of Massachusetts together declare climate change is an emergency | May 24, 2018
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