Green WYD- a dream made possible

January 26, 2008, St. Albans. The Holy Eucharist Green World Youth Day Team came together to share dreams and plans for the World Youth Day program in July this year. Bro. Gerard Brady, a Christian Brother patiently accompanied the group in their day of reflection and planning.

Sr. Catherine Tay, a Chaplain of Victoria University generously welcomed the group to her community house. She told everyone to have a good time and help themselves to the food she prepared.

Most of those who came expressed the need to reflect and meditate upon the spiritual impact of the preparations. They also acknowledged the importance of offering a space for young people to take a closer look on the environment during the World Youth Day. With enthusiasm, they promised to do their best to make the stay of the Green World Youth Day participants possible.

The youngest of the groups urged everyone to become more pro-active in inviting parishioners to join the activity or to host young people to their houses.

After the day, everyone left with more work to do. They were quite tired but happy looking forward to what they will do.

Widening of solidarities

January 15-19, 2008 - Sydney, Australia. We were welcomed in the best of circumstance and hospitality by the Karen community based in Australia. In such a big city wherein most of the energies of the friends we knew in Sydney were poured into the World Youth Day preparations this July, the Karens were unaffected. They still look upon those days as moments of receiving young people from all over.

We want to make use of the space and opportunity for training and interaction with other young people... We can do it if we are together and we cooperate in this program... Words that can sum up their will to do a post WYD program with the youth. Most of them were leaders in their own rights while they were yet at home. They also found their own ways of continuing their service to other people through their own organisation.

Some of the new arrivals found it difficult to speak English. It is a struggle to find jobs in this context. However, one can truly feel the cohesion of the group. They found a way to support one another. They come to a new country because it is not possible for them to live in safety in their own place and people...

In four days, we met a mixture of people. People with a big heart to accomodate the other. They are the kind who understands our need to care for the earth and look at the young as partners in development.

Scottish eco-congregations flourish

Ekklesia reports that "eco-congregations" are booming in the UK and particularly in Scotland.

In Scotland there are currently 172, with a total of 270 in England.

But given the small population of Scotland, this represents "a huge level of commitment in Scotland", Ekklesia says.

The term ‘eco-congregation’ is awarded to churches that have made a commitment to address environmental issues systemically through worship, programmes, the management of church property, outreach and community action.

More climate change warnings

The warnings continue on the potentially disastrous effects of climate change.

British conservationists warned last week that global warming could be "catastrophic" for European birds by wrecking their habitat.

They warn that three-quarters of Europe's nesting birds are likely to see their ranges shrink by the end of the century.

More seriously, scientists in India fear a probability of 10 to 40 per cent loss in crop production in the country due to the anticipated rise in temperature by 2080-2110.

Plus more concern about melting in Greenland. "We attribute significantly increased Greenland summer warmth and ice melt since 1990 to global warming," researchers write in a recent article in the Journal of Climate.

However, all is not yet lost. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report last year highlights "the importance of lifestyle changes," says Rajendra Pachauri, the panel's head.

Even simple things like eating less meat, using a bike instead of a car for short trips can all help, Pachauri says.

Global oil supply has peaked: General Motors boss

American car maker, General Motors, believes global oil supply has peaked and a switch to electric cars is inevitable, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"There is no doubt demand for oil is outpacing supply at a rapid pace, and has been for some time now," GM chairman and CEO Wagoner said during the opening of the Detroit motor show.

"As a business necessity and an obligation to society we need to develop alternative sources of propulsion."

He also said ethanol was an "important interim solution" to the world's demand for oil, until battery technology improved to give electric cars the same driving range as petrol-powered cars.

Save the Earth: Kalimantan bishops

Catholic bishops in Indonesia's Kalimantan province on Borneo island have issued a pastoral letter warning that "destruction and damage to the environment has become a big concern because it threatens the continuity of life on earth", UCAN reports.

The bishops' letter, Save Our Earth from Destruction, also warns that "forest fires, excessive mining, conversion of forests into farmland and accumulation of trash in densely populated areas have brought an "increase in water, land and air pollution".

The bishops call on the government and all people to help preserve the environment by stopping illegal logging and by planting trees. They also encourage parents and educators to instill a love for Creation in children from an early age.

"None of us can deal with this serious problem alone," they acknowledge. "Nonetheless we must do what we can because we are part of this earth."

Local Catholics say their parish priests and parish pastoral councils are now discussing what kinds of trees they will plant in their respective areas, UCAN says.

Antarctic ice nearly doubles in 10 years

The Times Online is reporting that ice loss in the Antarctic has nearly doubled over the last 10 years.

The paper quotes a new study showing that the Antarctic is losing 80 billion tonnes year MORE than it did 10 years ago and now totals some 196 billion tonnes a year.

The report found that the most extensive ice loss was found to be taking place in west Antarctica, where an estimated 132 billion tonnes disappeared in 2006.

As the articles also notes, these findings challenge earlier research findings which suggested that ice and snow in Antarctica could increase over the next century because of greater snowfall.

Research team member, Professor Jonathan Bamber of the University of Bristol says that the team's observations "show a very substantial and dramatic change in the breadth of the ice sheet.”

“It suggests changes in the climate system could have a rapid influence on the health of the Antarctic ice sheet. This is another observation that confirms the trend in what’s happening around the world. ”

World Bank funds Amazon tree saving... and tree cutting!

The Independent on Sunday reports that Roberto Smeraldi, head of Friends of the Earth Brazil, accuses the World Bank of funding the establishment of ranches in the Amazon that are causing massive deforestation at the same time as the Bank is funding other projects that aim to reduce deforestation.

Smeraldi has just published a new report "The Cattle Realm" which slams the contradictory policies of the World Bank.
"On the one hand you try and save the forest, on the other you give incentives for its conversion," Smeraldi says.

Christian responsibility to fight climate change: IPPC co-chair

Sir John T. Houghton, who is the co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was the lead editor of the first three IPCC reports, argues that it is a Christian responsibility to fight climate change in this impressive article.

"People often say to me that I am wasting my time talking about environmental sustainability," Houghton notes. "‘The world’ they say ‘will never agree to take the necessary action’."

"I reply that I am optimistic for three reasons. First, I have experienced the commitment of the world scientific community... Secondly, I believe the necessary technology is available... My third reason is that I believe we have a God-given task of being good stewards of creation.

"According to Scripture only human beings were made in the divine image (Gen. 1:26-27). This has sometimes been taken to mean that we are superior and are thus free to lord it over all other creatures. What it should be taken to mean is that we resemble God in some unique ways, such as our rational, moral, relational, and creative capacity.

"It also points to our unique ability to image God’s loving care for the world and to relate intimately to God. And it certainly points to our unique planetary responsibility," Houghton says.

"Being made in God’s image is primarily a mandate to serve the rest of creation (Mk 10:42-45)," he insists.

Christian churches could therefore play "a key role in the propagation of new attitudes" to the environment, he argues.

"Christian communities in the world should rise to the challenge, take the high ground and demonstrate Christian stewardship in effective action. A particular imperative is to express our care for God’s creation, our love for God and our neighbor (wherever he may be) by leading the way in more equitable sharing of the world’s resources.

Houghton also highlights the things that all of us can do, such as choosing fuel efficient appliances and cars, purchasing green energy, using public transportation and sharing cars.

" To quote from Edmund Burke, a British parliamentarian of 200 years ago, ‘No one made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do so little'", he says.

Concluding, Sir John draws attention to "the symbol of the Celtic Cross, the cross of Jesus surrounded by a circle denoting the world, illustrating that the redemption Jesus accomplished includes not only humans but the whole of creation".

"The challenge to all of us is unmistakable and daunting. But we also have the assurance that we do not have to act on our own. As God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in the Genesis story, so he will come alongside us to help us as we seek to do his work here on earth."

Pope's water expert says climate change is real

Catholic News Service reports that Pope Benedict has appointed Venezuelan born Princeton Professor Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, who was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize in 2002, to the Pontifical Academy of Science.

Professor Rodriguez-Turbe is an internationally recognised hydrologist whose work has focused on measuring and predicting long-term cycles of flooding and drought, as well as the most efficient means for distributing water.

The National Catholic Reporter's John Allen quotes Rodríguez-Iturbe as saying he regards his appointment to the prestigious Academy of Sciences, with roughly one-third of its members Nobel laureates, as "a sign of the interest of the Holy Father and the academy in getting more and more involved in environmental issues".

“From a scientific point of view, there is overwhelming evidence of serious anthropogenic impact related to global warming,” Rodríguez-Iturbe said. “This implies an enormous responsibility with regard to the consequences for peace and prosperity for the world, and for future generations.”

“I do not share the view of those who say we should keep out of it,” he told Allen. “If we accept the science, if we believe [global warming] is here and that human activity is a leading cause, then the church, the Vatican, should be involved.”

Allen adds that Rodriguez-Iturbe is encouraged by Pope Benedict’s growing advocacy of sustainable development, especially as it relates to his own interest in water, which he described as “a keystone to human survival and development.”

Interestingly, Rodriguez-Iturbe is also a member of Opus Dei, belying that organisation's media reputation for conservatism.

Melting China

The Chinese are concerned that a rise in global temperatures is effecting their annual ice festival.
Harbin in the far northeast of China is one of the countries coldest cities but has learnt to use this to their advantage. Since 1985 they have held an annual ice festival which now attracts tens of thousands of tourists a year becoming a huge source of income for the city.
Last year the city had the highest temperatures on record and this year the sculptures have started to melt much earlier than usual shortening the tourist season.

BBC News

Green alternatives and some concerns back home

Following the green developments back home, I found out that more and more taxis are using Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPGs) as an alternative fuel. According to reports, it managed to save 50% of their energy consumption.

However, this initiative is not yet fully recognized by the government and might create complications in the future if this is not fully addressed.

I have also seen signs of green hopes budding amidst the simmering heat of Manila. Green architecture is catching up among the ecology-friendly people. This is an initiative that we can fully support.


Another challenge that brought to my attention is the worsening quality of water in the Philippines. This is not an isolated problem for my country. Other countries are not only facing problems on water quality but also water scarcity.

Looks like we have so much work in our hands…

Water: an obstacle for peace

The Arab-Israeli dispute is a conflict about land - and maybe just as crucially the water which flows through that land.
Former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali may not have been right when he said in the 1990s that the next war in the Middle East would be about water not politics, but a future war over water is not out of the question.

Demand for water already outstrips supply, requirements are rising and current supply is unsustainable.

Martin Asser - BBC News

Japan to help Tuvalu

The ABC reports that Japan plans to give $11 billion over the next 5 years to countries suffering from the effects of climate change.

As well as countries like China and Indonesia, Japan plans to assist the Pacific island country of Tuvalu, which is made up of 9 islands totalling 26 square km and with a population of only 11,000.

Tuvalu's people fear that with seas rising their country is destined to disappear and that they will become climate change refugees.

Last year, the previous Australian government of John Howard refused to even meet the Tuvaluans to discuss the issue.

Let's hope the new Rudd government may change its tune on Tuvalu.

Make that 1.322 billion Aussies and Chinese

And now Australia's new environment minister, former rock star Peter Garrett, is planning to ban plastic bags in Australia, The Age reports.

That will be another 22 million people to stop using plastic bags to add to China's 1.3 billion - or more precisely 1,319,175,336 and counting.

1.3 billion Chinese to stop using plastic bags

The BBC reports that the Chinese State Council or Cabinet will ban shops from handing out free plastic bags from June this year.

People will be encouraged to use baskets or reusable cloth bags for their shopping.

China was using huge quantities of plastic bags each year, the State Council said.

"Plastic shopping bags, due to reasons such as excessive use and inefficient recycling, have caused serious energy and resources waste and environment pollution," it said.

Wake up and take a lead: British Anglican bishop

Wolverhampton Anglican Bishop Clive Gregory has published a pastoral letter to his Lichfield diocese in which he warns of environmental "catastrophe" but also says that there is still time to respond.

Quoting St Paul he says that it is time to "wake from sleep".

"Who should be the most committed environmentalists?" he asks.

"Those whose vocation is to be stewards of God's wonderful creation."

Muhammad Yunus on Microcredit

Microcredit pioneer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh has published a new book Creating a world without poverty which is reviewed in the Austin American Statesman.

In his book Yunus tells the story of the foundation of the Grameen Bank which pioneered microcredit among Bangladeshi women and which has been instrumental in reducing poverty in that country.

More recently, Yunus says, the microcredit industry has extended its focus to "social businesses" that endeavour to chart a middle path between profit making businesses and social welfare charities.

"Such businesses engage in commercial activities with the purpose of creating a social good. Unlike charities, however, they don't depend on contributions — they aim at self-sufficiency, and expand depending on how much they take in," says book reviewer Roger Graham.

Yunus distinguishes the social business approach from that of hybrid businesses that aim for both profit and charity because these "hybrids quickly become for-profit entities, disguising themselves behind a set of good intentions".

Big plans for Jesuits on environment

Catholic religious order, the Jesuits, are about to hold their General Congregation which is in effect a worldwide council of all their members where they will also elect a new "general" to replace the retiring Fr Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, the National Catholic Reporter says.

The Congregation will also set the direction for the Jesuits in coming years. It will discuss 262 "postulates" or proposals. Of these 42 concern justice issues and another 41 deal with environmental questions.

Let's keep an eye on reports from the Congregation over the next few weeks.

Buying carbon offsets

An article in the Sydney Daily Telegraph offers advice on choosing which carbon offsets to buy - or to avoid.

Interestingly, the article advises individuals to buy their carbon offsets from registered environmental charity so that they can claim a tax deduction.

This is exactly the path we hope to go down with our YPD partnership with Geres Cambodia to sell carbon credits.

Eco-monks and Redwood rabbis

The United Nations has announced a partnership with the Alliance for Religions and Conservation, according to a report in the Toronto Star.

The Star says that a group of environmentally concerned Jewish leaders in California, known as the "Redwood Rabbis," has successfully fought to preserve more than 2,000 hectares of redwood forest.

Meanwhile, "Thai Ecology Monks" have helped launch a ritual blessing of the Nan River, which has led to the creation of nine fish sanctuaries.

And in Yemen, the Islamic Federation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences has organised a water conservation program based on Islamic principles.

Sober lifestyles needed for sustainable development: Pope Benedict

Pope Benedict has again called on people to adopt more moderate lifestyles in order to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth and to reduce pressure on resources, the International Herald Tribune reports.

"One cannot say that globalisation is synonymous with world order — it's the opposite," Benedict said in his homily in Rome today.

"The conflicts for economic supremacy, and the scramble for energy and water resources and raw materials render difficult the work of all those who strive to construct a more just and united world," he continued.

"We need a greater hope, which allows us to prefer the common good of all to the luxury of few and the poverty of many."

"By now it is obvious that only by adopting a sober lifestyle, accompanied by a serious commitment to a fair distribution of wealth, will it be possible to install a just and sustainable model of development," Benedict said.

Explaining the pope's comments, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi added that until recently, "environmental issues seemed the concern of the rich rather than of the poor, of developed countries rather than of more backward ones for which economic development was instead the priority."

"Now, frequent disasters due to environmental imbalances hit hard those who have few resources to defend themselves," he said. "Today, humanity fears for its future ecological balance, and to this observation, the pope links a strong moral call to solidarity," Lombardi said.

Sunshine to petrol?

And here's another interesting development. Scientists at the Sandia laboratory - long associated with nuclear power - in New Mexico, USA, say that they have developed a concentrated sunlight operated device that will break down carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and oxygen.

The objective is to produce hydrocarbon fuel from the carbon dioxide - "sunshine to petrol", as Sandia calls it - as well as reducing greenhouse gases.

Are chemicals causing frogs to croak?

Frogs in Australia and around the world appear to be in decline with a number of remarkable species already extinct or close to it, reports The Australian.

Although climate change may be a factor in some cases, some scientists believe that the use of agricultural chemicals may be a key factor in the demise of some species.

One of the frog species that has disappeared, Rheobatrachus silus, which rears its young in its stmach, was first discovered in the Queensland rainforests in 1972. By 1979, it had disappeared, says zoologist, Glen Ingram.

2007 confirms Aussie warming trend, climatologist says

The Australian Bureau of Metereology says that 2007 was Australia's sixth warmest year on record, with the average annual temperature of 21.8 degrees Celsius some 0.67 degrees above normal, AFP reports.

Southern states were most affected as was the key agricultural zone, the Murray Darling Basin. These areas experienced their hottest year since records began in 1910, the Bureau says.

Neil Plummer from the National Climate Centre told AFP that "we are already seeing a change of climate" with 16 of the past 18 years warmer than average.

"There's a fair weight of evidence now that what we've seen in terms of temperature changes, most of it is due to greenhouse gas emissions," Plummer said.

But he also added that it is still too early to confirm whether man-made global warming was responsible for the rising temperatures and drier conditions.

India France EcoSolidarity

Here's an interesting story of a sustainable development project in the Indian town of Rahimatpur, near Pune.

The project includes recycling of water and waste, using renewable energy like solar and wind energy, vermiculture (worm farming) projects and also educational activities to help students to become self-employed.

The project was launched by Rajendra Shende, an Indian expatriate currently based in Paris where he heads the Ozone Action Group of United Nation’s Environmental Programme.

Shende says he was inspired by a speech by former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam who had called on Indian graduates to adopt and transform their native villages.

The project which mobilised the whole village was so successful that the area became an "embodiment of cleanliness" in just two months.

Hurdling the WYD feeding challenge

The organizers for the World Youth Day Program in Sydney finally announced the 'feeding' plan of the participants in July this year.

WYD pilgrim services director Geoff Morris said the food would come with a distinct Australian flavour, with the iconic Vegemite sandwich and ever-popular Tim Tam appearing in lunch packs.WYD pilgrim services director Geoff Morris said the food would come with a distinct Australian flavour, with the iconic Vegemite sandwich and ever-popular Tim Tam appearing in lunch packs.

The organizers calculated that one million breakfasts will be distributed to about 700 accommodation sites; 1 million lunches to about 300 sites where the faithful will be undertaking catechesis (Catholic teachings led by a bishop) and 900,000 hot dinners to six CBD sites where evening functions will be held.

There you go. One very important concern that most of the pilgrims asked are answered six months before the program proper.

Remember -- leave no rubbish lying around and, stay healthy!

Take a rain check on climate change, says Pell

Controversial Sydney Cardinal George Pell, a well known climate change sceptic, is stirring the environmental possum again in an interview entitled "Global warming and pagan emptiness".

"I am certainly skeptical about extravagant claims of impending man-made climatic catastrophes," Cardinal Pell says.

"Climate change both up and down has been occurring, probably since earth first had a climate."

While Cardinal Pell recognises that temperatures rose 0.6 degree last century and had adverse impacts "in particular locations", he says that "when averaged out across the globe, it is difficult to see this being the main culprit for any overall global warming, let alone bringing us to the verge of catastrophe".

According to Cardinal Pell, "some of the more hysterical and extreme claims about global warming appear symptomatic of a pagan emptiness, of a Western fear when confronted by the immense and basically uncontrollable forces of nature".

"In the past pagans sacrificed animals and even humans in vain attempts to placate capricious and cruel gods. Today they demand a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions", he adds.

Well, it may well be that "pagans" are demanding a in reduction dioxide emissions but I wonder what Cardinal Pell has to say about the Vatican going carbon neutral.

Last year the Holy See signed up to accept carbon credits to offset the carbon emissions of the Vatican state and church. In fact, the Vatican was reported to have become the "first entirely carbon neutral sovereign state".

I don't think anyone has suggested that the Vatican has gone pagan!

Nor are Cardinal Pell's "pagans" totally alone in supporting the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions - they seem to be in the company of the pope himself - on this issue at least!

In any case, the cardinal is right about one thing - we all need to step back a bit and think clearly about these issues.

About Ruddy Time!

As I arrived in Australia in November it was amongst a fury of government lobbying just before a general election and as predicted (although with not as big a margin as hoped) the previous government got kicked out and ex-Prime Minister John Howard lost his seat.
Everyone was elated at the prospect of change.
One of Kevin Rudd's first major steps as the new Prime Minister was to go to Bali and ratify the Kyoto Protocol! Congratulations Australia. Now that only leaves America! Let's hope their next leader follows in the footsteps of Mr Rudd.

WHO....

Did you know that in December 2005 the World Health Organisation introduced a new criteria to their employment admissions. NO SMOKERS!!
Doing their bit for the environment and people's health but shouldn't there also be freedom of choice...? What do you think?

New Year’s Eve colourful debates

New Year found us highly spirited. In my two months of stay in Melbourne, it was my first time to experience seeing the train fully packed. People seem to spring out of nowhere and I got so amused seeing the federation square teeming with people.

The all time heat record high of 41 degree Celsius did not deter the mood of the revellers. I was truly hoping for a cool change of the weather but the New Year’s Eve heat just went on steadily.

The colourful display of the fireworks skipped a beat in my heart. It was really very fantastic. However, a part of me was also sad. The carbon emitted amidst all the ohhs and the ahhs of the crowd spelled an irreversible heat all around. No wonder why the cool change was very elusive.

Viva Kiva!

Here is a site with a really fantastic service that we could perhaps make use of in our YPD network.

Kiva provides a mechanism for connecting those with money to lend to those in developing countries who need finance for their projects.

It is doing record business after publicity on the Oprah Winfrey show and backing from Bill Clinton.

Anglican church chief slams ungodly waste

The primate of the Anglican communion, Canterbury Archbishop Rowan Williams has taken "God doesn't do waste" as the theme for his New Year's message.

"Despite constant talk about recycling and thinking 'green', we're still a society that produces fantastic quantities of waste," Archbishop Williams says.

"Look at the number of plastic bags flapping around by the roadside, in town and country alike and you see what I mean.

"In a society where we think of so many things as disposable; where we expect to be constantly discarding last year's gadget and replacing it with this year's model, do we end up tempted to think of people and relationships as disposable?

"Are we so fixated on keeping up with change that we lose any sense of our need for stability?"

Ekklesia reports that Dr Williams, who is also spiritual head of the 78 million strong worldwide Anglican Communion, says that those who have learned to discard rubbish and materials too easily are likely to do the same to people and relationships.

The archbishop's New Year message is filmed both in Canterbury Cathedral and at a nearby recycling centre, where he stresses his concern for the environment and the emphasises the moral and religious necessity of protecting it.

Dr Williams says that short-term exploitation of the earth's resources which produces fantastic quantities of waste has implications for other areas of life.

"A lot of the time, we just don't let ourselves think about the future with realism," he continued.

"A culture of vast material waste and emotional short-termism is a culture that is a lot more fragile than it knows.

"How much investment are we going to make in a safer and more balanced future?" he asked.

Dr Williams is also making his message available on YouTube as well as BBC television.

The Archbishop adds that "[God] doesn't regard anyone as a 'waste of space', as not worth his time - from the very beginnings of life to its end, whether they are successful, articulate, productive or not".

He concludes: "A life that communicates a bit of what God is like is a life that doesn't give up."