YPD's Earthday Party

The Young People for Development in Australia will organise an Earthday party on April 18, 2008 at the YPD house in Cairnlea, located in the Western suburb of Melbourne. It hopes to bring young people interested in the environment and development.

The YPD Earthday Party is a carbon neutral event courtesy of the Eco-Asia initiative of the Young People for Development.

To register into the Earthday event, click here.

Green WYD backs earth hour

The Holy Eucharist, the host for the Green World Youth Day Program joins Earth Hour tomorrow at 8-9PM. YPD Australia also enlisted as part of the campaign.

We enjoin everybody to switch off their lights for an hour tomorrow.

The World Water Crisis

Added information from the World Water Day Website:

The world water crisis is one of the largest public health issues of our time. Nearly 1.1 billion people (roughly 20% of the world’s population) lack access to safe drinking water1. The lack of clean, safe drinking water is estimated to kill almost 4,500 children per day2. In fact, out of the 2.2 million unsafe drinking water deaths in 2004, 90% were children under the age of five3. Water is essential to the treatment of diseases, something especially critical for children.
This problem isn’t confined to a particular region of the world. A third of the Earth’s population lives in “water stressed” countries and that number is expected to rise dramatically over the next two decades4. The crisis is worst in developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The world water crisis is created by a confluence of factors including climate and geography, lack of water systems and infrastructure, and inadequate sanitation, something that 2.6 billion people (40% of the world’s population) lack access to5. Some of these countries have additional problems, including high levels of arsenic and fluoride in drinking water6.

Many women and young girls in rural areas in Sub-Saharan African and other parts of the world must trek as much as six miles everyday to retrieve water for their families7. Due to this manual labor, such women and children are prevented from pursuing an education, maintaining their households or earning additional income8.

Thus, the lack of clean water, coupled with the lack of basic sanitation and a dearth of hygiene education, is one of the largest obstacles to progress and development in these regions and across the world. The UN has prioritized water access among its Millennium Development Goals because it contributes to such widespread suffering, including increased poverty, high child mortality rates, depressed education levels, and political instability. Without question, the world water crisis condemns billions of people to a perpetual struggle to survive at the subsistence level,9 thus inspiring millions to engage and alleviate this problem. Join us. Get involved today.


Sources: [1] WaterAid, 2005 [2] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005 [3] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005 [4] BBC News October 19, 2004 [5] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005 [6] Department of International Development, Water Action Plan, March 2004 [7] UNESCO/ International Year of Fresh Water 2003 [8] UNESCO/ International Year of Fresh Water 2003 [9] UNICEF/WHO Water for Life, Making it Happen, 2005

Climate Challenge Prayer

God, Creator and Sustainer,
free us from ignorance about your gift of Earth.
Inspire us to act together in respect for your gift and change our ways as we
relate to Earth's rhythms with humility.
May we welcome the truth when scientists speak of climate change, and
reject false pathways designed to confuse.
At this point in history, help us to urge our politicians to take moral decisions and urgent action in negotiating sustainable living.
Ground all our thoughts in your revealing Scriptures and the wisdom of holy women and men who have gone before us to help build the
new creation as followers of your Cosmic Son.
Give us a discerning spirit to work with the ecological and the human,
the social and the economic realities of this world, and instill in us a spirit of respect and compassion able to imagine pathways of harmony.
Amen.


Prepared by Fr Charles Rue
Coordinator Columban JPIC Australia

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.

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

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.