Letter to Congress from Bishop Hubbard and CRS on Climate Change, June 24, 2009

Letter to Congress from Bishop Howard J. Hubbard and CRS on Climate Change, June 22, 2009

"On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we welcome House consideration of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, and the leadership of Chairmen Waxman and Markey in moving this legislation forward.  Addressing global climate change is both urgent and necessary.  House consideration of this groundbreaking legislation begins a serious and overdue effort to face up to moral and environmental challenges and represents an important beginning.  We are encouraged by provisions in the legislation that seek to protect the poor and vulnerable at home and abroad.  However, we are very concerned about the inadequate funding for assisting the poorest people and countries on earth through international adaptation efforts.  

For the United States Catholic bishops and for many others in the faith community, we are called to care for creation and for "the least of these."  A fundamental moral measure of climate change legislation is how it affects the poor in our own country and around the world. As articulated in the bishops’ statement, Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good, “Action to mitigate global climate change must be built upon a foundation of social and economic justice that does not put the poor at greater risk or place disproportionate and unfair burdens on developing nations.” 

letter-to-congress-from-bishop-hubbard-and-crs-climate-change-2009-06-24.pdf