Letter
Letter to Congress on Climate Solutions Commission Act of 2017, September 15, 2017
Letter from Bishop Oscar Cantu, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace and Bishop Frank J. Dewane, Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, to Congress on Climate Solutions Commission Act of 2017, September 15, 2017
As the respective chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Committee on International Justice and Peace, we write in support of the Climate Solutions Commission Act of 2017 (H.R. 2326). This legislation is an important bipartisan step for protecting the environment and mitigating the harmful effects of climate change.
This bill has the potential to inspire positive and concrete solutions towards protecting our common home. The Climate Solutions Commission Act is one way to fulfill what Pope Francis has identified as 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” (Laudato Si’, no. 26).
The Catholic Church has consistently spoken about the importance of pursuing environmental solutions that are beneficial to all people. Bipartisan and economically viable environmental proposals are urgently needed. The Climate Solutions Commission should seek solutions that take into account all aspects of human livelihood. The Church calls for courageous actions and strategies aimed at promoting an integral ecology that considers together the protection of nature, the need for equitable economic development and the promotion of human dignity, especially that of the poor.