USCCB-CRS Letter to Secretary of State Tillerson on Care for Creation, February 17, 2017

USCCB-CRS Letter to Secretary of State Tillerson on Care for Creation, February 17, 2017, signed by Bishop Oscar Cantu, Chair, Committee on International Justice and Peace, Bishop Frank J. Dewane, Chair, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Sean L. Callahan, President and CEO, Catholic Charities

Today, we write about our shared obligation to care for the environment. The Judeo-Christian tradition has always understood “the environment” to be a gift from God. From time immemorial, the people of our nation have recognized this gift in our abundant and beautiful lands, pristine waters and clear skies. Rooted in this tradition, Pope Francis called on the world’s leaders to come together to protect the gift of our common home. Sadly, environmental issues can be politicized for partisan agendas and used in public discourse to serve different economic, social, political and ideological interests. By presenting the care for creation from an ethical and moral standpoint, the Pope has invited all to rise above these unhelpful divisions. We have one common home, and we must protect it.  

There is no environmental issue that has been as ideologically contested as climate change. In his encyclical letter, Laudato si’, Pope Francis rejected a narrow understanding of climate change that excludes natural causes and other factors.  At the same time, he recognized that “a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity” (LS 23). This nuanced understanding of climate change, which you appear to share, creates space for reasonable people to recognize, without controversy, that the climate is changing and highlights the importance of adaptation in response.  

Adaptation policy is fundamentally concerned with helping God’s creatures and all human beings, especially those who are poor, to adapt to the effects of climate change, regardless of the causes.  From the perspective of Catholic social teaching, adaptation ranks among the most important actions we can take. The poor and vulnerable disproportionately suffer from hurricanes, floods, droughts, famines and water scarcities. Climate change is one more good reason for Christians to live up to what we should be doing in the first place: “For I was hungry you gave me food, I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25, 35). Globally, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) furthers the cause of adaptation by supporting developing nations in building resilience and recovering from the impacts of climate change around the world. Such resilience improves lives and promotes stability and security.  We urge you to support the GCF through your role as Secretary of State. 

USCCB-CRS-Letter-to-Secretary-Tillerson-on-Care-for-Creation-02-17-2017.pdf