Catholics petition Trump to uphold climate actions

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Protesters chant and display signs during a mid-June 2105 climate change rally in Washington. (CNS photo/Shawn Thew, EPA)

by Brian Roewe | Dec. 16, 2016

A petition made public Thursday seeks thousands of Catholics to urge Donald Trump “to take swift and meaningful action” as president on climate change, primarily through honoring commitments and pledges enacted under his predecessor.

Drafted by the Catholic Climate Covenant, the petition asks Trump “to demonstrate bold leadership” on climate by following through on three fronts that emerged under President Barack Obama:

keeping the U.S. in the Paris Agreement and fulfilling its pledge under the international climate accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions between 26 percent and 28 percent compared to 2005 levels by 2025;

fulfilling the initial U.S. pledge of $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund to assist developing nations in climate mitigation and adaptation measures, including development of sustainable energy;

implementing the Clean Power Plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rules to reduce carbon emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants.

“Because climate change is already harming millions of people across the U.S. and around the globe, Pope Francis has called national leaders to work together to address this crisis. Similarly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) strongly supports a national carbon pollution standard as essential to effective implementation of the Paris Agreement,” the petition reads.

In his encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home,” Francis said, “There is 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, for exam­ple, substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy.”

https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/eco-catholic/catholics-petition-trump-uphold-climate-actions