The Pope’s Visit – Renewing the Call to Act on Climate
By Administrator Gina McCarthy
This week, Pope Francis made an historic visit to Washington, DC, where he met with President Obama, addressed Congress, and lead a public rally to support moral action on climate justice.
This summer, the Pope issued a landmark encyclical emphasizingour moral obligation to act on climate change – for the sake of our kids and vulnerable populations around the world. His visit to Washington this week is a reminder that taking action is as urgent as ever to protect our “common home”.
At EPA, we couldn’t agree more. Environmental justice is at the core of everything we do – including our work to address climate change. Climate change is personal—it affects every American. But low-income and minority communities are particularly vulnerable to climate-related changes like stronger storms, floods, fires, and droughts. And on top of that, they are often the least able to rebuild after a disaster.
Low-income and minority Americans are also more likely to live in the shadow of polluting industries like power plants, and more likely to be exposed to higher levels of pollution. And the carbon pollution driving climate change comes packaged with other dangerous soot- and smog-forming pollutants that can lead to lung and heart disease.
More than 10 million American children have been diagnosed with asthma. But black and Latino children, as well as children from low-income families, are more likely to suffer from asthma and respiratory problems than other kids are.
Of course, climate change isn’t just happening here in the U.S. Citizens in low-lying countries like Bangladesh and Pacific Island nations are retreating from sea level rise; parts of Africa are facing blistering drought, threatening the food supply; indigenous people in the Arctic are seeing summer sea-ice recede to unprecedented levels.
We all have roles to play in taking action on behalf of those who bear the brunt of the effects of climate change. And by working together, we can meet the challenge. This message was crystal clear in the Pope’s recent encyclical:
“Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”
I’m so proud to be able to say that the United States is stepping up to this call.
EPA’s Clean Power Plan puts our Nation on track to slash carbon pollution from the power sector 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030—all while keeping energy reliable and affordable. As we speak, states across the country are putting pen to paper and crafting plans for implementation.
The faith community has been an extraordinary catalyst for climate action, and we’ve seen incredible support and progress from the private sector as well. Businesses of all sizes are embracing the task, working to reduce their carbon footprints, planning for future climate change, and propelling innovative clean energy solutions forward. I also continue to be encouraged by the steps being taken by our partners around the world, including economies large and small and some of the world’s biggest emitters.
This collective momentum makes me confident that a global climate agreement will be reached in Paris later this year. And it gives me hope that we will rise to the Pope’s moral call: to protect the least of these, and to safeguard a beautiful, abundant planet full of opportunity for our kids and for generations to come.
Shar
Sep 25, 2015 @ 14:11:01
and yet you allow Experimental GMO crops to be grown in Hawaii with no regulation or oversight ~ the people are being poisoned! Children born with birth defects~ organs outside of body, cancer clusters ~ waking with bloody noses! SHAME on you!!!
R.MUTHURAJ
Sep 25, 2015 @ 19:58:56
PRAY FOR WORLD PEACE AND ENVIRONMENT
Bharat
Sep 26, 2015 @ 08:20:54
I watched this program, that was a motivational speech. Climate change is the biggest problem in front of whole world. we have to get unite and take action to make better climate for us and our future generation.
Jane Baldwin
Sep 27, 2015 @ 14:44:19
I appreciate that this post highlights the issue of environmental justice, and I am excited to see the idea coming up more frequently through mainstream channels in light of recent discussions regarding climate change. While Ms. McCarthy highlights the fact that states are expected to put more effort into their role in addressing climate change, I think it will also be interesting to see whether or not the same phenomenon begins to occur on a global level in light of Pope Francis’s willingness to address the matter. As we are all stakeholders in the health of our planet, it is interesting to see how environmental health has become a more prominent point of discussion since this summer’s encyclical. It is hopeful to see a global figure who has been able to raise the topic so effectively in the recent past, and I look forward to seeing increased attention to the topic of climate action.
MadBrown
Sep 27, 2015 @ 17:54:37
For those who advocate taking action to combat climate change, the Pope’s support for moral action on climate justice is reassuring. Faced with the harsh realities of a changing climate (as is evident by the harsh drought and wildfires in California), it is unfortunate that many cling to the opinion that it is not in our country’s best interest to focus resources on curbing emissions and preparing for future climate changes. When human health and the health of the planet we call home are threatened, taking action should not be a partisan issue. The Pope’s call to action, along with the Administration’s Climate Action Plan and the recent announcement of China’s cap and trade program during President Xi’s visit last week are all important steps leading up to climate negotiations in Paris.
hanoi weather
Sep 28, 2015 @ 22:22:42
I was really touched when I realized that, there are many people in this world, who are worried about the environment and climate of the earth, not for the sake of one country, but for the common good of humanity.
I have just watched a video about the history of the earth, I feel anxious about the birth and the end of it, though very remote.
Kelsey Johnson
Sep 29, 2015 @ 22:10:34
I am hopeful that the Pope’s recent visit to Washington D.C. will reinvigorated the discussion on climate change. His emphasis on climate change affecting more vulnerable populations is important to note. Many effects of climate change, such as disease and natural disasters, are more difficult for these populations to overcome. With businesses and the faith community rising to action to fight climate change and and increasing resources in these communities, low-income populations will bear less of the burden of climate change. The bottom line that the Pope was trying to reach in his encyclical and in his recent speeches in Washington is that climate change is everyone’s issue and everyone’s responsibility. Therefore, we should all contribute to the solution so that our planet is still inhabitable for generations to come.
Khaled
Feb 04, 2016 @ 16:32:13
I think it is a great step in the right direction that the Pope emphasized the moral obligation to act on climate change. If left unsolved, climate change will have huge danger on the next generations.