To Contact Us
Write:
PO Box 1603
Lafayette, IN 47902
Phone:
(765) 742-2050
Fax:
(765) 742-7513
E-mail
our office
Happening ... in the Local Church
 Sister
Mary Louise Dolan, CSJ, speaks about climate change at St. Mary Parish,
Anderson, on April 1. (Photo provided) |
Eco-justice series continues at St. Mary Parish, Anderson.
Special to The Catholic Moment
ANDERSON — In October 2007, the Social Justice Committee of St. Mary Parish hosted the first in a series of three seminars addressing eco-justice in response to a growing concern among Catholics about environmental issues.
The second seminar, which focused on climate change, was held on April 1.
Sister Mary Louise Dolan, CSJ, PhD, director of the Master of Arts in Earth Literacy Program and professor of biology at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, was the guest speaker.
“Global warming, and its effects, are social justice issues,” Sister Dolan said. “The health of many people will be affected by diseases, heat, weather disasters, air pollution and water quality. For example, climate change might increase the occurrence of malaria and water- and food-borne diseases.
“Concern about our environment is more than just about saving the spotted owl, but understanding a complex series of systems,” she said. “Each system is a whole, with a distinctive nature, and has capacities derived from interactive relations among its parts. The parts and whole change over time. For example, if warming ocean waters and overharvesting affect the horseshoe crab, the migrating birds that rely on this crab to survive are affected. Each system affected in turn affects another system, ultimately affecting humans.”
Global warming refers specifically to temperature increases in the earth’s lower atmosphere. “There is international scientific agreement that the world is getting warmer,” she said. “Evidence from tree rings, tropical corals, and ice cores from Greenland tell us that the 20th century was the warmest of the past 1,000 years, and the 1990s were the warmest decade ever recorded by modern climatologists.”
Scientific evidence has shown a close relationship between greenhouse gas concentrations and climate. Many compounds “trap” energy in the earth’s atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor. Beginning in the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide emissions from human sources have increased dramatically over the past century.
Sister Dolan explained the planetary systemic effects of global warming on temperature, sea level, food and water.
“The world will become much, much warmer than during the past millennium and sea levels will rise due to ocean thermal expansion and changes in land ice volume,” she said.
To illustrate, she quoted researcher Konrad Steffen: “The amount of ice lost by Greenland over the last year (2007) is the equivalent of two times all the ice in the Alps, or a layer of water more than one-half mile deep covering Washington, D.C.”
World food distribution will change, she said. Food crop yields are expected to increase in many temperate regions, but decline in most tropical and sub-tropical areas. Many countries will experience major changes in water resources. Global warming speeds up the water cycle by putting more moisture in the atmosphere, which in turn causes more precipitation-driven events. Sea level rise, resulting from thermal expansion of seawater and melting of glaciers, will lead to more devastating storm surges in coastal regions.
Sister Dolan stressed that scientists, citizens and policy makers must consider the complex relationships between the climate system and society.
“While the United States represents approximately 5 percent of the world population, we generate about 25 percent of its greenhouse gases. It’s not about assigning blame — it’s about taking action,” she said. “We have more economic resources to deal with climate change than poor and developing countries do. There is a short window of time if carbon dioxide levels are to be stabilized at levels yielding only a 2-degree C rise over pre-industrial levels.”
Climate change models, based on data from the past, predict Indiana’s climate may be like central Texas by the year 2100, Sister Dolan said. Rain may become heavier in winter and spring and decrease by 50 percent in summer and fall. Warmer winters may increase disease-transmitting and crop-destroying insects. Hardwood forests could change to pine and scrub oak; wetlands could be lost.
“Realize you are a part of the global system and do make a difference,” Sister Dolan said. “Conserve energy and resources and advocate for sustainability where you live, at the state, national and international levels. Everyone must pitch in. We have a powerful opportunity in a crucial time to make a difference for future generations.”
Next in the series
The eco-justice series will conclude with a talk by Sister Ann Sullivan, SP, DMin, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at St. Mary Church. She will give a presentation on practicing eco-justice in today’s world. All are welcome to attend.
Information and photo provided by the Social Justice Committee of St. Mary Parish, Anderson.