JULY 2022 Edition 7
Pope to elevate Archbishop Arthur Roche to rank of Cardinal page 5
Join CAFOD's new food campaign page 11
Pope urges politicians: 'Please do not lead humanity to ruin' page 14
July -Devotion to the Precious Blood
Some Governments are Lying ?????????????
‘Across the world governments are failing to promote the changes necessary to avert catastrophic Climate Change’
Antonio Guterres IPCC The latest report from the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released recently. The main message from the report is that even though the rate of increase is reduced, total emissions of greenhouse gases are still rising. Global emissions in 2019 were 12% higher than in 2010, an average of 1.3% per year over the decade. The report also states that governments across the world are not promoting the changes needed to avert catastrophic climate change. Our current trajectory, if unchanged, would lead to a global average temperature increase of 3.2oC, a figure that would make significant sea level rises inevitable, as well as disastrous and damaging ‘extreme climatic’ events. Even if all the plans and promises currently in place are put into effect – and currently they are not – it would not limit the warming to 1.5oC, which was the original target, but more than likely keep it to 2.2oC. “We are on a fast track to climate disaster”, Antonio Guterres, (right) of the UN, said when he released the IPCC report. He then went on to say “Some government and business leaders are saying one thing but doing another. Simply put, they are lying. High-emitting governments and corporations are not just turning a blind eye. They’re adding fuel to the flames, they are choking our planet based on their vested interests and historic investments in fossil fuels.”
It was thought that the war in Ukraine would lead to a reduction in the use of coal, oil and natural gas but the war has actually created an increase in energy companies investigating and exploring new carbon sources, including new coal mines. Yet, as Guterres said, ‘Investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is moral and economic madness.’ A report on the BBC website noted that the big banks are putting huge amounts of money into fossil fuels. and that Oil companies around the world are making plans to use their enormous profits from last year to concentrate on boosting their oil output capacity. “Big banks are pumping billions into new oil and gas production despite net zero pledges”, the BBC says. Banks like HSBC, Barclays and Deutsche Bank are part of a so-called ‘green’
banking group called the Net Zero Banking Alliance, but that has not prevented them investing hugely in fossil fuels. The Net Zero Banking Alliance is a perfect example of ‘greenwashing’. Pope Francis has already warned countries in a meeting with various finance ministers that they have “the responsibility of working to achieve the goals that your governments have adopted” to combat climate change. But they don’t seem to have heeded his warning. Continued on page 7
“Economic powers continue to justify the current global system where priority tends to be given to speculation and the pursuit of financial gain. As a result, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the intests of the deified market, which become the only rule.” Laudato Si