QUAKERS & CLIMATE CHANGE WORLDWIDE
A portal for Quaker climate action across the globe
The COP23 which took place last month brought to light an important aspect of the struggle to stop climate change: governments agreed to integrate gender equality as a guiding principle for climate action by adopting the first UN Climate Gender Action Plan. This aims to highlight the role of women in climate action and advance gender-responsive national and international climate policy work.
To read the full article by QUNO Geneva’s Isobel Edwards click here.
Three corporations want to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants at the Port of Brownsville, Texas.
The Rio Grande Valley community needs people to write to French banks and any other financial institutions funding and supporting three proposed LNG facilities, which are to be located on a two-lane road, Rte 48, along the Brownsville Ship Channel near South Padre Island and Port Isabel.
Dr. Sarah Bishop Merrill has written a letter requesting a TCEQ Public Meeting on Centurion’s Heavy Condensate Upgrader Facility proposed for the region, the Lower Rio Grande Valley, near the Port, Brownsville Ship Channel and the Bahia Grande Wildlife Refuge.
They also need general support in their fight against the harmful effects of the oil and gas industry, in particular, the fracking in Texas, which has been poisoning the water supply and stimulating earthquakes at faults.
Check out their Facebook group “Save RGV from LNG” for more information.
The Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) has put together sustainability resources to amplify the Quaker voice on sustainability.
They have collected worldwide sustainability case studies from:
If you have any resources you would like to share with Friends worldwide, please email Susanna Mattingly.
The Unity with Nature committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) works into the beliefs and practices of Yearly Meeting the twin principles that God’s Creation is to be respected, protected, and held in reverence, and that human aspirations for peace and justice depend upon restoring the Earth’s ecological integrity. The committee promotes these principles by example, by communication, and providing spiritual and material support to those engaged in transforming our relationship with the earth. Our efforts are reflected on the website.
Richard Grossman from Durango, Colorado Friends Meeting writes monthly articles about the effect of human population growth on humans and the natural world, including climate change. The latest can be found here on the ‘Population Matters: working for a sustainable world’ website.
AFM has a website that includes a page titled “Environmental Initiatives” which contains an AFM Minute on Climate Change (2014); and multiple ideas for sustainable living for monthly meetings and individuals.
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) has approved a number of minutes regarding the environment.
Here is the minute on ethical transportation that was approved in the summer of 2017.
These videos are of the Earth Walk from Scattergood Friends School to Iowa City that was part of a Climate Conference of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) in 2013:
https://youtu.be/1CtbKADpp3E
https://kislingjeff.wordpress.com/2016/09/17/scattergood-earth-walk/
https://kislingjeff.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/scattergood-journal-peace-walk-1969/
On 31 October 2017, the 1 Gigaton Coalition Report and UN Environment Emission Gap Report were released. Read more detail about the reports here or read the main takeaway points below:
The latest UN Environment’s Emissions Gap report finds that national pledges only bring a third of the reduction in emissions required by 2030 to meet climate targets, with private sector and sub-national action not increasing at a rate that would help close this worrying gap. As things stand, even full implementation of current unconditional and conditional Nationally Determined Contributions makes a temperature increase of at least 3oC by 2100 very likely.
The report lays out practical ways to slash emissions through rapidly expanding mitigation action based on existing options in the agriculture, buildings, energy, forestry, industry and transport sectors.
The 1 Gigaton Coalition report shows that partner-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries can cut 1.4 GtCO2e by 2020 – provided the international community meets its promise to mobilize US$100 billion per year to help developing countries adapt to climate change and reduce their emissions.
