Brian Roewe

Chicago Christian leaders urge rapid replacement of state's toxic lead water pipes Ecumenism Metro Chicago, a coalition of Chicago Christian leaders, is calling on federal and state lawmakers to "make every effort to replace all the lead water pipes in Illinois as quickly as possibl...

A coalition of Christian leaders in Chicago has called on state and federal lawmakers to rapidly replace lead water pipes in Illinois, a state that ranks atop the nation in the toxic infrastructure that poses a danger to public health.

NY Catholics hope new archbishop Hicks will continue Laudato Si' efforts In Joliet, Illinois, Bishop Ronald Hicks oversaw a number of efforts to embed ecological concern deeper into Catholic life, including joining the Vatican's premier initiative to live out Pope Francis'...

In a week, Ronald Hicks will be installed as the 14th archbishop of New York.

Catholics in NYC involved in environmental ministries are encouraged by Hicks' work as bishop of Joliet, IL on creation care, and hopeful he'll help root it even deeper into one of the country's largest dioceses.

US 'abandoning its moral responsibility' with exit from bedrock climate treaty, Catholic groups say The United States — the largest source of historical emissions and top user and producer of oil and gas — will stand as the only country in the world not part of the agreement.

The Trump administration's move to withdraw from the 1992 bedrock UN climate change treaty amounts to the US "abandoning its moral responsibility as a leading global power and as the world's largest historical contributor to greenhouse gas emissions," said the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.

NEW: Inside the Trump administration’s man-made hunger crisis in the world’s third largest refugee camp.

After the U.S. failed to fund the World Food Program in Kenya, we went to the Kakuma refugee camp. This is what we found:

The Summer of Starvation: Amid Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts, a Mother Struggles to Keep Her Sons Alive After the Trump administration cut off food from the third-largest refugee camp in the world, thousands of families faced impossible choices as their children starved.

NEW: When the Trump administration took away her family’s food this summer, Rose Natabo had to choose which of her three sons to care for — who ate and who didn’t.

By Brett Murphy & @annamaria.bsky.social, photography by Brian Otieno

Laudato Trees program in DC Archdiocese plants its 1,000th tree Just in time for the 10-year anniversary of Laudato Si' and Christmas, the independent, lay-led program has planted 1,000 trees throughout the archdiocese's massive geographic footprint — but they're ...

A small group of Catholics in the Washington D.C. Archdiocese celebrated last month planting their 1,000th tree through Laudato Trees, an initiative inspired by Pope Francis' 2015 social encyclical on ecology "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home."

UN climate summit in the Amazon falls short on fossil fuel phaseout plan Nearly 200 countries at the U.N. climate talks did little to counteract papal criticism that "failing" political will is undermining global efforts against global warming, say Catholic officials who a...

Countries at the U.N. climate talks did little to counteract papal criticism that "failing" political will is undermining global efforts to stave off dangerous levels of global warming, say Catholic officials who attended the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil, at the edge of the Amazon rainforest.

BREAKING: COP30 Blue Zone venue is being evacuated after a firealarm was triggered. Smoke visible.

Built to Fail: Rules at UN Climate Talks Favor the Status Quo, Not Progress - Inside Climate News Experts say stifling bureaucratic procedures that are disconnected from the climate crisis have consistently stalled COP negotiations.

Archaic procedures and technocratic framing have failed to address the climate crisis for 30 years. Frustration over the lack of progress boiled over into a short occupation of the COP30 negotiation zone on day two of the climate talks in Brazil.

Despite surging renewables, fossil fuel emissions will hit record this year Emission-rate increases will accelerate in the U.S. and E.U. but will slow in China and India, according to a report published Wednesday.

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are projected to rise to an all-time high this year, according to a report.

At this rate, it will take the world four years to pass the threshold experts agree would constitute catastrophic warming, the authors said.

Caritas leader Q&A: 'The golden age of aid' is over "We're not going to see that money coming back," said Alistair Dutton, Caritas Internationalis secretary general, who spoke with NCR about the ramifications of cuts in funding for international develo...

NEW: The head of Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church's global aid network, said the massive scaleback in foreign assistance by the U.S., along with lesser cuts by European nations, signals "the golden age of aid being over."

"We will see millions of people die as a result of these cuts."

Amid tenuous ceasefire, Catholic Relief Services restarts aid in Gaza For CRS, the days since the Oct. 10 ceasefire have focused on reestablishing its networks, reconnecting with its distribution centers and reassessing need after two years of war and near-daily bombard...

Last week, two waves of trucks supplied by Catholic Relief Services with tents and other shelter equipment rolled into Gaza.

Following the latest ceasefire, the Catholic development agency has begun to ramp up its work to assist millions of Palestinians recover and rebuild after two years of war.

Corals are disappearing, pushing Earth to its first major ‘tipping point’ A new report says Earth has reached a dire milestone with the widespread death of warm-water coral reefs. It's not too late to save what remains.

Corals are disappearing, pushing Earth to its first major ‘tipping point’

A new report says Earth has reached a dire milestone with the widespread death of warm-water coral reefs. But it's not too late to save what remains.

grist.org/oceans/coral...

#Coral #Ocean #Environment #Climate #Science

Vatican pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28% The Holy See said it will cut its emissions within the Vatican City State by at least 28% by 2035 compared to 2011 levels.

NEW: Ahead of the COP30 climate summit, the Holy See has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the Vatican City-State at least 28% by 2035.

Key to those plans is a 1,000-acre solar farm outside Rome that is set to fully power the Vatican and make it the world’s first carbon-neutral state.

California governor rejects bill to phase out "forever" chemicals used in cookware, children's products Gov. Gavin Newsom votoes bill to phase out a range of popular consumer products, including nonstick pots and pans, that contain synthetic chemicals with links to cancer.

California governor rejects bill to phase out "forever" chemicals used in cookware, children's products

As Trump champions fossil fuels, the world is betting on renewable energy Despite a U.S. retreat, solar and wind are overtaking fossil fuels globally, according to two reports published this week.

As Trump champions fossil fuels, the world is betting on renewable energy.

Despite a U.S. retreat, solar and wind are overtaking fossil fuels globally, according to two new reports.

grist.org/internationa...

#Solar #Wind #Climate #Renewables #Energy

Climate tipping points are being crossed, scientists warn ahead of COP30 Global warming is crossing dangerous thresholds sooner than expected with the world’s coral reefs now in an almost irreversible die-off, marking what scientists on Monday described as the first “tipping point” in climate-driven ecosystem collapse.

Climate tipping points are being crossed, scientists warn ahead of COP30 reut.rs/4nTrk1G

Pope Leo embraces Francis’ concerns on global warming and the environment (RNS) — ‘The challenges identified in Laudato Si’ are in fact even more relevant today than they were ten years ago.’

My @rns.org column: #PopeLeo embraces Francis’ concerns on #globalwarming and the #environment religionnews.com/2025/10/07/p...

Pope Leo calls for 'true ecological conversion' from words to action on environment The pope spoke Oct. 1 at the start of a conference marking the 10-year anniversary of Laudato Si', Pope Francis' landmark document that encapsulated church teaching on the environment.

On Wednesday, the Pontiff delivered his first address on climate change at a conference taking place at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo calling for a “true ecological conversion… that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles.” By @brianroewe.bsky.social

Pope Leo blasts elitism, indifference toward poor in first major document "I am convinced that the preferential choice for the poor is a source of extraordinary renewal both for the church and for society," the pope wrote in Dilexi Te.

BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV bluntly called out inequality and indifference to the plight of the poor in the first major teaching document of his pontificate.

At Laudato Si' conference, Catholics stress hope, heart to animate church on climate "In the face of this deepening crisis, how do we dare raise hope? Our answer is this: We do it together," said Yeb Sano, board director for the Laudato Si' Movement.

Two words continually rang out at a Vatican conference marking the 10-year anniversary of Pope Francis' socio-environmental encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home."

Hope and heart.

Attendees saw both as pathways to draw more Catholics to the church's teachings on the environment.

Jane Goodall with Vatican cardinal: Human survival depends on biodiversity A Vatican-sponsored webinar this week paired famed primatologist Jane Goodall with Cardinal Peter Turkson for a conversation about the importance of preserving biodiversity to preserve life on Earth.

In 2021, Jane Goodall on a Vatican-sponsored webinar said she draws hope for better environmental conservation from young people, science and Pope Francis.

"One of my reasons for hope is Pope Francis, because in that position ... his stand on the environment really has made a big difference."

Pope Leo calls for 'true ecological conversion' from words to action on environment The pope spoke Oct. 1 at the start of a conference marking the 10-year anniversary of Laudato Si', Pope Francis' landmark document that encapsulated church teaching on the environment.

Opening a global church summit to mark the 10-year anniversary of Pope Francis' papal letter Laudato Si', Pope Leo XIV affirmed his predecessor's ecological vision while calling on Catholics to ensure creation care does not become a fading trend or fall into tribalism.

Story @ncronline.bsky.social

Thousands of Catholics oppose Trump plan to erase scientific basis for climate regulations "My Catholic faith compels me to urge you to leave the Endangerment Finding in place," wrote Patricia Sills-Trausch, a staff member at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Catholic and other faith-based organizations, including the U.S. bishops, submitted nearly 10,000 comments opposing the Trump administration's attempt to revoke the "endangerment finding" that underpins federal regulations on polluting emissions that drive climate change and harm human health.

Stop AI-Shaming Our Precious, Kindly Em Dashes—Please Human writers have always used the em dash. In fact, it’s the most human punctuation mark there is.

I wrote about the em dash

With no treaty to control plastics, concern over harm to people and planet grows A global treaty to address plastic pollution remains elusive, but Catholic environmental activists remain hopeful for the reduction of this fossil fuel product that harms people and planet.

"Disappointed but not surprised," said Sr. Patty Johnson in response to nations' failure earlier this month to reach a treaty to reduce pollution from plastics and minimize its related harms to human health and ecosystems from plastics.

EarthBeat story for @ncronline.bsky.social

Plastic pollution treaty talks in Geneva end without an agreement Nations worked for 11 days at the United Nations office to try to complete a landmark treaty to end the plastic pollution crisis.

Nations worked for 11 days to try to complete a landmark treaty.

But they were deadlocked over whether the treaty should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. https://to.pbs.org/3HBzCv9

Will Endangerment Finding Repeal Trigger New State Actions on Climate? - Inside Climate News The Trump administration included language in its proposal designed to head off new state rules and lawsuits. But legal experts predict years of battle ahead.

In its proposal to repeal the EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, the Trump administration included language designed to prevent any effort by states to act on climate. But legal experts expect states won’t give up without a fight.

Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More By slashing teams that gather critical data, the administration has left the federal government with no way of understanding if policies are working — and created a black hole of information whose…

In agency after agency, the U.S. government is losing its capacity to measure how American society is functioning, making it much harder to gauge the nature and scale of the problems we are facing and the effectiveness of policies.

(Published April)

Volkswagen kept a dark secret in the Amazon. Then a priest made a call. Poor laborers were lured to the automaker’s cattle ranch in the Amazon and promised a better life. Brazilian prosecutors say many were enslaved.

Volkswagen lured hundreds of seasonal and informal workers to the Amazon in the 1970s and 80s, with the promise of a better life.

But once there, the workers said, they were trapped — geographically isolated, ensnared by debt, sickened by malaria and forced to toil under threat of violence.