Climate Change: The World We Leave Our Children

I see trees of green, red roses too,

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world.

Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" portrays an earth of vivid colors and opportunity. It is a place where everyone wants to live and can thrive together equally. It's the kind of world that Catholic Relief Services works for every day in our commitment to helping the poor become more resilient to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.

Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment "Laudato Si [Praised Be]: On the Care of Our Common Home" will be issued Thursday. CRS President&CEO Dr. Carolyn Y. Woo will speak at the release, along with others.

"It is an honor to be included in this important event," Woo says. "Pope Francis recognizes that caring for God's creation and caring for the poor are closely linked."

"Each of us has a personal responsibility to care for creation, this precious gift which God has entrusted to us," says Pope Francis.

The encyclical is widely anticipated as a definitive statement on the need to reverse climate change. It's also expected to address the need to care for people suffering from its effects.

"With my background, I want to reach out to members of the business community, asking them the same question we all must answer, 'What kind of world do we want to leave our children?'" says Woo, who previously was dean of the Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame.

"While there are businesses which are threatened by this message and probably many do not do enough on this issue—and I include humanitarian organizations like CRS in that—we must acknowledge that there have been extensive actions by business on climate change, easily overshadowing the efforts by the development community," says Woo.

CRS witnesses the effects of environmental degradation and climate change on the world's most poor and vulnerable. Storms and floods, like those in the Philippines and parts of Africa in recent years, have destroyed human lives, homes, livelihoods, crops and livestock. Hunger and disease often follow these disasters, leaving communities devastated.

CRS works in more than 100 countries around the globe, touching the lives of 85 million people. With help from our partners and donors, CRS works to reverse the effects of climate change while preparing communities before disaster strikes.

In Ethiopia, CRS has introduced climate-smart agriculture to better withstand changing weather patterns and provide food for struggling communities. In Bangladesh, where monsoon rains can flood homes, disaster risk reduction training can give families a dry place to sleep. In Central America, crop diversification and soil management provide alternatives during times of changing rainfall patterns and temperature fluctuation.

"At Catholic Relief Services, we are very aware of the impact of climate change on the poor around the world; that those who have contributed the least to this problem are suffering—and will suffer—the most from it," Woo writes in an April 2015 article in The Huffington Post.

How CRS is responding to climate change.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Photo Gallery: CRS Cares for Creation

Church Resources and Prayers About Climate Change

More Information About the Environment Encyclical