One cannot overemphasize the fact that the environmental challenge is the greatest global challenge humanity has ever confronted - one that concerns the very existence of the civilization and all ecosystems of the earth.
Sea levels in Kiribati have averaged a rise of 3.7 millimetres a year since 1992 (Australian National Tidal centre). With sea levels rising and most of Kiribati only two meters high, the end is in sight for the 98,000 residents.
Climate change has direct consequences on Bolivia’s poorest, living in the mountainous regions of the Andes. Natural disasters have become more frequent and melting glaciers endanger the water supply. Caritas has set up model projects in four different climate zones to prevent droughts and flooding due to climate change. The main objective of the Caritas ...
For many people, especially those living in poor countries, climate change feels like a tangible reality they have to cope with every day. Negative effects of climate change are most visible in the world’s developing countries, whereas the industrialized countries mainly contribute to the deterioration of the world’s environment. One hard-hit country is Bolivia. Its ...
Climate models predict that the five countries in the Eastern Mediterranean (Western Asia)– Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) – will face a hotter, drier and less predictable climate in the coming decades. Temperatures are expected to warm by 2.5 to 3.7oC in the region’s summer months; these higher temperatures will ...
Granite hills mark the horizon. The ground is carpeted with rocks. Apart from the dried up river beds (ouaddis) there is nowhere for vegetation to grow. Thorny shrubs are the only desert plant life. Nature is hostile in Eastern Chad. “Annual rainfall normally varies from 300 to 500 mm,” said Adoumadji, an agricultural technician working ...
The Foundation for Senior Living (FSL) has served the needs of vulnerable seniors and adults with disabilities in Phoenix, Arizona for over 30 years. A member of Catholic Charities USA (part of Caritas Internationalis), FSL builds homes that prioritise safety, comfort, low cost maintainability and gentle impact on the environment. It aims to reduce landfill ...
The Copenhagen Summit on climate change brought together 119 heads of state and governments. Caritas representatives and bishops came from 25 countries, including Mexico, Zambia, South Africa, USA, India, Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean, Mozambique, Kenya, the UK, Spain, Ireland and Germany.
The year 2009 was a year of intense activity on climate change in the run-up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Copenhagen in December. Hopes were high for a binding deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions and increase financial and technological aid for poor countries. Caritas Internationalis joined its ...
The harsh effects of climate change are already becoming a daily reality for poor communities inmany countries where Caritas works. Unpredictable or extreme weather is undermining the humanitarian and development work of Caritas and threatens to increase the number of emergencies in the future. Calling for a new global ethic The answer to the climate ...