Environmental Justice is a cause close to the hearts of the Comboni Missionaries, Pope Francis, and so many others. On Wednsday, March 6, the community at the Cincinnati Mission Center hosted an evening dedicated to learning more about climate change, the environement, and our role in caring for creation. Comboni Missionary Fr. John Converset and Laura Schafer, an Associate of the Congregation of the Divine Providence shared their knowledge.
Fr. John Converset’s Presentation:
Fr. John has been a Comboni Missionary for more than 50 years. He is a native of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He served in the Republic of South Africa for 20 years. When he returned, he established the office of Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation (JPIC) for the North American Province. He has been in the U.S. since 2010, where he has served Provincial Superior. He now serves as Chaplain for the retired Sisters of Divine Mercy.
Laura Schafer’s Presentation:
Laura Schafer is an Associate of the Congregation of Divine Providence and serves on the Laudato Si committee. In her personal and professional life Laura seeks to learn about connections between people, the world around them, and the changes that can and should happen.
Our Common Home Presentation:
Vatican’s Our Common Home guide. You can order a printed version of the guide – see bottom of this page.
Cincinnati Area Initiatives to help our environment:
- Cardinal Land Conservancy
- Soil and Water Conservation Districts (Kentucky, Ohio)
- This is the Ohio; Life Death Rebirth of the Beautiful River (April 4th screening in Boone County)
- Ohio River Foundation
- Kentucky Waterways Alliance (2nd most endangered report), Ohio River Way
- Civic Garden Center
- Green Acres Farm Foundation
- County Extension Agencies (Campbell, Boone, Ohio Counties)
- Last Mile Food Rescue (get show tickets for deliveries: https://www.concertedusa.org/)
- Edible Ohio Valley (farmers markets, sustainable food guide)
- Cincinnati Recycle Reuse Hub
- In-store Recycling: Kroger Plastic, Best Buy Electronics (no batteries), Staples (takes batteries), Cohen Recycling Christmas Lights (40 locations)
- Aldi: By 2025, 100% of packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable . And more!
- Green Umbrella (Common Orchard, Faith Communities Go Green)
Some of the figures/ideas also shared:
Our Living Planet – Cornell Bird Loss Study and best ways to help
Our Climate:
- Methane: 3 wins and 3 losses at the biggest climate conference ever
- Methane is about 30 times more so than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat. But it only stays in the atmosphere for about a decade, while carbon dioxide can linger for 300 to 1,000 years. So reducing methane emissions can curb warming in the near term. Global emissions need to fall 43 percent by 2030 compared to 2019 levels in order to keep the 1.5 degree C target in play, but the world is still far short.
- More than 150 countries have signed The Global Methane Pledge, which promises to cut methane by 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. Large methane emitters like the US and Brazil offered more details about how they will regulate this greenhouse gas. That includes new equipment to monitor methane leaks, equipment to capture wayward gases, ending practices like flaring, and inspections to ensure compliance. Countries also agreed to contribute $1 billion to fund methane reductions. Private companies stepped up too. Dozens of oil and gas firms signed the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter, which commits them to ending methane pollution by 2050. If all of this is done, it could avert 0.2 degrees Celsius of warming (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2050. That is far from the 1.5 degree target.
- Food production is humanity’s largest methane emitter, particularly raising cattle for meat and dairy.
- Livestock production accounts for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, including 9 percent of carbon dioxide and 37 percent of methane gas emissions worldwide (source). An estimated 1,800 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef (source, break down of how/why). Largely due to tilling ground for corn, we have lost half of our top soil in the last 150 years and it could be gone in the next 60 by continuing those practices (source).
- Deforestation
- Annually, deforestation contributes to a staggering 11% of greenhouse gas emissions (source).If deforestation were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter (source).
- Different land uses and commodities often interact to drive deforestation. However, pasture expansion is the most important driver by far, accounting for around half of the deforestation resulting in agricultural production across the tropics. Oil palm and soy cultivation together account for at least a fifth, and six other crops—rubber, cocoa, coffee, rice, maize, and cassava—likely account for most of the remainder, with large regional variations and higher levels of uncertainty (source).
Our Food
- Food production is one of the biggest contributors (see above) to climate change, but can also be one of its best helpers. in addition to voting for effective policy makers, it is one of the biggest impacts an individual can make is through their food selections.
- Through progressive grazing, cattle can also be one of our most effective tools in building grass that retains water, builds soil, and sequesters carbon. One acre of prairie/prairie plantings can store 1 ton of carbon in roots/soil per year.
- Corn production used to feed cows is a large portion of the negative impact of industrial beef production. Cover crops could help. They have the potential to sequester approximately 60 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent per year when planted across 20 million acres (8.1 million hectares), offsetting the emissions from 12.8 million passenger vehicles (source).
- Ready to help? Everyone can help on some scale. Every adjustment helps. Ideas:
- Substitute – add beef/pork/soy free meals to your “rotation,” use alternative milks.
- Shop – Options with price per 1 lb hamburger:
- Eaton Farms at Hyde Park Farmers Market ($9/lb hamburger)
- White Clover Farm ($8/lb, 25 lb minimum)
- Marketwagon – on-demand, weekly, home delivery from dozens of local farms. have to check individual farms’ practices ($8-10)
- Kroger organic grass-fed ($8.50 vs 6-8 for regular)
- Seven Sons ($11/lb but lots of bundles and sales, home delivery)
- Signal – food labels can be unreliable and convoluted despite guides like this, but selecting and searching even what appears sustainable sends signals heard through the entire supply chain. Checking the label, buying the most sustainable option on the shelf…will drive improvements.
