At the 60^th annual DPI/NGO (Department of Public Information / Non-Governmental Organizations) Conference, Climate Change: It Impacts Us All.  Speaker after speaker – scientists, UN Department Directors, university professors, and representatives of indigenous peoples – stated, sometimes loudly, sometimes softly, but always with no doubt whatever. 

The first report is written by Mary Mallany from Canada

Climate change it affects us all What an inspiring event!  The world DPI/NGO conference was held at the United Nations in early September. At the invitation of Doryne Kirby, our  IBVM NGO representative at the UN, and the support of our provincials we made our way to St. Hilda’s in New York City, Sept 2. The group included Isabel Gortazar from Spain with Luis Alberto, one of her school principals, Veronica O’Donoghue from Ireland,Cindy Langlois from the USA, Pat Robb CJ from England,Cynthia Mathew CJ from India, Carmen Diston from Rome and Lenore Sullivan, Rosemary Albon and Mary Mallany from Canada.Several Sacred Heart sisters and two Presentation sisters shared our first two days of orientation. 

Well prepared by Doryne and Cecile Meijer rscj on the Monday and Tuesday, including a stirring presentation about the Earth Charter by Carol Zinn csj, and carefully displaying our official passes to be in the UN buildings we set off with great excitement on Wednesday morning for the opening session.  We felt privileged to be among the 2000+ participants.  

I learned several things that week.  Carol Zinn encouraged us to educate about partnerships, the Earth Charter and the UN millennium development goals. This sounds like GC06!   I loved her description of partnership where we bring everything we have to the table and create something new together, dying in the process to our former agendas.  We create together what we can’t do ourselves.  All we need is every person to be in the partnership as we move from me, my, I to we, us, ours.  These are such fundamental lessons for life on Earth and life in religious community.

What we must do now is make our all decisions based on the good of the whole planet, our beloved Earth.  Will you ask yourself, is this good for the planet?Continuing development if sustainable can take care of our present needs without jeopardizing needs in the future. What we do now is for our grandchildren and their grandchildren because the effects of what we do now will not make much difference till then. 

Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, in his keynote address invited us into considering the transformative challenges that climate change brings as we balance the needs of the planet versus the needs of economic forces.  It is the role of government to manage the transition to an economy that includes climate change because transition bears a price that is not equitable.  I hear that as a reminder of the role citizens have to communicate our focus on the common good to government.  More letters, emails, faxes needed I suspect. 

Besides key note events, we participated in four of seven multi-stakeholder roundtables featuring representatives of the United Nations, governments, civil society and the private sector.   So much information in the form of ideas, needs, interests, solutions, accents and research was almost overwhelming.  However, it was far from discouraging.  Here were literally thousands of world citizens who want to do something. What you and I do will depend on our circumstances! But we are asked to think of the common good of the future as we make personal changes that will require some sacrifice on our part now. These sacrifices will help us to adapt and remediate the changes that are coming thick and fast all over the planet. That is a tall order.  However, our belief in a God centered creation and the social justice teachings of our faith also ask us to act for the common good. 

On our last day in New York, we gathered as IBVM and CJ to reflect on what some of our actions might be.  We have lots of enthusiasm individually and collectively so let us as Mary Ward women take up the challenge together. You can challenge us as delegates to the conference on climate change to act differently and to share our learning’s.  We might just challenge you a bit too to act with love for our planet by living as more responsible citizens of Earth.

 Mary Mallany, October 2007

The second report is written by Isabel Gortazar from Spain

September 2007-07

D.P.I:/NGOS Conference

New York

Climate change

These days have been a time of different spiritual movement, a time to ask myself, different questions

• What is the Spirit telling me about the situation of Earthland?
• How does it touch my life and my comfort
• How can I make connections between JPIC and my personal life ,Church, community and ministry
• How can I make connections between JPIC issues and my life style
• How am I going to communicate this experience?

I feel the experience has somehow touched my conscience. Am I free to move on that direction, including our spirituality ?

• Refer all to god                                                                                                                         
• Find and seek God in all things
• Ad Maiorem Dei gloriam.
• Principle and Foundation
• Earth Charter (Preamble)
• M.D.G

21st Century. A time to emphasize the care of the planet earth:EARTHLAND.

I can do nothing in order to solve the big world problems, but I can and wish indeed to be aware of my nearest environment and start with concrete actions

I am aware that there are many things we are already doing at many levels. We need, I need a deeper sense of connectedness, a more holistic approach to actions and initiatives we support organise and undertake.

I see my vow of poverty makes sense lived from this perspective. It is a new and more understandable approach to it. Austerity, for the sake of others and the planet earth, which was given to us, to me as a treasure, sounds new and appealing. I need to ask for this grace.

When everything is boiled, I see it is a matter of RELATIONSHIPS, “managing the household”, as Carol said.Relationships with each other, right relationships, equity, in order to keep the balance TOGETHER.

We, women and men thought we were managing the earth planet, before understanding it.<*> <*><*>The Earth Planet, EARTHLAND is “reacting” against his/her enemies, so as not to lose the balance of creation which was given by God to all the peoples on earth

The History of the Institute speaks to me about our early sisters being conscious of taking care of the environment, fostering love for nature, and providing lovely environment for the community: Rathfarnham, Dalkey, Niagara and many more…Today we are called to love and take care of nature in a different way, because EARTHLAND is suffering and consequently many people, particularly those who live in poverty are suffering because of our abuse.

Small and concrete steps

• Share my experience and thoughts about the UN Conference ,and send it to the Communication Office, so as to have it in Conecta.
• Talk to Ana Garrigues for sharing and planning
• Province Assembly.(October). Ask for space (probably a moment of reflection.
• Prepare a day of reflection in Advent, including the Earth Chapter, Scripture and our spirituality.
• J.P.I.C. Booklet. A better use at personal and ministry level.
• Networking

Isabel Gortázar (I.B.V.M)

The third and final report comes from  Cindy Langlois from the USA

"Climate change is here, and it is not going away any time soon.Our options now are to mitigate, to adapt and to suffer – and most likely we will do all three.”

This is the message that was delivered time and again at the 60th annual DPI/NGO (Department of Public Information / Non-Governmental Organizations) Conference, Climate Change: It Impacts Us All. Speaker after speaker – scientists, UN Department Directors, university professors, and representatives of indigenous peoples – stated, sometimes loudly, sometimes softly, but always with no doubt whatever.

Twelve IBVM representatives attended the conference including 10 sisters and two lay men. Carmen Diston, IBVM, joined us from our General Leadership. Doryne Kirby, IBVM, our UN NGO Representative, did an outstanding job in coordinating everything for the conference.  Rosemary Albon, IBVM, Mary Mallany, IBVM, and Lenore Sullivan, IBVM, joined us from Canada. Mike Brannon, a principal in one of our schools, also joined us from Canada. Veronica O’Donoghue, IBVM, (Ireland), Isabel Gortazar, IBVM (Spain), and Cindy Langlois, IBVM, (United States) completed the contingent of sisters. Lous Alberto De Reodriguez Rivera (Spain) is also a principal in one of our schools.Two CJ sisters also joined us, Patricia Robb, CJ from England and Cynthia Mathew, CJ from India.

Before the conference, Doryne and her RSCJ counterpart, Cecile Meijer, RSCJ, introduced us to the structure of the United Nations and the role of NGOs.  Knowing a little about the major organs of the UN greatly helped us all with placing speakers into the UN context.  Cecile summed up the role of the NGOs by quoting a staff member from one of the UN Missions (representatives from a particular country), “NGOs are the conscience of the UN.”  The following morning, Carol Zinn, CSJ, introduced us to the Earth Charter and shared her experience of its history.

One key concept that came from those initial days is sustainable development.This is critical to understanding how climate change threatens the “poorest of the poor” and how the nations of Earth are planning on mitigating and adapting to climate change, so I will briefly define this concept. Sustainable development has three parts:  ecology, economy, and equity. Carol explained these in the context of the Greek roots for each word:

• Ecology stems from the Greek “eco” meaning household, and “olgy” meaning understanding. So ecology in this context means understanding the relationships of our household including Planet Earth.
• Economy stems from “eco” and “onmy” meaning managing. So economy, in this context, means managing the relationships of our household including Planet Earth.
• Equity stems from a Greek word meaning balance.So equity in this context, means balancing the relationships of our household, including Planet Earth.

Sustainable development, then, is understanding, managing and balancing the relationships between the resources provided by Planet Earth, the consumption of those resources by all of its citizens, and respecting the right of all of Earth’s citizens to a durable and sustainable supply of food and potable water.

The fact that climate change is already manifesting itself in the unusual weather patterns experienced around the world and in the melting of ice sheets, glaciers and the Artic ice cap. The changes that have been scientifically measured are unprecedented in all the time scientists have been tracking atmospheric temperatures and carbon content. These manifestations have been publicized in the media and so are known to us.

BUT THERE IS HOPE! As the consequences of climate change have been manifested, various governmental agencies have been actively working to mitigate its effects.Chief among these is the United Nations, the only international forum for all of Earth’s nations to discuss these issues. Work is already underway to develop the successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocols, which expire in 2012.  Business, particularly international business, is now beginning to understand that sustainable development is in their best interest.  One speaker noted that several hundred cities around the world have measured their own carbon footprint, and initiated changes to reduce that footprint.

The message of this conference was very difficult for me to hear. I do take away the hope that all of us who call Earth home will come together to heal our ailing planet.<*>  For myself, I must reassess my own lifestyle and do my part in saving the planet.