Faith Groups Express Dismay to U.S. Senators

The Mercy Justice Team has joined 61 other faith groups in signing a letter to senators expressing alarm over the Trump Administration withdrawing the U.S. from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). When this takes effect in a year, the U.S. will be the only country in the world not participating in global efforts to minimize harms from climate change.

You may read some of the concerns of Catholic leaders here.

It is important for senators to hear that constituents are concerned about the climate crisis and want them to pass legislation that will put the U.S. back on track to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and joining the rest of the world in building a renewable energy economy. Use the draft email in this alert to send a message to the Senate.

To learn more about global efforts, you are invited to attend a webinar at 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 12, on “The Climate Crisis, the Church and COP 30: What Happens Next?” Mercy Sister Rosita Sidasmed and other religious observers will share their experiences from the international climate talks in Brazil in November. We’ll also hear about plans for the first-ever international conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels, to be held in Colombia in April.

Background

The UNFCCC was adopted at the United Nations’ headquarters on May 9, 1992. The U.S. became the first industrialized nation to adopt it after the Senate ratified the treaty later that year.

The Trump Administration early last year announced that it would withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Agreement, a subsidiary agreement to the UNFCCC that required countries to create plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Congressional Research Service, which provides analysis on issues before Congress, suggested that the Paris Agreement withdrawal could create negative “economic effects from extreme heat events, droughts, flooding, and agricultural losses, among others.”

The UNFCCC executive secretary has warned that the U.S. pullout from the Climate Change Convention would be harmful to the U.S. economy. The move will mean “less affordable energy, food, transport and insurance for American households and businesses” and fewer manufacturing jobs as other countries boost investments in renewable energy, leaving the U.S. behind.