February 2012

Creating the Future We Want at Rio+20 or Earth Summit 2012

We will not achieve sustainable development without addressing inequality...Nor can we live with deterioriating ecosystems...We need fresh ideas and a renewed commitment by all countries to fairly share and protect the global commons. - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

What is Rio+20? — the short name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June. It is a historic opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all.

Twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, where countries adopted Agenda 21 (Agenda 21 defines nine major groups: women; children and youth; indigenous peoples; NGOs; local authorities; workers and trade unions; business and industry; the scientific and technical community; and farmers), - a blueprint to rethink economic growth, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection - the UN is again bringing together governments, international institutions and major groups to agree on a range of smart measures that can reduce poverty while promoting decent jobs, clean energy and a more sustainable and fair use of resources.

Why do we need Rio+20?

• The world now has 7 billion people — by 2050, there will be 9 billion.
• 1 out of every 5 people — 1.4 billion —currently lives on $1.25 a day or less.
• 1.5 billion people in the world do not have access to electricity. 2.5 billion do not have a toilet. And almost 1 billion go hungry every day.
• Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and more than a third of all known species could go extinct if climate change continues unchecked.
• If we are to leave a liveable world to our children and grandchildren, the challenges of widespread poverty and environmental destruction need to be tackled now.
• We will incur far greater costs in the future — including more poverty and instability, and a degraded planet — if we fail to adequately address these critical challenges now.
• Rio+20 provides an opportunity to think globally, so that we can all act locally to secure our common future.

“Sustainable development is not an option! It is the only path that allows all of humanity to share a decent life on this, one planet. Rio+20 gives our generation the opportunity to choose this path.” - Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of the Rio+20 Conference

What issues will Rio+20 discuss?

“All the issues that will be on the table in Rio – climate change, demographics, water, food, energy, global health, women’s empowerment – are intertwined. All the pillars that underpin the Rio process - stabilizing the global economy, safeguarding the environment, and ensuring social equity - are parts of a single agenda.” ~ UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon

At Rio+20, countries will seek ways to:

• Make the transition to greener economies while focusing on poverty eradication.
• Protect our oceans from overfishing, the destruction of marine ecosystems and the adverse effects of climate change.
• Make our cities more livable and more efficient.
• Broaden the use of renewable energy sources that can significantly lower carbon emissions as well as indoor and outdoor pollution, while promoting economic growth.
• Better manage forests to provide a broad range of benefits — reducing deforestation by half through 2030 could avoid an estimated US $3.7 trillion in climate change damages from greenhouse gas emissions — and that’s not counting the value of jobs and income, biodiversity, clean water and medicines provided by forests.
• Improve the way we conserve and manage our water resources, in order to promote development and guard against desertification.

Does sustainable development work?

Over the last two decades, there have been many examples of successful sustainable development in fields such as energy, agriculture, urban planning, and production and consumption. Some of these include:

• In Kenya, innovative finance mechanisms have stimulated new investments in renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, small hydro, biogas and municipal waste energy, generating income and employment.
• In Brazil, a project under the Clean Development Mechanism was adopted in Sao Paulo to transform two of the city’s biggest waste dumpsites into sustainable landfills. From 2004 to September 2011, the landfills have avoided the release into the atmosphere of 352,000 tons of methane, which instead have been used to produce over one million megawatts of electricity.
• In Nepal, community forestry — led by local forest user groups — contributed to restoring forest resources after a steady decline in the 1990s.
• In Canada, EcoLogo — one of North America’s most respected environmental certification marks — has promoted thousands of products that meet rigorous environmental standards.

What will happen at Rio+20?

Thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other stakeholders will gather in Rio at the end of May and beginning of June 2012 for a strong push towards sustainable development. In parallel with and between the official events, there will be numerous side events, exhibitions, presentations, fairs and announcements by a wide range of partners.

The official discussions will focus on two main themes:

• How to build a green economy to achieve sustainable development and lift people out ofpoverty, including support for developing countries that will allow them to find a green path for development; and how to improve international coordination for sustainable development.
• Governments are expected to adopt clear and focused practical measures for implementing sustainable development based on the many examples of success we have seen over the last 20 years.

How can I participate or contribute?

It takes more than governments to build sustainable development — partnerships among people, community groups, organizations, businesses and academia are needed. Rio+20 is a major opportunity to form partnerships and to highlight work by all stakeholders.

• The official website provides a platform for civil society, business, academia and NGOs to share their preparatory activities for Rio+20.
• The United Nations has launched a campaign, “Rio+20: The Future We Want” or the website, Sustainable Future. The purpose is to engage the world community in a global conversation to share ideas about life in the future and positive imaging of the future.
• Most recently published in the Rio+20 process is the Zero Draft of the Outcome Document located here. Groups will work from this document as they move toward a final document.
• Individuals from the global community are invited to sign the social protection floor petition.  
• People's Sustainability Treaties is a website that is written from the grassroots perspective as an alternative to the Rio+20 work being done.
• Also check the website to sign up for a newsletter, follow Rio+20 on Twitter and Facebook, and read the blog by Conference Secretary-General Sha Zukang.

“Around the world, sustainable peace must be built on sustainable development. That is why I have said that the sustainable development agenda is the agenda for the 21st century.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Above materials comes from the brochure, The Future We Want published by the United Nations)

Human Trafficking and Sporting Events

The U.S. 2012 Super Bowl will be played on February 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Many individuals and groups have been working to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking which frequently occurs at large sporting events. According to the January 2012 issue of Stop Trafficking Newsletter, members of the Coalition for Corporate Responsibility in Indiana and Michigan are working together on an anti-trafficking initiative targeting 220 hotels in a 50 mile radius of Indianapolis. The initiative asks hotels if they have done any training with employees to look for signs of trafficking, if the hotel has a plan in place once trafficking is sighted, if hotel personnel are familiar with other groups working on trafficking in the area, and if the hotels would be willing to place basic information on human trafficking in their lobby and/or guest rooms. Follow-up is being made and information is being shared with the Interfaith Center Corporate Responsibility who lead discussions on trafficking issues with the public and through press releases.  

Actions:

• Pray this prayer to end human trafficking:

Creator of us all, our words cannot express what our minds can barely comprehend and our hearts feel when we hear of children and adults deceived and transported to unknown places for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor because of human greed.
Our hearts are saddened and our spirits angry that their dignity and rights are being transgressed through threats, deception and force. We cry out against the degrading practice of trafficking and seek ways for it to end.
Strengthen the fragile-spirited and broken-hearted. Make real your promises to fill these our sisters and brothers with a love that is tender and good and send the exploiters away empty-handed. Give us the wisdom and courage to stand in solidarity with them, that together we will find ways to the freedom that is your gift to all of us. Amen. (From January 2012 Stop Trafficking Newsletter, Gen Cassani, SSND) 

• Take a quiz to determine your “slavery footprint.”
• Join the Christian Brothers Investment Services (CBIS) and encourage hotels to take action to fight the commercial exploitation of children. For instructions and sample letter, click here.
• Become familiar with U.S. companies that have signed The Code.
• Encourage corporations to implement The Luxor Protocol - ethical principles for human trafficking.

The Environment and the Economic Crisis

For many years the prosperity of a country has been based on its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP measures the monetary value of all goods and services that are produced within a nation during a given period and sold to consumers, governments, investors or are exported. In a nutshell this means that the GDP represents the part of the population’s well-being that comes from the consumption of goods and services. In order for the GDP of a country to grow, the people must consume more and more. There are multiple criticisms of the use of the GDP as an indicator of a country’s prosperity. For example, if a country engages in war or suffers from natural disasters monetary transactions will increase, thus leading to a higher GDP. If a small portion of a population spends extravagantly, but many do not have the resources to spend, the GDP may show growth, but at the cost of great inequality. According to Richard Heinberg, “Calculating a nation’s overall health according to its GDP makes about as much sense as evaluating the quality of a piece of music solely by counting the number of notes it contains”.

The GDP takes into account a single bottom line – economic growth. This means that no externalities such as the cost of natural resources, just wages, etc. are taken into account. Many economists, as well as specialists in other fields, are now advocating for the triple bottom line – social, environmental and economic growth (consider Rio+20). A planet with finite resources cannot sustain perpetual growth. This realization, however, implies a total rethinking of the nature of growth and prosperity, as well as a restructuring of the current global financial architecture. Naomi Klein asserts that “the current economic model is based on the faulty premise that nature is limitless, that there will always be more of what is needed, and that if something runs out it can be seamlessly replaced by another resource that can be endlessly extracted.” Environmental economist Tim Jackson makes the choice very clear: “Trash the system or crash the planet.”

The current economic system is no longer viable. It has led to extreme wealth for some countries and individuals at the expense of populations of the least developed countries and some populations of industrialized countries.

The question to ask and reflect upon is “How can people work, individually and collectively, to challenge the current all-pervasive consumer society which is destructive of both people and the planet in such a way that it truly leads to building God’s kin-dom on earth?

United States and the 112th Congress

As the 112thCongress begins its Second Session, the following are issues that we, as faithful citizens, must be watchful of and contact our legislators so that they do as we wish them to do. The first three items were extended this past December and will expire the end of February, so they are likely to be a priority for legislators.  

• Extend Unemployment Insurance benefits for the long term unemployed.
• Extend the Payroll Tax cuts for working people.
• Maintain and increase funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
• Fiscal Year 2013 budget funding for the federal government- President Obama usually sends his budget plan to Congress in early February.
• Amidst these priorities and other pieces of legislation will be the November 2012 elections and the actions or lack thereof of federal legislators.

Action:
Be watchful of legislation and alerts related to these. The SCN Family website under the Global Ministries Tab contains updates on legislation.

Contact federal legislators or Congress at 202.224.3121 and President Obama at 202.456.1111 to share your name, address, and views about legislation. (These numbers are not toll free and include a charge)

Weekly Justice Highlights

Urgent, Act Today: Urge Darigold who oversees Ruby Ridge dairy to stop abusing workers by clicking here.

Care of Earth: Urge Indian Minister Pawar to manage India’s precious marine eco-system sustainably and protect the livelihood of millions who depend on them.

Death Penalty: Urge Governor John Kasich (Ohio) to issue an immediate moratorium on all executions until the Ohio Supreme Court’s Joint Task Force completes its thorough review of Ohio’s death penalty system.

Urge the Congressional conference committee and your legislators to fully renew unemployment insurance for 2012 with no cuts and no barriers to benefits.

Urge Wal-Mart to treat warehouse workers with respect and adopt a Responsible Contractor Policy.

Thank President Obama who rejected the permit for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline (1700 miles of pipeline to carry tar-sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico).

Edit and send a message to members of the U.S. Congress about President Obama’s State of the Union speech.  

On the weekend of February 10-12, Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) invites clergy and lay leaders to participate in a National Preach-In on Global Warming. More information and resources are located here.

NETWORK is among several groups beginning to focus on the 2012 U.S. elections. For information on a new collaborative project entitled, Election 2012: Catholics Vote for the Common Good, click here.

KY: The Smoke-Free Kentucky campaign is now in full swing! Rep. Susan Westrom introduced House Bill 289 that will make all workplaces in Kentucky smoke-free. Now is the time for your legislators to hear from you. Even if you have contacted them before, please take just a minute to call your House Representative.  Call 1-800-372-7181 (toll free) and ask your legislator to vote for House Bill 289 to protect the rights of all Kentuckians to breathe smoke-free air at work or inside public places, like restaurants and bars.

KY: Individuals are invited to join in “I Love the Mountains Day” at the KY State Capitol in Frankfort on February 14. Among the groups taking a bus is Kentucky Interfaith Light and Power. KIPL buses will leave at 11 a.m. from Louisville and return at approximately 3 p.m. Anyone wishing to attend can either contact Joetta Venneman (502.348.1557) or sign up for a spot on the KIPL buses here.

Louisville: A Memorial Service honoring Louisville’s Homicide Victims of 2011 will take place at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral (421 South Second Street in Louisville) on Sunday, January 29 at 3 p.m.

Weekly Justice Highlights

Good News: Thank Delaware Governor Jack Markell who has granted clemency to Robert Gattis by commuting his death sentence to life without the possibility of parole.

Empowering Women: The National Farm Worker Ministry Youth and Young Adult network is sponsoring a soccer game on January 21st to raise funds for a farmworker women’s organization called AMA (English Translation – to love). For more information and/or to pledge or sponsor a young women or man farmworker who will be playing, click here. "AMA is an organization of farm worker women who are fighting to improve the safety, well being, and health of their community. They offer workshops, cultural programs, and provide assistance and referrals for low-income families in Volusia County."

This week marks the 3rd anniversary of President Obama’s executive order calling for the closure of the Guantanamo prison. National Religious Campaign Against Torture is joining with other groups in promoting a petition to the President, urging him to keep that promise. Individuals are invited to sign the petition located here.

Christi Cheramie was 16, a minor, in 1994, yet Louisiana sentenced the 16-year-old to a sentence of life without parole while the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibits life without parole for offenses committed under the age of 18. Urge Louisiana governor and the state Board of Pardons to grant clemency to Christi.

Individuals are invited to urge world leaders to attend the Rio+20 in June 2012 in Brazil.

The United Nations has launched a campaign, “Rio+20: The Future We Want”.  The purpose is to engage the world community in a global conversation in preparation for the Rio +20 Conference in June 2012. The campaign invites us to share ideas about life in the future and positive imaging of the future.

On the weekend of February 10-12, Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) invites clergy and lay leaders to participate in a National Preach-In on Global Warming. More information and resources are located here.

Louisville: On the national anniversary of the Supreme Court decision declaring Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, individuals are invited to join in a rally with signs and voices for a constitutional amendment to end “Corporate Personhood” on Friday, January 20 at 1 p.m. at the Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse (corner of 6th and Broadway) for a nation-wide day of action at over 80 federal courthouses. Contact Keith Rouda (402.387.3088, keith@rouda.com) for more information.

KY: Individuals are invited to join in “I Love the Mountains Day” at the KY State Capitol in Frankfort on February 14. Among the groups taking a bus is Kentucky Interfaith Light and Power. KIPL buses will leave at 11 a.m. from Louisville and return at approximately 3 p.m. Anyone wishing to attend can either contact Joetta Venneman, PBVM (502.348.1557) or reserve a seat on the KIPL buses here.

October to December 2011

In October, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decreed that nearly 50 million acres of America’s richest natural resource- our National Forests are protected. The ruling reinstated the Roadless Rule.

In October, CA Governor Brown signed SB 126, an amendment that changed the Agricultural Labor Relations Act and removed some obstacles for farm workers who want to join a union.

In the November state elections, Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to repeal Senate Bill 5—Gov. John Kasich’s attack on middle-class jobs that was designed to destroy collective bargaining rights in Ohio.

In November, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has stayed the execution of Hank Skinner pending resolution of the DNA testing!

In November, the Obama administration announced a decision to consider a new route through Nebraska for TransCanada’s controversial Keystone XL Canada-to-Texas tar sands oil pipeline thus delaying the decision until 2013.  In December, federal legislators gave the Obama Administration two months to make the decision as part of a deal in working through the passage of legislation.

In November, the “Super Committee” failed to reach an agreement on how to reduce $1.2 trillion from the U.S. budget over 10 years. This deficit means that automatic spending cuts are scheduled to kick into effect. Half of those proposed cuts would come from defense and national security budgets, while the other savings will come from discretionary spending, not entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.

In December, the Obama Administration committed to clean air through the cleaning up mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution emitted by coal-fired power plants.

In December, Congress granted a two-month extension of unemployment benefits and did not raise payroll taxes. If this had not happened, nearly 2 million Americans would have lost unemployment benefits this month alone. Many of them would have been pushed into poverty.

The Fiscal Year 2012 budget ensures funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and for a program that provides food assistance to poor senior citizens. In addition, there are no significant cuts to international aid programs that save lives and help reduce poverty, like emergency food aid and school feeding programs in developing countries.

Weekly Justice Highlights

Human Trafficking and the U.S. Super Bowl: Encourage Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to urge the Indiana General Assembly to strengthen its anti-trafficking laws in advance of Super Bowl XLVI.  Additionally on this same page are actions to the National Football League and the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee to make trafficking awareness and prevention a priority by aggressively promoting the issue and supporting public and law enforcement anti-trafficking efforts.

Care of Earth: Individuals are urged to thank the Obama Administration at  for protecting 1 million acres of land around the Grand Canyon as off limits to new mining claims for the next twenty years.

The January 2012 issue of Stop Trafficking co-sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth is located here.

Urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline and let him know of your solidarity in working to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.

Avaaz, a transnational membership who empowers individuals to take action on current issues, has members who are currently being tortured by Syria’s regime. Avaaz has just released a terrifying report revealing the scale of Syria’s detention facilities that could force key governments to confront the horrors in this report and accelerate the end of Assad. Sign a petition that will be delivered along with the report to the Arab League and the United Nations Security Council demanding they refer Assad to the International Criminal Court to be tried for crimes against humanity.

Sign a petition telling WalMart you won’t buy genetically engineered sweet corn.

Individuals are invited to urge world leaders to attend the Rio+20 in June 2012 in Brazil.

The United Nations has launched a campaign, “Rio+20: The Future We Want”. The purpose is to engage the world community in a global conversation in preparation for the Rio +20 Conference in June 2012. The campaign invites us to share ideas about life in the future and positive imaging of the future.

On the weekend of February 10-12, Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) invites clergy and lay leaders to participate in a National Preach-In on Global Warming. More information and resources are located here.

Empowering Women in Louisville, KY: On January 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Red Barn, on University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus, The Women 4 Women Student Chapter is seeking to raise awareness of modern-day slavery by hosting a Human Trafficking Conference with speakers on the issue. They hope to encourage students and the public to become involved in efforts to create awareness of human trafficking. Admission is free and open to the public.

Weekly Justice Highlights

Care of Earth: Individuals are invited to urge world leaders to attend the Rio+20 in June 2012 in Brazil.

January 8 – 14 is National Migration Week. Resources are available at the U.S. Catholic Bishops Website. Justice for Immigrants has a postcard available to send to the U.S. President and Legislators on the DREAM Act. Individuals may also encourage their Diocesan or Archdiocesan Catholic Bishops to write a letter of support for the DREAM Act and Comprehensive Immigration Reform during this week.

January 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

• Good News in that Wyndham Worldwide has become the latest major hospitality company to take a stand against the commercial sexual exploitation of children by signing the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct. Let’s keep urging those hotels we stay at to adopt this code.
• A documentary to be released  on this day is entitled, “What I Have Been Through is Not Who I Am”. It explores “the life” through the eyes of one of child prostitution’s many victims.
• In the U.S., citizens are encouraged to contact Federal Senators and Representatives urging them to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

KY Death Penalty: Individuals are invited to sign a petition to end the death penalty in Kentucky. This petition will be forwarded to legislators.

The United Nations has launched a campaign, “Rio+20: The Future We Want.” The purpose is to engage the world community in a global conversation in preparation for the Rio +20 Conference in June 2012. The campaign invites us to share ideas about life in the future and positive imaging of the future.

January 11 also marks the 10th anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Many are gathering to witness in Washington, DC as part of a National Day of Action Against Guantanamo. Individuals unable to attend are encouraged to call Congress telling leaders ten years is too many for detaining terrorist suspects. A message to be edited and sent to President Obama. Resources for worship, advocacy and public witness are all available here.

Striking photos of natural gas flares in PA are located here.

Louisville: A Vigil for Peace will be held on January 8 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Douglas Loop. Bring a candle and a sign with big letters. This is a new time for those who continue this presence on a weekly basis. This time will continue on the second Sunday of each month until further notice.

KY: "Issues Confronting the 2012 Kentucky General Assembly" contains 47 issue briefs prepared by members of the Legislative Research Commission staff. The book is NOT meant as an exhaustive list of issues that lawmakers will consider, but reflects a balanced look at some of the main topics that have been discussed in legislative committee meetings. The publication can downloaded and viewed online here.