March 2012

March 2012

Millennium Consumption Goals and Rio+20

The Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs) is an idea that was proposed by Professor Munasinghe of Sri Lanka in January 2011 at the United Nations in New York. According to Professor Munasinghe, “MCGs could help make our development path more sustainable, by focusing on the 1.4 billion people in the richest 20 percentile of the world’s population. They consume over 80% of global output, or 60 times more than the poorest 20 percentile. Instead of viewing the rich as a problem, they should be persuaded to contribute to the solution.” The MCGs will complement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) designed to help the world’s poor. The (MCGs) aim to provide consumption targets designed to motivate the world’s rich to consume more sustainably. They will make human consumption and production more sustainable in economic, environmental and social terms, thereby improving overall well-being, reducing the burden on natural resources, freeing up resources to alleviate poverty, and ensuring intra- and inter-generational equity.

The MCGs are still a work in progress. Suggested MCGs include the following:

1. Greenhouse gas emissions reduction
2. Energy use (conservation, fossil fuels, renewable energy, transport, buildings, etc.)
3. Water use (conservation, quality, re-use, etc.)
4. Land and biomass use
5. Ores and industrial minerals
6. Construction materials and minerals
7. Pollution and waste (air and water effluents, solid waste, toxic waste and chemicals, etc.)
8. Food and agriculture
9. Health and obesity (Diet, smoking, exercise, etc.)
10. Livelihoods and lifestyles (working hours, work conditions, etc.)
11. Economic-financial systems (progressive taxation, banking reform, measures of well-being, etc.)
12. Military expenditures

A summary of the proposal submitted to Rio+20 reads as follows: “Establish a set of Millennium Consumption Goals for the period 2012-2020 and for subsequent decades, complementing the Millennium Development Goals, and helping to ensure that the basic needs of the poor are met, preserve and strengthen earth’s natural resource base on which human society depends, and enhance global prosperity, while ensuring a good quality of life and well-being for everyone by 2020, improving intra- and inter-generational equity, and accelerating the shift to more sustainable consumption and production as an essential step towards the ultimate goal of sustainable development.”

Reflection and Action: During Lent choose one or two of the suggested MCGs listed above and evaluate yourself. What are you doing to reduce your use of water? What can you do to conserve energy? What are your eating habits? Is your lifestyle a healthy one? Take the time to discuss the MCGs with someone else or with a small group. Encourage each other to make even greater changes to reduce the use of natural resources and enhance quality of life.

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International Women's Day 2012

Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures is the theme for International Women's Day (March 8). The SCN 2008 directive of working to empower women to assume their rightful place in church and society is a challenging process. Inclusive of this process is the imperative to include girls. The global celebration focuses on the economic, political and social achievements of past, present and future girls and women. Women of the past have struggled hard to overcome inequalities in various areas. While disparities still remain in many parts of the world, it is imperative to ask, "what actions do I take wherever I live that liberate women and girls?"

Reflection and Action:

• A website of world-wide resources that includes resources for educators and activists is located here.
• Educate and empower women to change social systems: For example, Women Occupy plan to target Bank of America on March 8 as a symbol of women’s struggle for economic justice who are about half the population yet close to ¾ remain poor. Bank of America leads the banks in illegal foreclosure practices, faulty loans, tax evasion and exorbitant fees. More information is here.
• Research and share cultural stories of women from around the world: For example, what cultures exist in the many environments that make up my life? What have I learned from others? What else might I still wish to learn? UN Women has several articles related to women around the world located here OR here. Also the Commission on the Status of Women continues through March 9 with information and resources located here.
• In listening to Christian Scripture, we hear much about Jesus’ relationship with women and his “breaking of cultural barriers” in his time. Listen and reflect upon the role of women. Women participated in many tasks such as prophet, teacher, steward, widow and apostle among other titles. Among the many stories that relate to these women titles, pray with Romans 16:1-16; Luke 8:1-3; John 4:1-42; Luke 1: 41-56 and the Resurrection stories.
• Reflect upon the necessary skills for advocacy of the rightful place of women in society and church? Research and a listening heart? Courage? An understanding of the culture, context and relationship of issues? Creativity? Others? How does one integrate these into one’s life so as to be a successful advocate?
• Share stories of women empowerment with the Office of Global Ministries (jvenneman@scnazarethky.org) to be used on the Newsline and Facebook page.

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World Water Day

With an SCN corporate statement on the right to freshwater, we celebrate International World Water Day on March 22. The theme, Water and Food Security, continue to be challenges for women all around the world. Water is necessary for the survival of most species. Thus, human food needs water. According to the website Women and Water Rights, “By 2025, it is estimated that two thirds of the world’s population will live in areas facing moderate to severe water stress.”

Adding pressure to the water system are:

• Extractive industries such as hydraulic fracking, oil made from tar sands, etc
• Weather patterns
• World populations
• Consumption by the world’s top 20%
• Consumption of more meat products
• In addition to the quantity of water is the quality of water. A Kashmiri proverb states, “It is easy to throw anything into the river, but difficult to take it out again.” Included in quality is that of pollution through many means, preservation of ecosystems for natural filtration, and the proper treatment of wastewater.

Reflecting on the connections of water quantity and quality and how this impacts food security is certainly a challenge for our time. As natural resources continue to be extracted for commercial purposes or to the highest bidder, it is worth asking where Catholic Social Teaching fits into the global reality. Just who is it that owns this Earth we have received as gift from our Divine? What perceptions form this reality? Is ALL creation given equal say in decisions?

Clearly there is much work ahead for individuals, communities and nations to be food secure when water is part of the essence of that security. Many of the regions in our world that experience internal conflict are water and/or food related. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has a webpage devoted to the relationship between water and food security.

Reflection, Education and Action:

• Visit World Water Day website for downloads related to water consumption and food production located here AND here (scroll down). Calculate the water necessary for a simple meal where you live. How might this compare with what I know of others who eat differently around the world? What reflections do I take from this exercise? What commitments can I make to further reduce water consumption?
• Numerous local, national and international links for worldwide water resources are located here.
• Watch a three minute video on the negative implications of water and food security in developing countries.  For anyone who believes water and food security are human rights, what will the individual do?
• Recommended resources for teaching and learning about food security and water are available here.
• A 16 minute video entitled, When the Water Ends is located here.
• Watch for the 4th World Water Development Report. The report will “describe the major changes, uncertainties, and risks taking place in the world and their links to water resources. It will give account of the status and the trends related to water supplies, uses, management, institutions and financing; highlight regional hotspots, and address issues such as gender equality, water-related disasters, health and the role of ecosystems.”

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U.S. Congress and 2012 Legislation

Congress passed a bipartisan bill on spending before the date of expiration when it extended aid to the jobless and the payroll tax cut. After the past year, this is a rather amazing! So what can we expect of Congress in the year ahead? Well, it is election year and legislators are likely to keep their own voting to a minimal so as not to have it used in opposition to their remaining in office. Although there are spending bills to be passed, it is highly likely that passing legislation will be the rare action.

Bread for the World asks its members to expand the Circle of Protection in solidarity with those individuals most in need here in the U.S. and abroad during 2012. They say, "while we must work to reduce our deficit, our choices must not hurt those whom Jesus called the least among us." Included in this expansion are domestic nutrition programs and those programs that keep individuals from hunger abroad. With governments around the world working to reduce deficits, it is imperative that there be voices to protect programs for hungry and poor people. As U.S. citizen Tara Marks states to her legislator's aide, "it certainly appears as though the business community are surrounded by a circle of protection."

Reflection and Action:

• As Jesus is challenged throughout his journey to the Cross to live with less, what does it mean for individuals to surrender in living with less? Might the Millennium Consumption Goals listed above be a place to begin? How might individuals spiral deeper to greater action and less consumption?
• Individuals can take action to retain domestic nutrition assistance programs, poverty-focused foreign assistance, tax credits for low-income families and international food aid programs by contacting U.S. legislators. Useful guides are located here.