24.12.2012
Eco–Congregation Ireland Looks Back on a Busy Year
Eco–Congregation Ireland’s Christmas Newsletter looks back on a busy year which has seen a number of ‘firsts’:
We have been delighted that 2012 has seen some ‘firsts’ for Eco–Congregation Ireland, including our inaugural conference in September. We never imagined, when we started planning, that the event would attract over 140 people. It shows there is a real need – and a real desire – for the churches to engage with environmental care. We had hoped to secure high calibre speakers and we certainly had no regrets on that score! We were delighted too, of course, with the quality of the delegates, all with a burning desire to bring an eco–approach to their own churches, communities and congregations as well as into their own lives. We do hope the flame of that desire continues to burn brightly and we look forward to receiving reports during 2013 of eco initiatives undertaken by members of all denominations throughout the country.
We were delighted to make three award presentations during 2012. In January Rathfarnham Church of Ireland parish, Dublin, received an award, in May the Catholic Diocese of Kerry and in September the Oblate parishes of Inchicore, Dublin. Kerry was the first diocese to receive our diocesan award – well–deserved with an incredible 20 eco–active parishes.
We look forward to further award presentations in 2013 … Could one of these be you?! If you feel your church/community is ready to be assessed for an award, simply send an A4 page outlining your eco achievements to date to info@ecocongregationireland.com. Our independent assessors look for evidence of eco initiatives undertaken in four areas – 1) practical, 2) spiritual, 3) community and 4) global (eg. supporting Trócaire, Christian Aid etc). We already know of another ‘first’ in 2013 – that is, the presentation of a 2nd award to one eco–congregation that has been beavering away for a number of years and already has one award under its belt. Which congregation is it? All will be revealed in the New Year!
Some of you expressed hope that an Eco–Congregation Ireland conference would become an annual event. Due to a shortage of funds, we cannot see this happening in the near future. We can reveal, however, that we do have exciting plans for an ECI roadshow that will visit different parts of the country over the next couple of years. Further details in the New Year!
On the subject of funding, just a reminder that we are reliant on grants from various bodies as well as a small annual sub from five denominations. Some of the grants we have received in recent years are nearing an end. Our future work is, of course, dependent on securing further funding. We are always happy to receive donations from individuals, churches and congregations! If you would like to donate anytime, please send a cheque made payable to the Representative Church Body (which kindly administers our funds) to Eco–Congregation Ireland, c/o 18 Hermitage Downs, Grange Road, Dublin 16.
Two weeks of negotiations at the UN climate talks in Qatar resulted in a ‘package deal’ dubbed the Doha Climate Gateway. It sees the Kyoto pact extended until the end of 2020, binding the 27–member European Union and 10 other industrialised nations, including Australia and Switzerland, to emissions cuts. Kyoto Protocol countries are asked to review their emissions reduction target in line with the 25–40% range by 2014 at the latest. Environmental groups worldwide, including The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Oxfam and Friends of the Earth, have expressed disappointment with the outcome. WWF’s global climate and energy initiative leader Samantha Smith said: “Some developed countries have made a mockery of the negotiations by backing away from their past commitments and refusing to take on new ones. And to make matters worse, it was only a handful of countries – such as Poland, Russia, Canada, the US and Japan – who held the negotiations to ransom. What science tells us and what millions of people experienced this year is that fighting climate change is now extremely urgent. Every year counts, and every year governments do not act increases the risk to us all.”
Commenting on Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan’s speech to the UN climate conference, Oisin Coghlan, Director of Friends of the Earth Ireland, said: “Fine words at far away conferences are easy. The real test for the Minister will be the publication of the draft climate change Bill, due before Christmas. To have any credibility it must set an emissions target for 2050 in line with EU plans for 80–95% reductions. And it must give our EU 2020 target the force of national law. Only a strong climate law will ensure the fine words are followed with real action.”
On the issue of climate finance, trumpeted as an Irish success story, Friends of the Earth was scathing. The minister is playing a three card trick on climate finance, it says. The Government promised “new and additional” money for fast start finance. And in 2010 and 2011 €33 million was indeed allocated from the Minister’s own Environment Fund. This year, however, the Minister has taken all the money from the already declining overseas aid budget. “The Government is taking money meant for clean water and teacher training in Africa and switching it to pay for flood defences. To hear the minister tout this as ‘exceeding our commitment’ turns the stomach,” said Oisin.
Churches must play a leading role in urging action on climate change, according to Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director, Andy Atkins, who delivered Operation Noah‘s annual lecture in London last month. Addressing the topic,
‘Overcoming fossil fuel addiction – the next moral revolution?’, Atkins challenged the churches to play their part in fighting for a low–carbon future. “UK churches were at the forefront of historic campaigns to end the injustices of slavery and child labour. They must now show leadership in ending one of the biggest threats humanity currently faces – our addiction to fossil fuels,” he said. “Without action, we are effectively breaking our social contract with future generations, sentencing those that come after us, our children, our grandchildren and their children, to climate chaos and all the social and economic consequences that this will cause.” For the following news items, see http://ecocongregationireland.com/eco-news:
- Growing Climate Crisis – Fr Seán McDonagh
- Learn re permaculture in 2013!
- Re–Inhabiting the Earth – Drumalis Environment Group Spring Conference – February 8–10 2013
- Walking with God in an Evolutionary Universe – Drumalis – June 30 – July 6 2013
- World Council of Churches delivers climate change statement to UN summit
- Stop Climate Chaos activists tell government time is running out for real action on climate change
- Just Forests launches its Just Carbon ‘Size of Phoenix Park’ project
- Reduce income tax, place tax on environmental pollution instead
- Green economy is key to creating sustainable employment
- Research field station in Fermanagh/Cavan/Leitrim seeks volunteers
- Challenges still remain despite 7% drop in Irish climate pollution
We hope you have a truly blessed Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. Thank you for all your support in 2012 and we look forward to continiung to work together in 2013.
Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer, Eco–Congregation Ireland. Email: fionam1840@gmail.com Tel: +353 (0)86 17106923
Catherine Brennan SSL, chairperson and Roman Catholic representative ~ catherinebrennanssl@eircom.net
Rev Elaine Murray, Church of Ireland representative ~ emit@eircom.net
Helen Shiel, Methodist representative ~ helen.shiel@gmail.com
Joe Furphy, Presbyterian representative ~ jsfurphy@aol.com
Gillian Armstrong, Religious Society of Friends representative ~