www cafod org uk Creation and Stewardship A

www. cafod. org. uk Creation and Stewardship A unit for Post-16 Core RE. Suitable for use with NOCN framework and Extended Project.

…with a particular emphasis on developing countries Section One Introduction – Creation: gift and responsibility Section Two Climate Change – causes, effects, responses and case studies Section Three Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching …and action! Section Four Evaluation and assignments Unit: Creation and Stewardship

By the end of this unit you will: § have considered your own views on creation and its stewardship § be familiar with scripture and Catholic Social Teaching about stewardship of creation § understand what leading scientists in the IPCC say about climate change, and have considered alternative views § be able to give examples of how climate change affects people in developing countries (LEDCs) § have taken action to make a difference.

Treat the earth well – it is not inherited from your parents, it is borrowed from your children. Kenyan proverb Section One Creation: gift and responsibility

Look at this photo in silence for one minute. What thoughts does it bring to your mind? What does Creation mean to you?

Here are some people’s reactions: Our planet is AMAZING TOO There are many of us for the planet to sustain It’s POLLUTION that bothers me CREATION? Not interested – I’m more of a city person! WE have to look after creation – it’s our responsibility I’m worried about BIODIVERSITY and how our actions are wiping out species Living simply is the answer Recycling is the ANSWER! NUCLEAR power is the answer! What does Creation mean to you?

Scientists will come up with a ? CLEVER WE MUST PERSUADE PEOPLE SOLUTION to reduce their carbon emissions to climate change What do Other countries have a right to industrial development; WE’VE NO RIGHT YOU to tell them to stop emitting carbon We can’t force people to reduce their carbon footprint – CREATION is ours IT’S THEIR CHOICE to use any way we want think Climate change? RUBBISH! This is just a temperature cycle It’s TOO BIG TO THINK ABOUT What difference can I make? What does Creation mean to you?

What is ‘stewardship’? Take a moment to think. Write down your own definition. Compare it with this dictionary definition: “ the conducting, supervising, or managing of something ; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care ” What do you think stewardship of creation should include? Defining ‘stewardship’

What is ‘stewardship’? Genesis 1: 28 says “ …fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters of… all the living creatures that move on Earth. ” Some modern theologians say that the term ‘stewardship’, developed from this language, can give the impression that it is acceptable to exploit the Earth for humanity’s benefit. What are your own views? Defining ‘stewardship’

Brainstorm one way that you believe creation is not being well stewarded. Think about both causes and effects. Use a Problem Tree to stimulate your thinking. Loss of work Illness Dirty air Pollution Write: • the issue on the trunk • immediate causes on shallow roots • deeper causes on deeper roots • effects on the branches. Poverty and hunger Chemicals emitted into air/ flow into rivers Problem Tree water Crop pesticides flowing into streams Unregulated industrialisation For example, if your concern were pollution, your tree might include labels like these… Undrinkable Poverty Irresponsibility Heavy use of non-organic fertilisers Lack of education Putting profit before people

The Church calls us to put the needs of the poor first: “ The Gospel instructs us in the preferential respect due to the poor and the special situation they have in society: the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so as to place their goods more generously at the service of others. Octogesima Adveniens (A Call to Action), Pope Paul VI, 1971 ” Look at your Problem Tree again. Have you considered how your chosen issue affects the poor? Are there roots or branches that could be added to your tree?

New jobs in green economy Can you produce a Solution Tree for the same issue? More people able to work Healthier population Clean water No pollution Changed practices in homes, towns, farms Keep your Problem and Solution Trees. We will return to them later in this unit. Solution Tree Clean streets Councils, companies etc plan cleaner ways of working Clean air Cleaner practices in industry Anti-pollution laws in place Rising demand for greener fertilisers, detergents, etc Social pressure for change

• Describe how the picture makes you feel. • What do you imagine to be the story of this picture? The picture shows the effects of drought in Kenya, where villagers say that drought now occurs more often and more severely. What is your own experience of the awesome beauty and power of the created world? Thank you, God, for the gift of creation and all its beauty. Teach us how to be good stewards of creation, so that everyone can enjoy its benefits. Amen Pause for reflection

Section Two Climate change – causes, effects, responses and case studies

Heat from the sun shines onto the Earth. It passes through a blanket of gases in our atmosphere.

Some of the heat energy is reflected back into space. Some of the heat energy gets absorbed by the blanket of ‘greenhouse’ gases.

Human activities are creating more greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, CO 2. As we burn more fossil fuels, for example, the blanket of greenhouse gases becomes thicker.

More greenhouse gases in the atmosphere mean that more heat energy is absorbed. This increase in the temperature of the earth, or ‘global warming’, is what causes climate change.

Do you think climate change has affected the UK? If so, how? It is not possible to say definitely that any one weather event is due to climate change. However, the IPCC says that climate change will lead to less predictable and more intense weather events. Watch a clip about flooding in the Somerset Levels, at: http: //www. bbc. co. uk/news/uk-25879909 Do you have personal experience of extreme weather events like storms, floods or droughts? How might the experiences of the people in the film have differed if they had been living in an LEDC? Climate change in the UK?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), made up of leading scientists, says that: • Warming of the climate system is unequivocal. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen • Carbon dioxide concentrations have increased by 40 percent since preindustrial times, primarily from fossil fuel emissions • Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850 • Climate change will impact on food production and economic growth, making poverty reduction more difficult. (For sources, see notes field of this slide) Human influence on climate

Visit: The Guardian interactive map and investigate which countries are most and least responsible for climate change. Carbon-emitting world map

“ If left unchecked, climate change will increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems. However, options are available to adapt to climate change and stringent mitigation activities can ensure that the impacts of climate change remain within a manageable range, creating a brighter and more sustainable future. ” Press release from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2 Nov 2014 Among all the concerns on stewardship of creation, should climate change be our top priority? Why/ why not? Research supporting and opposing views on climate change. Conduct a debate, with half of your class arguing for and half against the motion: “Addressing climate change should be humanity’s top priority. ”

“ “ “ ““ The rains come at the Non-indigenous people have wrong times now – like it rained in been destroying nature for We believe that if money Our ancestors had January for four days. It’s no use to because do value our forest isthey lost all not life is alsoor lost. In Mayan culture, the Earth is it right – when they cut down a farmers if the rains come at our respect the environment. . . I had never heard about climate mother, we are her children. now tree they had to ask the earth. . . unexpected times. Many had no. But seeds I are want to say non-indigenous change, but if itto continues we Earth could and we destroying our Mother left. Trinidad or were scared to plant them. Sánchez, executive director, COMAL, Honduras peoples that you needeffects. to listen lose this forest. this has global Farmers are confused. Who knows and from us Ke Kachok, learn Kroeng group leader, Cambodia Virgilio Ramirez, Director of Radio Balam Estero, Guatemala how many days these wrong-time Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, rains will last? President of Hutukara Yanomami Association, Brazil ” ”” ” ” Charles Wangeneye, Director of Caring for Environment for Development (CED), Kitui, Kenya What can indigenous people and farmers in developing countries teach us about climate change and caring for the Earth? What do people in less economically developed countries say?

Focussing on one region can give a deeper insight into how climate change affects people in LEDCs. CAFOD has been working with partners in Latin America since the 1960 s. In recent years this work has been greatly affected by climate change. We will look at examples of this in Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. Find out more about CAFOD’s work PERU BOLIVIA BRAZIL CAFOD in Latin America

The Cruz de Mayo community, just below the Parón lagoon in Peru, is surrounded by seven glaciers, reaching up to 6, 600 metres. It is estimated that all the glaciers under 5, 000 metres will have melted completely by 2030. Some years ago, Peru’s government sold the Parón lagoon to Duke Energy, a hydroelectricity company. live from the ice, because “ We our water comes from the ice. How will we live when there is no ice? ” Julio Granados Peru

Sometimes the company released large quantities of water from the lagoon gates, destroying crops. At other times, it closed the gates and the crops died from drought. Water levels in the lagoon fell. In 2008, thousands of people marched to the lagoon to protest. Now the Cruz de Mayo community manages the lagoon, with support from local government and consent from Duke Energy, and the lagoon is gradually refilling. “ I feel happy when I see the lagoon refilling. For me it represents life, the life that God has created. ” Flor Vilma Dueñas Olivo, farmer and community activist Peru

Bolivia is rich in natural resources, yet in rural areas nearly three in five people live in extreme poverty. About every five years, trade winds change and warm ocean waters move eastwards. One of our partners, Fundación Nuna, talks to a family about their water resources - the well in the photo which have become scarcer each year. This is called El Niño and upsets normal weather patterns (eg. causing floods in Bolivia’s lowlands and drought in the highland plains and valleys in 2007 and 2008). A changing climate will have a direct impact on El Niño. Rural communities have also noted changes in temperature since the 1970 s and in rainfall in recent years. Bolivia

Extremes of climate are more common, the growing season is shorter, and higher temperatures are leading to a change in some crops. The glaciers that provide water to the capital, La Paz, are predicted to disappear by 2045. Felipa Charque Chambi (72) lives in a rural community called Villa Arbolitos: “ When I was a little girl… this area was very green, and people used to bring their sheep, llamas and cattle from other villages to drink the water. But now drought is causing real problems and making things tense with our neighbouring community. ” Bolivia

Our partners work to ensure that the poorest and most excluded Bolivians, particularly the indigenous majority, have a say in the policies that affect them. CAFOD has helped indigenous farmers to set up the Bolivia Climate Change Platform to lobby on climate change at national and international level. United, those most affected by climate change have a stronger voice. Click the icon for the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change. http: //www. forestpeoples. org/topics/un-framework-convention-climate-change-unfccc/publication/2011/declaration-indigenous-peoples Bolivia

Hutukara Yanomami Association represents Yanomami indigenous people living a traditional way of life in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. In 1992, Brazil’s government finally agreed to officially protect Yanomami land but the forest continues to be under threat. In 2014, around 4, 000 illegal gold miners destroyed trees and polluted rivers with mercury. Now, unpredictable seasons are affecting the Yanomami’s ability to grow food and live sustainably. Hutukara lobbies Brazil’s government to keep its promises to protect the Yanomami people and their land. Protecting the Amazon helps to protect the earth from climate change. Brazil

“ The rain has changed. Now it rains in the summer… The life of the Yanomami people is being affected - the destruction of the forest has increased a lot, there are lots of cracks in the earth. We Indians are saying: Look at the sky, it’s changing, the sun is changing, the rain is changing. The men in the cities, the industrialised world, we want them to listen to us and believe us for the future, see the pollution, destruction, poverty, illness. But they don’t see it. They let it happen. ” Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, President, Hutukara Yanomami Association Click the icon. Davi talks about climate change and how it affects his people. http: //youtu. be/QO_Fd 4 Ab. Nb. U Brazil

Climate change more intense weather events: hurricanes, altered monsoons, etc landslides floods melting glaciers droughts melting ice caps rising river levels rising sea levels land losses homes and businesses destroyed water sources contaminated water shortages crops destroyed livestock die vulnerability, hunger, conflict, displaced people, poverty Are these outcomes inevitable? Create a mind map showing positive responses to the challenges of climate change. Effects of climate change in less economically developed countries

At the 1992 Earth Summit, 189 countries agreed to establish the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Five years later the ‘Kyoto Protocol’ was signed, with legally binding emissions reduction targets for 37 more economically developed countries from 2008 until 2012. Some countries, like the US, refused to sign. The international community has been developing a successor to the Kyoto Protocol at annual meetings known as Conferences of the Parties (‘COPs’). The last meeting look place in Lima, Peru. It is highly anticipated that a new binding global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be signed in Paris in 2015. One view on the outcome of the talks in Peru, 2014 www. thetablet. co. uk/blogs/1/524/the-day-the-church-went-green Suggest why some MEDCs refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol. Should LEDCs and MEDCs have the same obligation to reduce CO 2 emissions? Why/ why not? Who decides climate change rules?

“ Whilst China and others must reduce their emissions, we in the developed world must not abdicate our responsibility for the historic backlog of emissions sitting in the atmosphere right now and the new damage we continue to wreak on the climate. Instead of muddying the waters with -passing, we should show leadership. buck People’s lives in poor countries are already devastated by climate change and it’s getting worse. We need a climate change agreement with justice for the poorest people at its heart. Neil Thorns, Head of Advocacy at CAFOD What does CAFOD say? ”

CAFOD is campaigning for a global deal that puts the world’s poorest people at its heart by: Helping poor communities – who are hit hardest by climate change to adapt to the impact of a changing climate and benefit from sustainable development. The poorest have done least to cause climate change; they should not be the ones to pay the price. Providing necessary support for LEDCs - This includes adequate and predictable financial support and capacity building for adaptation, and for building low carbon development. Beyond the Paris deal, supporting the shift away from using polluting fossil fuels - the main cause of climate change - to ensuring sustainable, affordable, safe and reliable energy for everyone, including the billions that currently live without energy. What does CAFOD say?

Review what you have studied about the causes of climate change and its effects on LEDCs. You are a delegate at the international talks on climate change in Paris in 2015 with a chance to address the assembly. What will you recommend in your speech? In 2014, young people around the world made videos urging the UN to act on climate change: www. askwhywhynot. org Hear what the top eight young film-makers said to the UN: www. youtube. com/watch? v=Wt. Qyg 1 l 3 p 9 g See our website to find out how to enter this year’s Close-up on Climate film competition! Pause for reflection

“The plight of the earth demonstrates that… materialism cannot be allowed to drive out responsibility and love… care for those in need, and respect for the rights of future generations. . . ” The Call of Creation, Catholic Bishops of England & Wales, 2002 Section Three Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching …and action!

Look again at your Problem and Solution Trees from earlier in this unit. Note any questions that they raise for you with regard to religious faith. Keep these questions in mind as we explore scripture and Catholic Social Teaching.

If you attended a Catholic school, you will have studied Creation and Stewardship in Key Stage 3. Here is a quick reminder of what you may have learned: • Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God. • The creation story in Genesis is a theological, not a scientific, truth. • Because God is infinitely good, creation reflects that goodness. • God created humankind in God’s own image and likeness. • Adam and Eve represent humankind, appointed as stewards of creation, but rejecting original holiness. • Yet God does not abandon creation, but loves and sustains it. • In love, God sent Jesus so that everyone might have life to the full. Revision

Read these quotations from the Bible: took the man and settled “ God him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and take care of it. ” Genesis 2: 15 Ever since God created the world [God’s] everlasting power and deity – however invisible – have been there for the mind to see in the things [God] has made. Romans 1: 20 “ Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? Matthew 6: 20 ” …the land belongs to me; and you are only strangers and guests of mine. Leviticus 25: 23 shall leave [the “ …you gleanings of your harvest] for the poor and for the alien. ” Leviticus 23: 22 I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living creature to be found with you. Genesis 9: 9 -10 How would you summarise in one sentence (it can be long!) the Bible’s teaching on creation and on its stewardship by human beings? What does scripture say?

Justice for the poor is a major theme in scripture. For example: “ Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. ” Proverbs 31: 8 -9 How might the above quotation change your response to the previous slide? Jot down any amendments to your response: Find more scripture and Catholic Social Teaching on this topic by looking at Pope Francis’ encyclical on human ecology What does scripture say?

over inanimate and “ …dominion other living beings granted by Read these quotations: “ [We must be] committed to the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concerns for the quality of life of [one’s] neighbour, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation. making joint decisions ‘…aimed at strengthening that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God. ’ Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 50 ” ” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2415 society cannot respond “ Today’s adequately to the duty connected “ with the responsibility to protect the environment if it does not seriously review its lifestyle, its patterns of consumption and production. ” Archbishop Migliore, Speech to the U. N. , 28 October 2008 Catholic Social Teaching God destined the earth and all it contains for… all peoples so that all created things would be shared fairly by all. ” Pope Paul VI, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 69 What would you say are the Church’s main concerns about the stewardship of creation?

The Call of Creation is a document written by the Catholic Bishops of England Wales. It encouraged Catholics to voice their views on the environment ahead of the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. Click the icon to read it. www. cbcew. org. uk/content/download/34849/258827/file/call-of-creation-cafod-2008. pdf Read: Section II- The impact on the world’s poor Section IV- Human beings are dependent but responsible Section V- Personal responsibility and conversion of life What reason do the bishops cite in Section II for ‘People’s supply running short’? What is your own opinion? How is being created in the image of God both a gift and a challenge? (Section IV) If you were to fully live what the Bishops are saying in the paragraph from Section V, how would your life be different? Catholic Social Teaching

“ Individual choices can seem insignificant when faced with such global challenges. But multiplied individual actions can indeed make a real difference. ” The Call of Creation CAFOD belongs to the global Caritas network, a federation of 170 international Catholic aid agencies. Download our video showing how Caritas responded to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. https: //s 3. amazonaws. com/CAFOD-main-websitefilms/John+Manuel+CAFOD+Version. mov How can you put Catholic Social Teaching into action? Click the icon to find out how to campaign with CAFOD www. cafod. org. uk/secondary/climate Decide one action that you or your class will take. There are more ideas in the next section of this unit. Catholic Social Teaching in action

Return to the questions you had at the start of this section. How do scripture and Catholic Social Teaching shed light on them? Research any questions that remain unanswered. Compare what the Catholic Church says about the stewardship of creation with what you have learned about international decisions on climate change. In what ways does international stewardship of the Earth conform to and differ from the ideals of the Bible and of Catholic Social Teaching? Plenary

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Section Four Evaluation and assignments

Think about what has been covered in this unit What have I learned? Where have I felt challenged? What did I find exciting or interesting? What was difficult to understand? What would I like to explore further? Can I say ‘I am a steward of the earth’ and mean it? Why/ why not? What is God saying to me about my role in stewardship of creation, now and in the future? Evaluation

1. Research the causes and impacts of climate change, using the library, the internet, newspapers, and local experts. Prepare a ten-minute talk for your class or for a younger class. Your presentation should include: • introduction to the issue • where it occurs • who it affects most and how • possible ways forward • at least two differing viewpoints on the issue • your own viewpoint (with reasons) • summary and conclusion. TIPS • Remember to use your own expertise too! If you are studying English Literature you could take a literary angle, if you are studying science you could research the scientific viewpoints, etc. • Remember to include scripture and Catholic Social Teaching. Assignment ideas

2. Write an essay: Examine and assess the implications that Genesis 1: 27 has for Christians in terms of their treatment of Creation. Hints! • Think about how God treats Creation. • Show that you have weighed up different sides of the argument. • Include relevant quotations from scripture and from Catholic Social Teaching. 3. Organise action in your school or college to tackle climate change: www. cafod. org. uk/Education/Secondary-schools/Climate 4. If your school or college is not yet an eco-school, write a plan of action to help work towards this award. Find out more at www. eco-schools. org. uk/ Assignment ideas

5. Invite your local MP into school to ask how s/he will work to prevent climate change pushing people deeper into poverty: cafod. org. uk/Education/Young-people/Climate-action-young-people 6. Organise a performance of the ‘Degrees of Change’ play about climate change: cafod. org. uk/Media/Files/Resources/Youth/Degrees-of-Change 7. Fundraise for poor communities affected by climate change: cafod. org. uk/Fundraise/Guide-to-fundraising 8. Organise an exhibition of photographs, paintings or recycled artefacts, alongside relevant information, to raise awareness of how climate change affects LEDCs, or make a film (see slide 36). 9. Plan, design and set up a school allotment. 10. Use your artistic or IT skills to produce a piece of communication to promote action for climate change in your school. Assignment ideas

Publications • Ellen Teague, Between the Flood and the Rainbow: Climate Change and the Church’s Social Teaching, Missionary Society of St. Columban, 2008 • Michael P. Hornsby-Smith, An Introduction to Catholic Social Thought, CUP, 2002 • CAFOD, Climate Change photocards, images, facts, stories and reflections. From http: //shop. cafod. org. uk Weblinks • Developing countries and climate change: www. cafod. org. uk/Campaign/Get-clued-up/Climate-and-energy • Becoming an eco-school: www. eco-schools. org. uk • Our campaign for young people, plus other resources on climate change: www. cafod. org. uk/secondary/climate Other useful resources

www. cafod. org. uk CAFOD is not responsible for the content of external websites Picture credits Annie Bungeroth, Richard Wainwright, Francesca Hoyle, Karen Luyckx, Marcella Haddad, Philippe Mougin, Maria Marshall, Luciano Padrão, Nasa/wikipedia, CAFOD. Spring 2015 CAFOD is a member of Caritas International Registered Charity No. 285776