Climate Change and Poverty

The poor and economically insecure likely contribute the least to the current energy and climate crisis. However, they will suffer both the short- and long-term consequences from climate change.

Catholic Charities USA's primary concern remains ensuring the needs of the poor and vulnerable are at the center of any climate change legislation.

Catholic Charities USA supports prudent and thoughtful action to address the growing impact of climate change in our nation. We join the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in this approach and concur with their statement made on this issue:

" At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God’s creation and the one human family. It is about protecting both “the human environment and the natural environment”
-- USCCB, Global Climate Change: A Plea, Prudence, and the Common Good, June 2001

Raising Awareness

Catholic Charities USA received a grant from the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change to raise awareness within our network about the church's perspective on climate change and the impact of climate change on America's most vulnerable people.

Read how we are raising awareness in our magazine, Charities USA:

Climate Change: Why Should Catholic Charities Care? 
Rob Gorman
Executive Director
Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

From wildfires in California to floods in Iowa, Catholic Charities agencies are already addressing the effects of human impacts on the environment and changing climates.

Learn how Catholic Charities has a moral obligation to protect the life and dignity of each person and their community.

Environmental Justice in the Diocese of Stockton 
Betsy Reifsnider
Evironmental Justice Coordinator 
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton

Despite containing some of the most productive farmlands and stunning landscapes, the diocese shares some of the worst environmental problems and highest poverty rates in the country.

Learn how the agency has motivated Catholics to a deeper reverence for all God’s creation.

Resources

Visit Catholic Coalition on Climate Change and sign the St. Francis Pledge

USCCB Environmental Justice Program

Environmental Protection Agency

Caritas Grow Climate Justice