Fracking and the ROLE OF THE CHURCH/morality

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Pope Francis Syas No to Fracking – 12 Jan 2015

http://ecowatch.com/2015/01/12/pope-francis-says-no-fracking/

 

 

 

 

 

 

ECO Congragation: Lima – Quakers and Fracking (newsletter)
Posted on January 1, 2015

In this newsletter (and more)

QUAKERS & FRACKING http://ecocongregationireland.com/archives/4934
LIMA – CLIMATE CHANGE http://ecocongregationireland.com/archives/4985
“Climate is the prisoner of people” ~ Prof John Sweeney – http://ecocongregationireland.com/archives/4985
Responding to climate change ~ Fr Seán McDonagh – http://ecocongregationireland.com/archives/4956
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The UN climate talks in Lima finally reached a conclusion in the early hours of yesterday morning with what can only be described as a weak outcome. The talks were hampered because of divisions between rich and poor countries over how to spread the burden of pledges to cut carbon emissions, with developing countries accusing rich nations of shirking their responsibilities to fight global warming and pay for its impacts. An agreement was reached, but many decisions were postponed, and the final agreement simply states that countries “may”, rather than “shall”, include quantifiable information showing how they intend to meet their emissions targets. Continue reading →

Pope Francis’s edict on climate change will anger deniers and US churches
Posted on

Pope

 

pope
http://ecowatch.com/2014/07/07/pope-francis-destruction-nature-modern-sin/?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=a1ad38fbdd-Most_Read_Week_7_13_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-a1ad38fbdd-85321873

pope

http://frackingfreeireland.org/2014/04/23/pope-francis-urged-to-back-fossil-fuel-divestment-campaign/

Desmond Tutu wrote a piece last week in the Guardian supporting it, and
now religious groups are calling on Pope Francis to support divestment
too:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/10/desmond-tutu-anti-apartheid-styleboycott-fossil-fuel-industry

http://www.theguardian.com/environment

Arch Bisshop Tutu calls for independent inquiry into policing of corrib gas project.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/archbishop-tutu-calls-for-independent-inquiryi
nto-policing-of-corrib-gas-project-1.1742403

Faith and Fracking – sisters of Mercy, Galilee Community, Boyle

A Prayer service was held (Global  Frack Down Day- 2013) on 29 Oct.
Cry of the earh prayer – CRY OF THE EARTH   word doc

CRY OF THE EARTH  post,

CRY OF THE EARTH   pdf

17 anti frackers did attend. More in FMN 127

sisters of mercy 2Galilee Community Boyle

http://www.galilee.ie/about.html

 

 

 

 

 UK
Faith And Fracking: A Religious Case For The Environment – http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/62995.htm

fracking threats gods
Dear Father,
Recently I emailed you about the threat of fracking in your parish. Unfortunately, I did not hear back from you.
I have attached an article in this week’s Telegraph outlining what priests in England are doing to inform their parishioners about fracking. These priests accept that they have a responsibility to protect God’s creation and to inform their parishioners of the environmental and health impacts of fracking.
Unless we stand up together to stop fracking in Ireland it will be happening in West Clare in the near future. People and animal’s health and well being will be seriously impacted. Existing farming and tourism industries will be destroyed.
Our West Clare area, as you know, is sadly losing local farmers and residents to suicide in increasing numbers, as people find it harder to provide for themselves and families. The impact of fracking will no doubt increase people’s sense of helplessness and hopelessness about their ability to make ends meet and lead a good life for themselves and families in West Clare.
I urge you to please research what fracking is and how this industry is affecting communities in countries such as America and Australia and take steps to protect your parishioners from a similar nightmare.
For more information please see www.frackingfreeireland.org, email me or phone me on xxxx.
The newspaper article link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10240773/Fracking-threatens-Gods-glorious-creation.html
I look forward to speaking with you,

Becky Fowler
Fracking Free Clare

 

Parish Balcombe letterFracking Free Clare sent a letter to their parish

Dear Father,

Please see a letter written by Balcombe Parish Council in the UK re: their objection to fracking in their community.Residents of Balcombe, UK are currently fighting the threat of fracking in their area. Fracking is a process of extracting gas from shale rock below the earth’s surface by explosions and pumping millions of gallons of water, toxic chemicals and sand into horizontal and vertical drill holes. The practice has been linked to water contamination, soil and air pollution and earthquakes. In fracked areas people and animals are becoming sick and dying.495 square km’s of West Clare (Quilty, Kilmihil, Doonbeg, Kilrush, Carrigaholt, Loop Head and everywhere inbetween) is targetted for fracking by Enegi Oil PLC.We need people in County Clare to become aware of this threat and to decide if this practice is acceptable or not for them, their families and their livestock.We need your support in making this happen.
If you would be willing to find out more and to support us with this campaign to KEEP IRELAND FRACKING FREE please contact me directly in 0879160175 or by email. For more information please see www.frackingfreeireland.org.
Many thanks for your attention to this issue affecting all parishioners in your area,


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Eco Congregation Ireland – http://ecocongregationireland.com/

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Eco Congregation Ireland encourages Christians to adopt an eco approach to worship, lifestyle, property and finance management, community outreach and contact with the developing world.

‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

The world, and all who live in it’

~ Psalm 24 v 1

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Published on National Catholic Reporter (http://ncronline.org)

 

Br. David Andrews: The morality of fracking

Rich Heffern  |  Jun. 9, 2011 Eco Catholic
Holy Cross Br. David Andrews is a senior representative at Food and Water Watch, a consumer group based in Washington. He is former director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference.Human illness, environmental contamination, serious animal illnesses, a danger to our food system: these are some of the discovered effects of hydraulic fracking, a now growing method of releasing natural gas for energy production.Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of pressurized water, chemicals, and sand into the earth to loosen shale to release natural gas. Headaches, dizziness, endocrine disruption, cancer, memory loss, complaints about gastrointestinal problems have been among the illnesses resulting from contact with fracking’s contaminated water. Evidence has mounted that earthquakes in Arkansas have resulted from using this method of gas recovery. Polluted water has harmed animals as well as humans. Some fracking has caused exploding wells.The long term effects of fracking has yet to be discovered. It is a technique now being utilized in 34 states. In 2005 the EPA caved in to political pressure and got out of regulating fracking and did not require that the chemicals used be identified creating a loophole in the law promoted by Halliburton. Fracking was exempt from the Clean Water Act. It only takes low concentrations of benzene and diesel fuel, two compounds found in fracking studies, to lead to severe health and environmental consequences. Illnesses traced to fracking have been documented in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Alabama. The water from fracking is a particular danger to rural communities in that it flows in waste treatment plants at a scale far beyond their capacity, thus leaving rural water resources vulnerable to contamination.Most religious groups recognize moral principles such as the dignity of the human person, the care for creation and an appreciation of the welfare of animals. On all these concerns, fracking comes up short. It harms communities and harms creation. We don’t know what the long term effects will be, but we know enough to challenge that it benefits anyone except the corporations that make huge profits off of the energy production and does little for the health of people, animals and of nature.So religious groups such as the Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia have advocated against this process. In early April, 2011, America, the national magazine of the Jesuits editorialized about very critically about it, parish leaders have held community meetings in their churches warning about it.Denominations have organized the faith community to write letters to congress arguing that creation and communities are being put at risk by this practice. In a letter of a year ago (May 24, 2010) the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The National Council of Churches, USA, the Union for Reform Judaism, the United Church of Christ, The United Methodist Church and others assert that the process poses a “threat to drinking water resource and is of concern to a growing number of communities.”One region where fracking is on the increase is the Marcellus Shale gas field which spreads through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. These areas are among those areas now being recognized for their fertile and growing regional food systems. As the local food systems grow so too does the threat from fracking.Farmers are reporting that their livelihoods and landscapes are being destroyed and are under serious threat. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined 28 cattle that had come into wastewater from a fracking well that showed concentrations of chlorine, barium, magnesium, potassium, and radioactive strontium. Homeowners near fracked well sites complain about a host of frightening consequences from poisoned wells to sickened pets to debilitating illnesses.The director of the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank, a group of animal science professors that tracks incidents of chemical contamination in livestock has reported that there are many requests from veterinarians dealing with exposure to contaminants, including the byproducts of fracking.At least 596 chemicals are used in fracking, but the companies re not required by law to divulge the ingredients which are considered trade secrets. In Louisiana, 16 cows that drank fluid from a fracked well began bellowing, foaming and bleeding at the mouth, then dropped dead. The dangers are real and very dangerous.Fracking is a method of extracting gas which has incredible dangers for which the moral remedy is that it be banned in the name of human dignity, environmental protection, and animal welfare.