March in Houston in Solidarity with the Youth, Indigenous, Nature and the Underprivileged

United States Government is out of the Paris Climate Agreement again.  There are energy policies that are getting into the legislation to cut the methane charges and fees, to put restrictions on renewable while the oil and gas industries continue to receive subsidies and insurance from tax payers' money.

Houston is the energy capital of the world where we can find the big oil companies such as  B&P, Shell, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, etc.  Houston hotels were visited by Oil and Gas executives and experts with the CERA Week Conference.  People working in these energy industries around the world gathered to talk about the innovations, future plans and the economy surrounding the high-carbon emitting energy industry.  While the current Secretary of Energy criticizes the previous government on its support for a clean energy, the secretary praises the current government in its support on the oil and gas,which he believed to be meeting the demands of the business and the people.  Setting aside the blame culture, how do we see the light in the tunnel in this climate crisis vs energy demand?  I will not go into the blaming game as it is unproductive.   What the green energy and peace movements are aiming is for the government and the corporations to meet demands of the globalization and urbanization without forgetting the need to protect the people and sustainable natural fiber of the ecology and continuing the growing needs for modernity, and not neglecting the needs of the underprivileged and the forgotten, namely, the youth, nature, indigenous, and the underprivileged.  There is a huge money in oil and gas as the world fight over this through wars and politics.  Oil and Gas Energy companies continue to be in the business as the status quo is usually seen an easy and conventional strategy.  People do not necessarily want change. It takes energy, dialogue, innovation, collaboration, and transformation.  Progress cannot happen without positive change.  It needs to respect the moral fabric and integrity of all in creation in order to keep its progress.  Otherwise, the world will position itself in its downfall and regression as the natural law will assume its role.

Considering the increasing population and sophisticated AI technology that require an increasing demand for energy, the question is what does the sustainable future demands that can be morally acceptable for all?  Where is the consumption of the energy going?  If we look at the data in terms of world's consumption of energy and the United States' consumption of energy, these two are nearly neck to neck.  What it means is that the United States are mostly consuming the whole chunk of the pie of the world's energy especially for the past five years. There are other developed countries that are eating the large chunk of the piece such as Iceland, Norway and Canada apart from the other top oil-rich countries.

Looking closely into the cries of the underprivileged people who live near the pipelines, the greenfaith gathered the people in Houston.  The climate change effects that we feel having the greatest number of three digits where the underprivileged people could not keep their air-condition bills during summer and heating system during winter due to high-energy cost would continue to be a problem considering our lack of attention to this while we continue to consume the fossil fuel in our daily necessities and luxuries.  The news for everyone is that we will all experience the effects but the people with most resources will have a way out.    According to climate scientists, if the temperature is not kept to 1.5°C by 2050 (i.e. cut in half by 2030), there is a point of no return by 2100 that the future generations might suffer from.  This is not based on a gloom and doom prophet but based on calculated risks from scientists who have been studying the geology, oceanography, ecology and climate for a living.  While I am a computer and information scientist, and pastoral minister by training, I understand why we need studies while we transition into the shift for a sustainable future.  As a pastoral minister, I am someone who upholds the rights of the oppressed and those who are impacted by the pipelines and the effects of the harmful and toxic chemicals from these oil wells.  We need to consider the risk and waste management strategies of the energy companies which include the 4 million abandoned wells where about 117,000 in United States are considered orphaned wells.

Oil and Gas is a billion-dollar industry and has been driving innovations and the economy since the 19th century.  Considering the impact of the greenhouse gases on the sustainability of this planet, people are asking what is the future of the Oil, Gas and the natural energy which primarily composed of high greenhouse gases such as methane.  What about the future of the people and this planet more than anything else?

Green organizations and members of the green organizations such as Greenfaith, Raices, Laudato Si' Circles, Vets for Climate Justice, Incarnate Word Houston's and San Antonio's Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation gathered in Discovery Green Park on March 9 to share the cry of the oppressed by this unsustainable Oil and Gas energy.  People from as young as grade-schoolers to 70s or 80s in a walker fashioned the park and streets of Houston to support the future generations.   

(Photo on the left: March for Future Generations along the streets of Houston) 

Three advocates of the future generations spoke to share the impact of the unsustainable energy in their lives, families, and in their ministry.  One from Houston spoke of her relatives and a best friend with cancer some of whom have already passed away.  Sister Ricca, a physician, an Incarnate Word Sister from Houston and originally from Philippines, spoke of her expertise on the ill effects brought by the oil and gas pipelines and the environmental crisis in Philippines.  It is already experiencing the effects of climate change where up to a more than half a meter of sea level rise, faster than the global average.  It will find some of its island disappearing by 2100 displacing up to 14 million people.  A minister from Louisiana spoke about his loved one who had to tie someone to a tree so that she would not get swept by the current of the flood during the hurricane Katrina.  The series of events in Houston is about solidarity with the people affected by the illnesses from toxic chemicals form oil and gas industries, the uncontrollable natural disasters such as hurricane, wildfires, typhoons, etc.  We cannot do anything about the natural disasters but we can only receive its wrath.  We can mitigate how fast we destroy the earth for our own selfish needs and greed. Unless we change, we continue to contribute to the symptoms and reality of this crisis.

Following the day of the green talk was the march for future generation that happened in March 10 where the people walked from the Root Square Park to the Discovery Green. Various organizations, groups of people, and individuals showed their support for the indigenous, youth, nature, and the underprivileged by advocating for renewable and clean energies for sustainable future, and encouraging the people for an end to fossil fuel.

(Upper Right photo: banners showting support for future generation from the green faith organizations; Left Photo: women from the indigenous tribe)

Being an advocate of Laudato Si', we need to look at the demand for energy and the reasoning for keeping policies on the high-carbon emitting energy sources.  Can the health risks among the living beings and the environmental disasters to the bodies of water and earth justify the business of keeping the unsustainable sources of energy compared to the renewable sources of energy?   What is moral solution to the energy demands of this generation and the future?  Can we look closely into the cancer-stricken neighborhood where the oil and gas pipelines are being built and maintained for production of energy that are being sold to other countries? How can we work together for a just and reasonable shift to sources of energy that are not harmful to life?

The Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation from Incarnate Word Sisters Houston and San Antonio supported this event in solidarity with the people impacted by this pollution-emitting energy industry.   These two congregations are in Laudato Si' Action Platform and working in their way to be sustainable in their practices.  San Antonio's order is now in its second year of being on Laudato Si' Action Platform and will soon be reviewing its goal for a stronger and impactful implementation of the encyclical's cause.  Together with the Incarnate Word Sisters' JPIC is the Texas Pax Christi President Arthur Dawes who also joined the march proclaiming his support for clean energy for healthy people, communities and clean environment.

Laudato Si', an encyclical of Pope Francis can be used to reflect on the interconnectedness of life on earth.  We can look at the articles related to fossil fuel and the need to reflect on the unsustainable sources of energy that impact the most vulnerable people, animals, environment are vital to our moral survival.  What are we willing to compromise and willing to sacrifice for modernity? Are we to accept the conditions of the people suffering  from the toxic chemicals in order to sustain the modern unreflected lifestyle?  The emerging conversations on nuclear energy are starting to appear on the news especially in Texas.  Governor Abbott wants the state to be the number 1 in nuclear technology while he also does not want the Texas to be the dumping ground for the nuclear waste.  This nuclear no matter how powerful this form of energy can solve the growing demands of the business establishments for energy, the risks are worth to be calculated.  This will require an in-depth study and careful risk analysis to review whether the benefits outweigh the risks of fallout of radioactive chemicals and the radioactive exposure of the workers to this unpopular form of energy.  What would be the waste management measure of the nuclear energy?  The radioactive chemicals from the spent fuel will require its isolation from thousands of years.  When we talk about sustainability, we are not only talking about near-term but what would the impact of the nuclear waste to the nature that we will have to keep and protect ourselves from.  How far are we going to risk the future generation to meet the near term demands of this anthopogenic age?  What are we leaving to the youth who will carry the values and lifestyle of today forward?

A couple of selected Laudato Si' articles/reflections are below:

LS Article 23 talks about our global interdependence where the human life lies.  We have a common good, climate that we all share and currently impacted by the lifestyle that we are living, with our constant need of unreflected production and consumption while we continue to use the fossil fuel thereby driving the significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.  

LS Article 52 raises the importance of the responsibility that the developed countries must bear in addressing the impacts of climate change.  The vital interests of the rich to support heavy industries with the use of energy driven by its economic goals pushes the interest of poor and developing countries aside.  The developed countries have the resources that the developing countries do not have.  According to Science Direct, 50% of poor countries only consume 12% of the global carbon footprint while the 10% of the developed countries consumes the 48% of the global carbon footprint.  The global indifference cannot be the solution to a climate crisis as there is no barrier with the climate reality.

This is an invitation to reflect the articles on Laudato Si' further and how the faithful can be an instrument in furthering the moral values in this AI and energy-driven lifestyle and economy.  Other relevant articles on energy 58, 104, 165, and 184.

There will be an upcoming nuclear studies sponsored by Pax Christi and Incarnate Word Sisters San Antonio  JPIC (Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation) on March 21 in preparation for the Pax Christi forum on April 28 with Archbishop John Wester.

Read more about the upcoming event: Justicia, Paz y Tierra /ur Justice, Peace and Earth: Remembering the Lessons from the Nuclear Fallout and Victims of Nuclear Bombing

*LS = Laudato Si'

References:

Ablam Estel Apeti, Bao We Wal Bambe, Eyah Denise Edoh, Alpha Ly, Wealth inequality and carbon inequality, Ecological Economics, Volume 227, 2025, 108406, ISSN 0921-8009, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108406 [Online Resource]

GMA Public Affairs,"Batasan Island slowly sinking due to rising seas (with English subs)} Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. Retrieved from: 'https://youtu.be/Hi2zsgghBOU?feature=shared' [Online Resource]

Hannah Ritchie, Pablo Rosado and Max Roser (2020) - “Energy Production and Consumption” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-consumption' [Online Resource]

Jerry Redfern, The EPA stalled and then a fix for New Mexico oil and gas pollution evaporated. University of Mexico,  Retrieved from 'https://www.kunm.org/local-news/2024-11-18/the-epa-stalled-and-then-a-fix-for-new-mexico-oil-and-gas-pollution-evaporated/' (2024) [Online Resource]

Lindsay M. Krall, A.M. Macfarlane, & R.C. Ewing, Nuclear waste from small modular reactors, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 119 (23) e2111833119, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111833119 (2022) [Online Resource].

Mark Shwarts, Small modular reactors will exacerbate challenges of highly radioactive nuclear waste, new study finds. Stanford University. https://energy.stanford.edu/news/small-modular-reactors-will-exacerbate-challenges-highly-radioactive-nuclear-waste-new-study (2022) [Online Resource]

Pope Francis, "Laudato Si." Retrieved from 'https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html' [Online Resource]

60 Minutes, "Rising sea levels threaten to wash away entire  country | 60 Minutes Australia." Retrieved from 'https://youtu.be/XFQwAVB2BdM?feature=shared' [Online Resource]