By Anastasija Radulovic '21
While the world battles against an unprecedented disaster in the form of COVID-19, we must still manage the separate existential crisis of climate change upon the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. As the novel coronavirus pandemic precludes us from attending in-person events, the virtual format of the Ignatian Carbon Challenge Earth Week allowed hundreds of participants across the nation to join webinars and online discussions addressing environmental issues.
Discussions were held from April 22nd through April 24th with topics that ranged from divesting in fossil fuels to engaging in fasting from meat as a means to lessen our negative impact on the Earth. Registering to vote was also a topic as we might consider leaders based on their commitment to green energy and ecological stewardship. It is perhaps ironic that an event of such great importance and scope would allow people to come together while social distancing.
One highlight of the Ignatian Earth Week was a Solidarity on Tap hosted by Molly Burhans, the founder of the Goodlands. As a non-profit digital mapping service, Goodlands works with the Catholic Church to assess carbon footprints of thousands of properties across the globe. The scope of this discussion accentuated positive steps already taken and simultaneously emphasized future goals. Seen collectively, these terms translate into the capacity to measure the quantitative environmental impact and provide a tangible level of accountability.
While the Ignatian Carbon Challenge Earth Week allowed participants to collectively move towards a more sustainable future, Pope Francis has often addressed the threat of climate change. In September 2019, Pope Francis openly addressed this situation as an identifiable danger to our existence while stating, “We have caused a climate emergency that gravely threatens nature and life itself, including our own... Now is the time to abandon our dependence on fossil fuels and move, quickly and decisively, towards forms of clean energy and a sustainable and circular economy.” These words might inspire us to move forward with vigor and purpose while we change our individual and societal habits to truly create a brighter future.
As more people work from home than ever before while quarantining, the price of oil has plummeted and suppliers have been left with a surplus. For the first time in history, crude oil futures are well below zero. It is profound that it took a global pandemic for us to realize that we are not as dependent upon oil as much as oil suppliers are dependent upon our consumption levels. This scenario has effectively brought our society to the point where we might be able to acknowledge our ability to move beyond fossil fuels. Across the globe, many regions have reported an exorbitant decrease in toxic pollutants and a decrease in seismic activity due to lower usage of cars on roadways. With better air quality, visibility across skylines have increased and wildlife populations have increased in forests surrounding metropolitan areas due to lower levels of vibration on surrounding roads. Within the nightmare of COVID-19, we might be able to use this time to reflect on our dreams of collective survival against the novel coronavirus and the ongoing threat of climate change.
The Ignatian Carbon Challenge Earth Week was only a few days long. However, this short time showed that we might be able to work throughout our lifetimes to address the ongoing pursuit of healthy and stable ecological conditions.
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