In June, the Catholic Church of the Philippines joined the One Million Against Coal Campaign, which aims to collect at least one million signatures across the country against the government's decision to host dozens of coal-fired power plants.
“We strongly oppose coal energy because of its detrimental effects on human health and the environment. Coal is the main cause of global warming,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, executive director of the Caritas Philippines National Secretariat for Social Action. The petition was created ahead of the publication of the Pope's 180-page encyclical calling for action against global warming.
Acting not only against the use of fossil fuels, but also in favor of renewable energy, religious leaders are installing solar panels on the roofs of their parish churches: “We encourage our communities to switch to renewable energy by setting an example. This has not happened consistently in all Catholic churches across the country, but we hope so,” explains Gariguez. So far, the church does not have enough funds to implement a large-scale transition to clean energy, so she turned to the public for help.
In addition, Gariges is in talks with a Norwegian non-governmental organization for solar panels about the possibility of installing the latter in schools and medical institutions.
The Catholic Church has a great influence in the Philippines: its community is the largest in Asia and has 76 million people, which is almost 80% of the total population of the country. Religious leaders have previously protested against mining, in particular against open-pit mining techniques and laws that provide significant incentives for foreign companies.
Father Edwin hopes that the church will be able to attract the attention of the general public to fossil fuels and clean energy, as happened in the case of the mining industry. To achieve this goal, a partnership was established with activists from the local community organization the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ).
See also anekdotig:
- Newsletter: " Filipino Lighting Revolution: Salt Water Lamps " (July 31, 2015)
- Newsletter: " March Held in the Vatican in Support of Pope Francis' Position Against Climate Change " (June 29, 2015)