Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This year marks the eighth (8th) anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Laudato Si’. The guiding theme for this year’s celebration will be “Hope for the Earth. Hope for Humanity”.

We acknowledge the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for a collective action to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. For this reason, the DIOCESE OF SAN CARLOS through its LUNHAW ECOLOGY MINISTRY hereby declares a climate emergency in response to the growing urgency of addressing the ongoing climate crisis.

The DIOCESE OF SAN CARLOS is committed to taking immediate and significant steps to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the deceleration of global warming. We pledge to take these six (6) steps to accomplish this:

1. We shall establish and support the Lunhaw Ecology Ministry in all communities, including all parishes, mission stations, quasi parishes, and all Catholic and Diocesan schools within the jurisdiction of the Diocese.

2. We shall develop a ‘Climate Emergency Plan’ within the next months to set our intentions to reduce carbon emissions in all of our operations and activities in order to reduce our carbon footprint not later than 2030.

3. We shall promote and initiate SAPAT Lifestyle practices in all aspects of our work, including waste reduction, energy conservation, and sustainable transportation.

4. We shall continue to advocate for policy reforms that address prevalent environmental issues, push for climate action, and support a just transition towards a low-carbon economy by supporting the Rights of Nature Bill and other Green Bills.

5. We shall commit to continuous improvement and collaboration with other organizations and stakeholders towards campaigning and working for a balanced and healthy ecology for us and future generations.

6. We shall continue to urge and call on the government to make the same commitments and more.

We recognize that these commitments are only the beginning of our efforts to address the climate emergency, and we remain committed to continuous improvement and collaboration with other organizations and stakeholders towards a balanced and healthy ecology for us and future generations.

As the duty-bearers to these obligations and rights, the Philippine government has the primary responsibility, with the most resources and in the best position to protect Filipinos and our environment against the impact of climate change. Hence, we call on the government to declare a national state of climate emergency and get our governmental institutions to act accordingly. And provide a mainstream pro-environment and pro-people approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

We also urge our duty bearers to go beyond the minimum of climate talks and monitoring targets, and urgently uphold climate justice by halting profit-driven, ecologically-destructive projects, and empowering our communities the self-determination for climate change adaptation.

There is no better time than now to recognize the interconnectedness of all creation, and thereby it is our responsibility to acknowledge our nature’s intrinsic rights to thrive, restore, and protect itself from the very system that put us in the state of climate emergency in the first place.

DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY NOW!

PASS THE RIGHTS OF NATURE BILL NOW!

Yours Sincerely,

MOST REV. GERARDO A. ALMINAZA DD.
Bishop of San Carlos
28 May 2023