JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
UPDATE-JUNE 08,15-12:01AM
THE G-7 COUNTRIES WANT A GLOBAL CARBON FOOTPRINT.THIS MEANS THEY WANT GLOBAL CARBON TAXES ON THE WHOLE EARTH.
The plan is quite simple: world government through global taxes, with a religious face to bring it about.By the way, Genesis 8:22 lets us know that climate change is a scam:While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(THE FALSE POPE WHO DEFECTED FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH) causeth all,(IN THE WORLD ) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(MICROCHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast,(WORLD DICTATORS NAME INGRAVED ON YOUR SKIN OR TATTOOED ON YOU OR IN THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the number of his name.(THE NUMBERS OF HIS NAME INGRAVED IN THE MICROCHIP IMLPLANT)-(ALL THESE WILL TELL THE WORLD DICTATOR THAT YOUR WITH HIM AND AGAINST KING JESUS-GOD)
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:(WORLD LEADER) for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)OR(60020202006)(SOME KIND OF NUMBER IMPLANTED IN THE MICROCHIP THAT TELLS THE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TOTAL ALLIGIENCE TO HIM AND NOT JESUS)(ITS AN ETERNAL DECISION YOU MAKE)(YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY)(YOU TAKE THE DICTATORS NAME OR NUMBER UNDER YOUR SKIN,YOUR DOOMED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND TORMENTS FOREVER,NEVER ENDING MEANT ONLY FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS,NOT HUMAN BEINGS).OR YOU REFUSE THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT AND GO ON THE SIDE OF KING JESUS AND RULE FOREVER WITH HIM ON EARTH.YOU CHOOSE,ITS YOUR DECISION.
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT-UN-OTHER CLIMATE NEWS-PLAYERS
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgsproposal
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/carbon-footprint-comparisons-smartphone
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/hubs-low-carbon-ict
http://www.ictworks.org/2012/08/17/12-lessons-learned-icts-monitoring-and-accountability/
http://hesburgh.nd.edu/
http://www.caritas.org/ga2015/#news
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-306-47549-9_11#close
THE WHOLE UN-VATICAN-RFID TALK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAtBiHHs1cA&list=UUohuScGnO0zGOz7XGkpz_zw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_KwCMtptM&index=2&list=UUohuScGnO0zGOz7XGkpz_zw
Merkel is hosting the leaders of Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the US and Britain for two days of talks, which are expected to focus on issues from climate change and global health, to terrorism and the escalating conflict in Ukraine.President Putin, whose exclusion from the talks over Russia’s annexation of the Crimea has been controversial, said in an interview in Corriere della Sera, timed to coincide with the G7, that he had “no regrets”.He denied Russia was planning a war against Nato countries, saying: “No one need have fear of Russia. The world has changed to such an extent that nowadays no sensible person can imagine a military attack of that scale. We have better things to do; that, I can assure you.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/07/merkel-obama-beer-sausage-breakfast-g7-summit
G7+EU climate plans: Small step but much more effort needed to close emissions gap
4th June 2015-Press release 569.23 KB PDF Document
Bonn – 04 June 2015 -- The combined climate plans for the G7 and EU have made a small step towards the right track to hold warming to 2?C, but there is still a substantial emissions gap, the Climate Action Tracker said today.Ahead of the upcoming G7 meeting in Germany, the Climate Action Tracker - an analysis carried out by four research organisations - has looked at the combined INDCs of all G7 governments and the EU, who are responsible, in aggregate, for around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of global GDP.
Key findings:
1-Current policies in the G7+EU are projected to only stabilise emissions through to 2030 at close to present levels, whereas a rapid decline in emissions is needed.
2-The combined effect of the G7+EU INDCs for 2025, and 2030 would bring the group 20-30% of the way to 2°C and 1.5°C-consistent emissions.
3-There is still a gap of around 6.5, 7.6 and 7.8 GtCO2e/year in 2020, 2025 and 2030 respectively or 21%, 24% and 25% of 1990 emissions levels (excluding Forestry).
4-The G7+EU 2020 pledges only bring emissions 5% of the way towards emissions levels consistent with 2°C and 1.5°C in that year.
5-There is a need to upgrade efforts to reduce emissions before 2020 in order to make it easier to rapidly reduce emissions in the 2020s.
6-The inadequacy of the post-2020 INDC commitments compared to 2°C and 1.5°C -consistent emissions levels reinforces the need for the G7+EU to significantly improve upon the INDCs they have submitted to date - before Paris.
7-The low ambition of the INDCs and the large gap between current policies and the INDCs reinforces concerns that INDC commitments be limited in time, e.g. to five years (2021-2025) to avoid locking in emissions levels that are inconsistent with the 2°C and 1.5°C emission pathways.
“This gap shows us that it’s very clear the G7 and EU need to urgently revise their current policies. They need to review – and increase – their stated climate plans before Paris, so that the Paris Agreement can make major steps towards setting the world on a below 2?C pathway” said Bill Hare of Climate Analytics.
“The G7+EU INDCs on the table now show there is an extreme risk of locking in, until 2030, high emissions levels that are inconsistent with holding warming below 2?C and to 1.5°C. Waiting fifteen years from today to increase emissions reductions - and ten years after the 2020 agreement comes into force - could be very dangerous for the planet,” said Hare.“Governments must take every opportunity to check against the scientific imperatives they have agreed so INDCs need to be set for review in five years’ time.”
Not all governments in G7 + EU taking similar action
“Our analysis also shows major differences between the policies the G7+EU governments have in place towards achieving their proposals,” said Kornelis Blok of Ecofys.“While the EU’s policies would bring it close to achieving its INDC in 2030, the US, Canada and Japan still have a lot of work to do. Noting we rate Canada’s INDC and Japan’s draft INDC as ‘inadequate.’”Effort sharing analysis shows wealthier countries must do more-The CAT has also looked at the G7+EU’s INDCs through an effort-sharing lens, and found them lacking.“The G7+EU, as the most powerful and wealthy group of governments in the world, can do more than other, less wealthy countries. If all countries were economically equal and had the same historical responsibility, the global least-cost emissions pathway for each country would be the appropriate level of action to take. But they’re not,” said Niklas Höhne of NewClimate Institute.“Under our effort-sharing analysis, the G7+EU’s least-cost pathways make up, at best, 50% of the way towards a fair effort sharing contribution, so there’s still a long way to go.”
JEFFREY D. SACHS-ADVISER TO THE POPE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE UN
is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development and the fight against poverty. He is a professor of economics, a leader in sustainable development and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Millennium Development Goals.Professor Sachs serves as the Director of The Earth Institute, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He has written a number of books, including The End of Poverty (2005), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), and The Price of Civilization (2011) and The Age of Sustainable Development (2015).
WHAT IS CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY?
Caritas Internationalis is the official humanitarian and development organisation of the Catholic Church. It’s a confederation of 164 national Catholic aid and development organisations. Member organisations come together every four years for the General Assembly, the highest governing body of the confederation. It’s a unique moment in the life of the confederation and the Catholic Church, bringing together a wealth of different cultures and experiences. The first was held in 1951 and the latest will be the 20th.
What are the aims of the meeting?
Representatives meet to review the previous years’ work and approve a strategic framework and a budget for the next four years. Delegates pray together and celebrate their faith and mission.
The General Assembly elects Caritas Internationalis’ president and treasurer and ratifies the election of the secretary general and two vice presidents. It ratifies the election of the Representative Council, one of the governing structures.
What is One Human Family, Caring for Creation?
One Human Family, Caring for Creation is the theme of the 20th General Assembly and the title for the confederation’s strategic framework for the next four years. Caritas organisations will be focusing on how we can work together better as one world in protecting both people and planet from the impact of climate change, rising inequality and a “globalisation of indifference”.http://www.caritas.org/ga2015/#news
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
16.1 significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
16.2 end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children.
16.3 promote the rule of law at the national and international levels, and ensure equal access to justice for all.
16.4 by 2030 significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen recovery and return of stolen assets, and combat all forms of organized crime.
16.5 substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all its forms.
16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
16.8 broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.(GLOBAL GOVERNMENT)
16.9 by 2030 provide legal identity for all including birth registration.
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
16.a strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacities at all levels, in particular in developing countries, for preventing violence and combating terrorism and crime.
16.b promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Finance
17.1 strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection.
17.2 developed countries to implement fully their ODA commitments, including to provide 0.7% of GNI in ODA to developing countries of which 0.15-0.20% to least-developed countries.
17.3 mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources.
17.4 assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) to reduce debt distress.
17.5 adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for LDCs
Technology
17.6 enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation, and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, particularly at UN level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism when agreed.
17.7 promote development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed.
17.8 fully operationalize the Technology Bank and STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) capacity building mechanism for LDCs by 2017, and enhance the use of enabling technologies in particular ICT
What is it? RFID.OR ICT
Is an abbreviation for Radio Frequency Identification.This is a term used to describe a type of wireless technology used to identify objects, animals (or people).
Low carbon ICT
green ICT, green data centres, sustainable ICT, low carbon ICT, low carbon data centres, green ICT infrastructure, sustainable communications infrastructure, sustainable ICT infrastructure, smart cooling systems, smart data centres, sustainable data centres.
POPE FRANCIS COMMENT
Some fifty young people, volunteers, grassroots communities and campaigners against hunger will also be present.“Inequality, migration, climate change, conflict, and the scandal of hunger are challenges facing Caritas and its mission to promote development and justice,” said Michel Roy, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis. “There are major opportunities coming up to work towards this goal, such as a new papal encyclical on human ecology, the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals and the COP 21 climate meeting in Paris”.
Capacity building
17.9 enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South, and triangular cooperation
Trade
17.10 promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the WTO including through the conclusion of negotiations within its Doha Development Agenda.
17.11 increase significantly the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the LDC share of global exports by 2020.
17.12 realize timely implementation of duty-free, quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries consistent with WTO decisions, including through ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from LDCs are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
Systemic issues
Policy and institutional coherence
17.13 enhance global macroeconomic stability including through policy coordination and policy coherence.
17.14 enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.
17.15 respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development.
Multi-stakeholder partnerships
17.16 enhance the global partnership for sustainable development complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technologies and financial resources to support the achievement of sustainable development goals in all countries, particularly developing countries.
17.17 encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
Data, monitoring and accountability
17.18 by 2020, enhance capacity building support to developing countries, including for LDCs and SIDS, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts.
17.19 by 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement GDP, and support statistical capacity building in developing countries.
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-306-47549-9_11#close
Carbon footprint comparisons from your smartphone-The Supply Chain Carbon Council is planning a global system of tracking the carbon footprint of electronic goods using RFID tags-In the near future it might be possible to read the carbon footprint on an electronic device by pointing your smartphone at it.Pete Foster for the Guardian Professional Network-Last modified on Tuesday 3 June 2014 17.00 BST-low carbon ICT
Measuring the carbon footprint of any product is a tricky process. Back in December researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Green Design Institute in the US released a paper on assessing the carbon footprint of an IBM rack-mounted server.The paper set out to demonstrate that measuring a carbon footprint is not as precise as might be thought (and often assumed in policy making and labelling). In the case of the IBM computer, the research found that there was least uncertainty in production, since relatively few components were involved. However, the report pointed out that delivery via air transport was an important factor and varied considerably between different final assembly sites and delivery locations.In the "use" phase for an electrical product there is also a very high degree of uncertainty around the carbon footprint. As Christopher Weber, assistant research professor, who wrote the paper, put it; "It is impossible to know with certainty how and for how long a product will be used. On top of this, variability in the electricity mixes of different markets lead to vastly different impacts of using the product similarly in different places".The report concluded that there is a 15% uncertainty in assessing the carbon footprint of the production phase, 25% uncertainty in the delivery phase and 50% uncertainty in the use phase.Electrical products are a difficult case because there is little or no prior knowledge as to where and how they will be used. But purchasers can at least opt for products that consume the least energy, for instance using the EU Energy Star certification for office products or the EU Energy Label for household appliances.There is now also the possibility of greater certainty of the carbon footprint in the production and delivery phases of a range of products, if a project by the European Supply Chain Institute, a membership body for supply chain/transport and logistics companies, bears fruit. Through its Supply Chain Carbon Council, the organisation is carrying out research into carbon lifecycle management and sees the application of technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) as the means to gather more accurate data. RFID is the technology included in many product labels and packaging to enable them to be tracked through the supply chain.The Supply Chain Carbon Council, with the help of its members, is looking into the possibility of a global system whereby each product is not only tracked, but its environmental data is constantly updated at each stage, from factory to shop floor, using an RFID-based carbon label.RFID is widely used, so the necessary infrastructure is in place. Item level tracking capabilities are also proven, so there is no reason why the technology cannot also be used for emissions-related data, including such things as mode of transport, refrigeration etc. The data will need to be stored within a central database for access and updating.The benefit to the consumer comes with the RFID carbon label attached to each product. The idea is that the labels are read by the consumer's smartphone, which then displays the carbon data from the database. Mobile phones using the necessary NFC (Near Field Communication) technology are already available, mostly used for payment systems in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia. There are already NFC-enabled smartphones from Samsung and Nokia and while it hasn't yet taken off in Europe, LG has just announced plans to launch an NFC payments system in Europe in 2012.So if the Supply Chain Carbon Council gets its members organised and Apple integrates NFC in its products (as it is rumoured to be doing), one day you may be able to accurately compare the carbon footprint of potential purchases by pointing at them with your iPhone.Pete Foster is a writer, researcher and consultant on sustainable ICT
12 Lessons Learned with ICTs for Monitoring and Accountability
Published on: Aug 17 2012 by Linda Raftree
New technologies are opening up all kinds of possibilities for improving monitoring and evaluation. From on-going feedback and crowd-sourced input to more structured digital data collection, to access to large data sets and improved data visualization, the field is changing quickly.On August 7, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Community Systems Foundation (CSF) joined up with the Technology Salon NYC for the first in a series of 3 Salons on the use of ICTs in monitoring and evaluating development outcomes. Our lead discussants were: Erica Kochi from UNICEF Innovations; Steven Davenport from Development Gateway and John Toner from CSF.This particular Salon focused on the use of ICTs for social monitoring (a.k.a. ‘beneficiary feedback loops’) and accountability. Below is a summary of the key points that emerged at the Salon. If you want to join the next Salon, sign up here.
1) Monitoring and evaluation is changing
M&E is not only about formal data collection and indicators anymore, one discussant commented, “It’s free form, it contains sentiment.” New ICT tools can help donors and governments plan better. SMS and other social monitoring tools provide an additional element to more formal information sources and can help capture the pulse of the population. Combinations of official data sets with SMS data provide new ways of looking at cross-sections of information. Visualizations and trend analysis can offer combinations of information for decision making. Social monitoring, however, can be a scary thing for large institutions. It can seem too uncontrolled or potentially conflictive. One way to ease into it is through “bounded” crowd-sourcing (eg., working with a defined and more ‘trusted’ subset of the public) until there is comfort with these kinds of feedback mechanisms.
2) People need to be motivated to participate in social monitoring efforts
Building a platform or establishing an SMS response tool is not enough. One key to a successful social monitoring effort is working with existing networks, groups and organizations and doing well-planned and executed outreach, for example, in the newspaper, on the radio and on television. Social monitoring can and should go beyond producing information for a particular project or program. It should create an ongoing dialogue between and among people and institutions, expanding on traditional monitoring efforts and becoming a catalyst for organizations or government to better communicate and engage with the community. SMS feedback loops need to be thought of in terms of a dialogue or a series of questions rather than a one-question survey. “People get really engaged when they are involved in back and forth conversation.” Offering prizes or other kinds of external motivation can spike participation rates, but they also create expectations that can affect or skew programs in the long run. Sustainable approaches need to be identified early on. Rewards can also lead to false reports and re-registering, and need to be carefully managed.
3) Responsiveness to citizen/participant feedback is critical
One way to help motivate individuals to participate in social monitoring is for governments or institutions to show that citizen/participant feedback elicits a response (eg., better delivery of public services). “Incentives are good,” said one discussant, “But at the core, if you get interactive with users, you will start to see the responses. Then you’ll have a targeted group that you can turn to.” Responsiveness can be an issue, however if there is limited government or institutional interest, resourcing or capacity, so it’s important to work on both sides of the equation so that demand does not outstrip response capacity. Monitoring the responsiveness to citizen/participant feedback is also important. “Was there a response promised? Did it happen? Has it been verified? What was the quality of it?”
http://www.ictworks.org/2012/08/17/12-lessons-learned-icts-monitoring-and-accountability/
World leaders set out agenda for G7-JUNE 7,15-YAHOONEWS
2 hours 14 minutes ago, euronews Videos
The leaders of the world’s top industrialised nations are gathered in Bavaria for the G7 summit where the Ukraine conflict has been high on the agenda. German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the elected heads of the United States, Canada, France, Britain, Italy and Japan along with the European Council and European Commission. US President Barack Obama said: “We’re going to discuss our shared future, the global economy that creates jobs and opportunity, maintaining a strong and prosperous European Union, forging new trade partnerships across the Atlantic, standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine, combating threats from violent extremism to climate change.” Russia has not been invited to the 41st annual summit as a result of its annexation of Crimea last year. The Japanese Prime Minister arrived fresh from a visit to Ukraine where he spearheaded the global efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem. British Prime Minister David Cameron said that all nations should hold firm on sanctions against Russia. He also called for a trade deal between the European Union and the United States to be agreed as soon as possible and urged the nations to take a leading role in combating corruption in the wake of the FIFA scandal. Why world leaders must show the same courage & determination that exposed FIFA to tackle corruption around the globe: http://t.co/IhZAt6tny8— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) June 6, 2015 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke of his opposition to Greece leaving the Eurozone. “I continue to rule out a ‘Grexit’. I would like to emphasise the fact that I rule it out because it is something I do not want because I cannot predict what the consequences would be,” he said. Angela Merkel has pushed for limiting global warming to below two degrees. The Chancellor wants countries to commit to the Green Climate Fund, which is aiming for 100 billion dollars (90 billion euros) by 2020. Read my full press statement ahead of the #G7 summit here http://t.co/osdW9V5A7l— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) June 7, 2015
UN leader meets Pope and addresses climate change conference-U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - ANSA-28/04/2015 10:59
(Vatican Radio) The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Tuesday before going on to address a conference exploring the moral issues connected to climate change. The one day international symposium has been organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and will include a video message to participants from Pope Francis about the Christian imperative of stewardship of creation. The UN leader said he had a “fruitful and wide ranging conversation with the Pope and he commended participants in the symposium for raising awareness of the urgent need to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development
Please see below the full text of Ban Ki-moon’s address-Your Eminence Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo,Your Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson,Your Eminences,Distinguished participants,
I thank the Pontifical Academy of Sciences for hosting this important symposium, and His Holiness Pope Francis for extending such a warm welcome.Pope Francis and I have just had a fruitful and wide ranging conversation.I commend His Holiness, and all faith and scientific leaders here, for raising awareness of the urgent need to promote sustainable development and address climate.Mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects are necessary to eradicate extreme poverty, reduce inequality and secure equitable, sustainable economic development.That is why I say climate change is the defining issue of our time.Responding to it effectively is essential for sustainable development.Climate change is intrinsically linked to public health, food and water security, migration, peace and security.It is a moral issue. It is an issue of social justice, human rights and fundamental ethics.We have a profound responsibility to the fragile web of life on this Earth, and to this generation and those that will follow.That is why it is so important that the world’s faith groups are clear on this issue – and in harmony with science.Science and religion are not at odds on climate change. Indeed, they are fully aligned.Together, we must clearly communicate that the science of climate change is deep, sound and not in doubt.Climate change is occurring – now -- and human activities are the principal cause.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The facts of climate change are upheld by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the major scientific bodies of every government in the world, including the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Our response has to be global, holistic and rooted in universal values.Climate change affects us all, but not equally.Those who suffer first and worst are those who did least to cause it: the poor and most vulnerable members of society.Around the world, I have seen how floods, droughts, rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms are causing terrible harm, and prompting families to migrate, often at great peril.As His Holiness Pope Francis has said, "We need to see, with the eyes of faith … the link between the natural environment and the dignity of the human person."The most vulnerable must be foremost in our thoughts this year as governments construct a global response to climate change and a new framework for sustainable development.The new Sustainable Development Goals, which will be adopted in September, will provide a holistic approach that puts social and environmental objectives on par with economic objectives.Eradicating extreme poverty, ending social exclusion of the weak and marginalized, and protecting the environment are values that are fully consistent with the teachings of the great religions.Pope Francis has been one of the world’s most impassioned moral voices on these issues, and I applaud his leadership.The United Nations, too, champions the disadvantaged and the vulnerable.We share a belief in the inherent dignity of all individuals and the sacred duty to care for and wisely manage our natural capital.And we believe that when people strive toward a common goal, transformational change is possible.That is why we work in partnership with governments, the private sector, civil society and faith-based groups.If ever there were an issue that requires unity of purpose, it is climate change.Science tells us we are far off track from reducing global emissions sufficient to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.We are currently on course for a rise of 4-5 degrees Celsius.This would alter life on Earth as we know it.This is morally indefensible.It contradicts our responsibility to be good stewards of creation.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen, People everywhere are realizing we must fundamentally change our ways.Some world leaders have called for the creation of an “ecological civilization,” others for “development without destruction”.Many countries are moving down a low-carbon pathway and investing in clean energy that can power truly sustainable development.To transform our economies, however, we must first transform our thinking, and our values.In this, the world’s religions can provide valuable leadership.As the Holy See has said, “there is a moral imperative to act, for we all bear the responsibility to protect and to value creation for the good of this and future generations”.I very much look forward to the upcoming encyclical by Pope Francis.It will convey to the world that protecting our environment is an urgent moral imperative and a sacred duty for all people of faith and people of conscience.It is critically important that people and their leaders hear your strong moral voice in the coming months.In July, leaders will gather in Addis Ababa, for the third International Conference on Finance for Development.In September, Pope Francis will address the United Nations Special Summit on Sustainable Development.And in Paris, in December governments will meet to forge a meaningful universal agreement on climate change.Paris is not the end point, but it must be a turning point in finding a common way forward in meeting the climate challenge.We need a global climate agreement that is universal, fair and ambitious.Industrialized countries must take the first steps forward.Reasons of equity and historical responsibility require no less.But all countries must do more and be part of the solution, in line with what the science requires.Citizens around the world are demanding an agreement and demanding action.I urge you to join them.Let the world know that there is no divide whatsoever between religion and science on the issue of climate change.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen,Your influence is enormous. You speak to the heart of humanity’s deepest hopes and needs.You can remind us all that we do not exist apart from nature, but are part of a wider creation.Together, the major faith groups have established, run, or contribute to over half of all schools world-wide.You are also the third largest category of investors in the world.I urge you to invest in the clean energy solutions that will benefit the poor and clear our air.Sustainable development requires sustainable energy for all.I also urge you to continue to reduce your carbon footprint and educate your followers to reduce thoughtless consumption.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen,We are the first generation that can end poverty, and the last generation that can avoid the worst impacts of climate change.Future generations will judge us harshly if we fail to uphold our moral and historical responsibilities.This year, with the upcoming encyclical, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September, and a global climate agreement, we have an unprecedented opportunity to articulate –and create – a more sustainable future and a life of dignity for all.This is a future in which we are good stewards of our common home and good neighbours to all.I am grateful for your moral leadership, and thank you for your commitment.Thank you.
Liberal Academic Says America’s Founding Document Outmoded-Cliff Kincaid — May 18, 2015
Top Vatican adviser Jeffrey Sachs says that when Pope Francis visits the United States in September, he will directly challenge the “American idea” of God-given rights embodied in the Declaration of Independence.Sachs, a special advisor to the United Nations and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a media superstar who can always be counted on to pontificate endlessly on such topics as income inequality and global health. This time, writing in a Catholic publication, he may have gone off his rocker, revealing the real global game plan.The United States, Sachs writes in the Jesuit publication, America, is “a society in thrall” to the idea of unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But the “urgent core of Francis’ message” will be to challenge this “American idea” by “proclaiming that the path to happiness lies not solely or mainly through the defense of rights but through the exercise of virtues, most notably justice and charity.”In these extraordinary comments, which constitute a frontal assault on the American idea of freedom and national sovereignty, Sachs has made it clear that he hopes to enlist the Vatican in a global campaign to increase the power of global or foreign-dominated organizations and movements.Sachs takes aim at the phrase, which comes from America’s founding document, the United States Declaration of Independence, that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”These rights sound good, Sachs writes, but they’re not enough to guarantee the outcome the global elites have devised for us. Global government, he suggests, must make us live our lives according to international standards of development.“In the United States,” Sachs writes, “we learn that the route to happiness lies in the rights of the individual. By throwing off the yoke of King George III, by unleashing the individual pursuit of happiness, early Americans believed they would achieve that happiness. Most important, they believed that they would find happiness as individuals, each endowed by the creator with individual rights.”While he says there is some “grandeur in this idea,” such rights “are only part of the story, only one facet of our humanity.”The Sachs view is that global organizations such as the U.N. must dictate the course of nations and individual rights must be sacrificed for the greater good. One aspect of this unfolding plan, as outlined in the Sachs book, The End of Poverty, involves extracting billions of dollars from the American people through global taxes.“We will need, in the end, to put real resources in support of our hopes,” he wrote. “A global tax on carbon-emitting fossil fuels might be the way to begin. Even a very small tax, less than that which is needed to correct humanity’s climate-deforming overuse of fossil fuels, would finance a greatly enhanced supply of global public goods.” Sachs has estimated the price tag for the U.S. at $845 billion.In preparation for this direct assault on our rights, the American nation-state, and our founding document, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon told a Catholic Caritas International conference in Rome on May 12 that climate change is “the defining challenge of our time,” and that the solution lies in recognizing that “ humankind is part of nature, not separate or above.”
The pope’s expected encyclical on climate change is supposed to help mobilize the governments of the world in this crusade.But a prestigious group of scholars, churchmen, scientists, economists and policy experts has issued a detailed rebuttal, entitled, “An Open Letter to Pope Francis on Climate Change,” pointing out that the Bible tells man to have dominion over the earth.“Good climate policy must recognize human exceptionalism, the God-given call for human persons to ‘have dominion’ in the natural world (Genesis 1:28), and the need to protect the poor from harm, including actions that hinder their ascent out of poverty,” the letter to Pope Francis states.Released by a group called the Cornwall Alliance, the letter urges the Vatican to consider the evidence that climate change is largely natural, that the human contribution is comparatively small and not dangerous, and that attempting to mitigate the human contribution by reducing CO2 emissions “would cause more harm than good, especially to the world’s poor.”The Heartland Institute held a news conference on April 27 at the Hotel Columbus in Rome, to warn the Vatican against embracing the globalist agenda of the climate change movement. The group is hosting the 10th International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, D.C. on June 11-12.However, it appears as if the Vatican has been captured by the globalist forces associated with Sachs and the United Nations.Voice of the Family, a group representing pro-life and pro-family Catholic organizations from around the world, has taken issue not only with the Vatican’s involvement with Sachs but with Ban Ki Moon, describing the two as “noted advocates of abortion who operate at the highest levels of the United Nations.” Sachs has been described as “arguably the world’s foremost proponent of population control,” including abortion.Voice of the Family charges that environmental issues such as climate change have become “an umbrella to cover a wide spectrum of attacks on human life and the family.”Although Sachs likes to claim he was an adviser to Pope John Paul II, the noted anti-communist and pro-life pontiff, Sachs simply served as a member of a group of economists invited to confer with the Pontifical Council on Justice and Peace in advance of the release of a papal document.In fact, Pope John Paul II had worked closely with the Reagan administration in opposition to communism and the global population control movement. He once complained that a U.N. conference on population issues was designed to “destroy the family” and was the “snare of the devil.”Pope Francis, however, seems to have embraced the very movements opposed by John Paul II.Sachs, who has emerged as a very influential Vatican adviser, recently tweeted that he was “thrilled” to be at the Vatican “discussing moral dimensions of climate change and sustainable development.” The occasion was a Vatican workshop on global warming on April 28, 2015, sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences of the Roman Catholic Church. Sachs was a featured speaker.The plan going forward involves the launching of what are called “Sustainable Development Goals,” as envisioned by a Sustainable Development Solutions Network run by none other than Jeffrey Sachs.“The Network has proposed draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which contain provisions that are radically antagonistic to the right to life from conception to natural death, to the rights and dignity of the family and to the rights of parents as the primary educators of their children,” states the group Voice of the Family.In July, a Financing for Development conference will be held, in order to develop various global tax proposals, followed by a conference in Paris in December to complete a new climate change agreement.Before that December conference, however, Sachs says the pope will call on the world at the United Nations to join the crusade for a New World Order.Sachs says, “Pope Francis will come to the United States and the United Nations in New York on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, and at the moment when the world’s 193 governments are resolved to take a step in solidarity toward a better world. On Sept. 25, Pope Francis will speak to the world leaders—most likely the largest number of assembled heads of state and government in history—as these leaders deliberate to adopt new Sustainable Development Goals for the coming generation. These goals will be a new worldwide commitment to build a world that aims to harmonize the pursuit of economic prosperity with the commitments to social inclusion and environmental sustainability.”Rather than emphasize the absolute need for safeguarding individual rights in the face of government overreach and power, Sachs writes that the Gospel teachings of humility, love and justice, “like the teachings of Aristotle, Buddha and Confucius,” can take us on a “path to happiness through compassion” and “become our guideposts back to safety.”Writing elsewhere in the new issue of America, Christiana Z. Peppard, an assistant professor of theology, science and ethics at Fordham University, writes about the “planetary pope,” saying, “What is really at stake in the collective response to the pope’s encyclical is not, ultimately, whether our treasured notions of theology, science, reality or development can accommodate moral imperatives. The real question is whether we are brave enough and willing to try.”The plan is quite simple: world government through global taxes, with a religious face to bring it about.
Father Hesburgh bio-http://hesburgh.nd.edu/
Father Hesburgh played an active and influential role in national and international affairs during and after his presidency.He held 16 presidential appointments over the years and they involved him in virtually all major social issues — civil rights, peaceful uses of atomic energy, campus unrest, treatment of Vietnam draft evaders, and Third World development and immigration reform, to name only a few.Justice was the focus of many of his outside involvements. He was a charter member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, created in 1957, and he chaired the commission from 1969 to 1972, when President Richard Nixon replaced him as chairman because of his criticism of the administration’s civil rights record. Father Hesburgh was a member of President Ford’s Presidential Clemency Board, charged with deciding the fate of various groups of Vietnam offenders. His work on these commissions led to the creation at Notre Dame Law School of the Center for Civil and Human Rights.In 1971 he joined the board of the Overseas Development Council, a private organization supporting interests of the underdeveloped world, and chaired it until 1982. During this time, he led fund-raising efforts that averted mass starvation in Cambodia in 1979-80. Between 1979 and 1981 he also chaired the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy, the recommendations of which became the basis of Congressional reform legislation five years later. He was involved during the 1980s in a private initiative which sought to unite internationally known scientists and world religious leaders in condemning nuclear weapons. He helped organize a 1982 meeting in Vatican City of 58 world class scientists, from East as well as West, who called for the elimination of nuclear weapons and subsequently brought together in Vienna leaders of six faith traditions who endorsed the view of these scientists. His global perspective was the impetus for the establishment at Notre Dame of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.Father Hesburgh also served four Popes, three as permanent Vatican City representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna from 1956 to 1970. At the request of Pope Paul VI, he built in 1972 the Ecumenical Institute at Tantur, Jerusalem, which Notre Dame continues to operate. Paul VI also appointed him head of the Vatican representatives attending the 20th anniversary of the United Nations’ human rights declaration in Teheran, Iran, in 1968, and six years later a member of the Holy See’s U.N. delegation. In 1983 Father Hesburgh was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for Culture, charged with finding ways in which the saving message of the Gospel could be preached effectively in the world’s variegated cultures.On more than one occasion, Father Hesburgh found himself the first Catholic priest to serve in a given position. Such was the case during the years he was a director of the Chase Manhattan Bank and a trustee (later, chairman) of the Rockefeller Foundation. Also, his appointment as ambassador to the 1979 U.N. Conference on Science and Technology for Development was the first time a priest had served in a formal diplomatic role for the U.S. government. Father Hesburgh also was a national leader in the field of education, serving on many commissions and study groups. Within the academy, he served as chairman of the International Federation of Catholic Universities from 1963 to 1970 and led a movement to redefine the nature and mission of the contemporary Catholic university, drawing heavily on the experience of Catholic institutions of higher learning in the United States. His stature as an elder statesman in American higher education is reflected in his 150 honorary degrees, which is believed to be the most ever awarded to one person. He was the first priest elected to the Board of Overseers at Harvard University and served two years (1994-95) as president of the board. Father Hesburgh also co-chaired from 1990 to 2003 the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, an influential advocate for reforms in college sports.
In addition to the honorary degrees, Father Hesburgh also was recognized at the nation’s highest levels for his many contributions to society. In July 2000, his public service career was honored when he became the first person from higher education to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives gathered in the rotunda of the Capitol as President Bill Clinton presented the medal.Father Hesburgh also received the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He also received numerous awards from education groups, among them the prestigious Meiklejohn Award of the American Association of University Professors in 1970. This award, which honors those who uphold academic freedom, recognized Father Hesburgh’s crucial role in blunting the attempt of the Nixon administration in 1969 to use federal troops to quell campus disturbances. When Father Hesburgh stepped down as Notre Dame’s leader June 1, 1987, it ended the longest tenure at that time among active presidents of American colleges and universities. After a yearlong sabbatical, he returned to a retirement office on the 13th floor of the newly named Hesburgh Library. One of his first projects was completion of an autobiography, “God, Country, Notre Dame,” which was published in November 1990 by Doubleday and became a national best seller.In addition to his biography, Father Hesburgh wrote three other books — “The Humane Imperative: A Challenge for the Year 2000,” published in 1974 by the Yale University Press; “The Hesburgh Papers: Higher Values in Higher Education,” published in 1979 by Andrews McMeel, Inc.; and "Travels with Ted and Ned," published in 1992 by Doubleday.A consistent theme in these and other writings is a vision of the contemporary Catholic university as touching the moral as well as the intellectual dimensions of scholarly inquiry.“The Catholic university should be a place,” he wrote, “where all the great questions are asked, where an exciting conversation is continually in progress, where the mind constantly grows as the values and powers of intelligence and wisdom are cherished and exercised in full freedom.”That the Notre Dame of today, in reflection of that vision, stands as one of the world’s great universities is the lasting legacy of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
Vatican Nuncio to UN speaks on climate change-Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Agencies in Geneva, at an earlier conference. - RV-25/05/2015 17:18-vaticanradio
(Vatican Radio) At the “Climate and Health” 68th World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi c.s., gave an adress where he discussed, the respect and protection of nature, technology, and the role of various nations in health and environmental issues.The full text of the remarks by His Excellency Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, c.s. are reproduced below:Remarks by His Excellency Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, c.s., Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Agencies in Geneva at the Technical Briefing on “Climate and Health” 68th World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland.
Mme. Chairperson,
It is a great honour to address this distinguished panel and audience on a topic of such urgent importance, not only to the technical and scientific community but to all people now living on our planet and, most especially, to the future generations who will follow in our footsteps.The moral imperative to respect and protect nature is not a new topic for faith traditions. The Jewish and Christian Scriptures are replete with such exhortations, and most of the major religious traditions offer similar commandments. Man is not the owner of creation but its steward. In more recent times, the leadership of the Catholic Church has publicly and forcefully expressed concern about the damage to nature being caused by a privileged few, while the health and overall wellbeing of the vast majority of humans is being threatened through no fault of their own. Pope Benedict XVI, expressed such grave concern on this issue that he was popularly labelled as the “green Pope”. Pope Francis continued this tradition and has encouraged a more profound reflection on this global concern. I am sure you are well aware already of the ongoing preparation of a special teaching document on climate justice, about which United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said: “I very much look forward to the upcoming encyclical by Pope Francis. It will convey to the world that protecting our environment is an urgent moral imperative and a sacred duty for all people of faith and people of conscience. It is critically important that people and their leaders hear your strong moral voice in the coming months.”In this regard, on 28 April 2015, the Holy See exercised its convening capacity, to gather Religious Leaders, Political Leaders, Business Leaders, Scientists and Development Practitioners, at the Vatican, in a workshop on the theme: “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Humanity.” This historic event was organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and Religions for Peace.These religious leaders and technical experts left no further room for denial under the mistaken guise of so-called religious belief when they declared that human-induced climate change is a scientific reality. They acknowledged the “very vital role” played by religions through their affirmation of “the inherent dignity of every individual linked to the common good of all humanity” as well as “the beauty, wonder, and inherent goodness of the natural world.” They proclaimed as “our moral duty to respect rather than ravage the garden that is our home.” They noted the particular vulnerability experienced by poor and excluded people who are menaced by “dire threats from climate disruptions, including the increased frequency of droughts, extreme storms, heat waves, and rising sea levels.”The workshop participants expressed confidence that the world possesses the “technological grasp, financial means, and know-how to mitigate climate change while also ending extreme poverty, through the application of sustainable development solutions including the adoption of low-carbon energy systems supported by information and communications technologies.” They begged the world to “take note that the climate summit in Paris later this year (COP21) may be the last effective opportunity to negotiate arrangements that keep human- 2 induced warming below 2-degrees C, and aim to stay well below 2-degrees C for safety, yet the current trajectory may well reach a devastating 4-degrees C or higher.”Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot end this brief intervention without emphasizing the special responsibility that must be assumed by those living in high-income countries to join in solidarity with the global human family as we attempt to repair the damage already done to our environment, prevent further degradation, and preserve the integral link between health and development. The citizens of wealthier countries cannot ignore but concretely express their solidarity with the poor, both at home and overseas. They have a special obligation to help their fellow men in developing countries to cope with climate change by mitigating its effects and by assisting with adaptation. There much evidence that shows how climate change can be devastating for health, especially among the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. Healthcare is foundational to integral human development and human flourishing. Allow me to conclude with these words of Pope Francis , whose insight is shared by Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and most religions: “Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.”CF:Statement of the Joint PAS/PASS Workshop on Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Nature: Our Responsibility, 28 April 2015, Vatican City, http://www.pass.va/content/scienzesociali/en/events/2014-18/sustainable/statement.html
UN chief’s message for World Environment Day-A home atop a sea of garbage in Manila, the Philippines, on World Environment Day on June 5, 2015. - AFP-05/06/2015 16:00-vaticanradio
The United Nations chief is urging the world to be better stewards of the planet earth by making responsible choices in the consumption of natural resources in order to ensure a better future for our as well as the coming generation. “Humanity continues to consume far more natural resources than the planet can sustainably provide. Many of the Earth’s ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points. It is time for us to change,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged in his message for the June 5th World Environment Day, which this had as its theme, “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.” He noted that the goal of sustainable development is to increase the quality of life for all people without increasing environmental degradation and without compromising the resource needs of future generations. He said, “We can do this by shifting our consumption patterns towards goods that use less energy, water and other resources and by wasting less food. Ban urged all to become “more conscious of our ecological impact.” “Let us think about the environmental consequences of the choices we make. Let us become better stewards of our planet,” he added. (Source: UN)
Green Climate Fund seeks to help poor countries lower emissions-The 2014 Report on Climate Change issued by the IPCC - AFP-11/09/2014 11:32-vaticanradio
(Vatican Radio) The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday issued its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which says carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2013. The report also speaks about growing evidence the oceans and biosphere seem unable to soak up emissions as quickly as in the past.Ahead of a climate summit organized by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN Headquarters in New York set to take place on 23 September, the WMO has urged the international community to take a concentrated action against accelerating and potentially devastating climate change.One project initiated by the United Nations is the Green Climate Fund, established during the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, which seeks to help finance low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways for poorer countries, so they can limit their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.“If you look at what we call mitigation – the need for lower-emission development – this will include supporting solutions of cleaner energy,” said Héla Cheikhrouhou, the Fund's inaugural Executive Director.“For example, helping a country like Kenya, which has plenty of coal resources, but also plenty of geothermal - which comes…in the form of steam - to go with the steam solution, which has zero emissions of greenhouse gasses, but is more difficult to finance,” she explained. Cheikhrouhou told Vatican Radio the planet is already feeling the effects of continuing delays in combatting carbon emissions.“The science is there…the levels of emissions are [growing] exponentially,” she said. “What we are observing today in the atmosphere is past emissions, it doesn’t even factor in current emissions, [since] there is a time lag.”She warned that natural disasters are already getting worse, and “countries must start to act.”The German Government recently pledged up to US$ 1 billion for the Green Climate Fund, and the first formal Green Climate Fund Pledging Conference is scheduled to take place in November this year when contributors are to announce their initial contributions for the Fund.
Cardinal Turkson on climate change and its effects on human development-By Cecilia Agrinya|15 May 2015|Africa, Agriculture, Climate Change, Food, General Assembly 2015, Governance, Malnutrition
“God gave us the earth as a garden, we will not leave it as a wilderness” said Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Caritas Internationalis 2015 General Assembly.
Cardinal Turkson spoke about some of the most far-reaching changes facing the world today, looking at trends in climate change and its huge effect on human development, especially the poor who suffer the most from the consequences of climate change.“At a granular level, they are too many and too diverse to even enumerate,” said the cardinal. “ But at the highest level, we can take a lead from Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium, where he cites ‘the advances being made in so many fields [that] improve people’s welfare in areas such as health care, education and communications.’This is Sinteyo. She lives with her family in a remote village in Leparua in Kenya. CAFOD (Caritas member in England and Wales) has funded a greenhouse project in Sinteyo’s community, which uses a solar-powered pump to water tomato plants throughout the year. Photo by Annie Bungeroth/ CAFOD, May 2014-“Yet daily life for much of humanity is perilous. Diseases and other factors cause fear and desperation, lack of respect for others and violence are on the rise and inequality is increasingly evident.“This epochal change has been set in motion by the enormous qualitative, quantitative, rapid and cumulative advances occurring in the sciences and in technology and by their instant application in different areas of nature and of life.“The earth is both a legacy from our parents and a loan from our children, so we must care for it. Let the world know that there is no divide or whatsoever between religion and sciences on issues of climate change but there should be a collective effort and approach to it.”Cardinal Turkson said that the Church has been very concerned about issues of climate change and has taken certain steps to address some of these issues through the work of Caritas and other initiatives. One of these he said can be seen as reflected on the pope’s request for an encyclical that is focused on “Concern for the human person, concern for the environment”.
Africa has role
On Africa, Cardinal Turkson reiterated that, like the rest of the world, Africa is not left out in the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change. The concern for environment is rising day by day in Africa as well.“The significance of 2015 is brought out in the series of world meetings that are lined up to fashion international consensus facing humanity; the Financing for Development conference, United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda and climate change.“It is very significant for us Africans to recognise that all of these world events require preparations. If we are not out there in the preparations, we will miss out in contributing to the final documents that comes out because it is in the preparations that people try to get their interest formulated and if we are not there to promote our own interests, then going at the end of it will be too late to critique anything or push for interests.”He said it’s important to have advocacy groups in our countries to ensure that policies formulated are implemented to help reduce environmental degradation, climate change and to improve human development.
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
UPDATE-JUNE 08,15-12:01AM
THE G-7 COUNTRIES WANT A GLOBAL CARBON FOOTPRINT.THIS MEANS THEY WANT GLOBAL CARBON TAXES ON THE WHOLE EARTH.
The plan is quite simple: world government through global taxes, with a religious face to bring it about.By the way, Genesis 8:22 lets us know that climate change is a scam:While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(THE FALSE POPE WHO DEFECTED FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH) causeth all,(IN THE WORLD ) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(MICROCHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast,(WORLD DICTATORS NAME INGRAVED ON YOUR SKIN OR TATTOOED ON YOU OR IN THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the number of his name.(THE NUMBERS OF HIS NAME INGRAVED IN THE MICROCHIP IMLPLANT)-(ALL THESE WILL TELL THE WORLD DICTATOR THAT YOUR WITH HIM AND AGAINST KING JESUS-GOD)
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:(WORLD LEADER) for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)OR(60020202006)(SOME KIND OF NUMBER IMPLANTED IN THE MICROCHIP THAT TELLS THE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TOTAL ALLIGIENCE TO HIM AND NOT JESUS)(ITS AN ETERNAL DECISION YOU MAKE)(YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY)(YOU TAKE THE DICTATORS NAME OR NUMBER UNDER YOUR SKIN,YOUR DOOMED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND TORMENTS FOREVER,NEVER ENDING MEANT ONLY FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS,NOT HUMAN BEINGS).OR YOU REFUSE THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT AND GO ON THE SIDE OF KING JESUS AND RULE FOREVER WITH HIM ON EARTH.YOU CHOOSE,ITS YOUR DECISION.
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT-UN-OTHER CLIMATE NEWS-PLAYERS
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgsproposal
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/carbon-footprint-comparisons-smartphone
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/hubs-low-carbon-ict
http://www.ictworks.org/2012/08/17/12-lessons-learned-icts-monitoring-and-accountability/
http://hesburgh.nd.edu/
http://www.caritas.org/ga2015/#news
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-306-47549-9_11#close
THE WHOLE UN-VATICAN-RFID TALK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAtBiHHs1cA&list=UUohuScGnO0zGOz7XGkpz_zw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_KwCMtptM&index=2&list=UUohuScGnO0zGOz7XGkpz_zw
Merkel is hosting the leaders of Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the US and Britain for two days of talks, which are expected to focus on issues from climate change and global health, to terrorism and the escalating conflict in Ukraine.President Putin, whose exclusion from the talks over Russia’s annexation of the Crimea has been controversial, said in an interview in Corriere della Sera, timed to coincide with the G7, that he had “no regrets”.He denied Russia was planning a war against Nato countries, saying: “No one need have fear of Russia. The world has changed to such an extent that nowadays no sensible person can imagine a military attack of that scale. We have better things to do; that, I can assure you.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/07/merkel-obama-beer-sausage-breakfast-g7-summit
G7+EU climate plans: Small step but much more effort needed to close emissions gap
4th June 2015-Press release 569.23 KB PDF Document
Bonn – 04 June 2015 -- The combined climate plans for the G7 and EU have made a small step towards the right track to hold warming to 2?C, but there is still a substantial emissions gap, the Climate Action Tracker said today.Ahead of the upcoming G7 meeting in Germany, the Climate Action Tracker - an analysis carried out by four research organisations - has looked at the combined INDCs of all G7 governments and the EU, who are responsible, in aggregate, for around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of global GDP.
Key findings:
1-Current policies in the G7+EU are projected to only stabilise emissions through to 2030 at close to present levels, whereas a rapid decline in emissions is needed.
2-The combined effect of the G7+EU INDCs for 2025, and 2030 would bring the group 20-30% of the way to 2°C and 1.5°C-consistent emissions.
3-There is still a gap of around 6.5, 7.6 and 7.8 GtCO2e/year in 2020, 2025 and 2030 respectively or 21%, 24% and 25% of 1990 emissions levels (excluding Forestry).
4-The G7+EU 2020 pledges only bring emissions 5% of the way towards emissions levels consistent with 2°C and 1.5°C in that year.
5-There is a need to upgrade efforts to reduce emissions before 2020 in order to make it easier to rapidly reduce emissions in the 2020s.
6-The inadequacy of the post-2020 INDC commitments compared to 2°C and 1.5°C -consistent emissions levels reinforces the need for the G7+EU to significantly improve upon the INDCs they have submitted to date - before Paris.
7-The low ambition of the INDCs and the large gap between current policies and the INDCs reinforces concerns that INDC commitments be limited in time, e.g. to five years (2021-2025) to avoid locking in emissions levels that are inconsistent with the 2°C and 1.5°C emission pathways.
“This gap shows us that it’s very clear the G7 and EU need to urgently revise their current policies. They need to review – and increase – their stated climate plans before Paris, so that the Paris Agreement can make major steps towards setting the world on a below 2?C pathway” said Bill Hare of Climate Analytics.
“The G7+EU INDCs on the table now show there is an extreme risk of locking in, until 2030, high emissions levels that are inconsistent with holding warming below 2?C and to 1.5°C. Waiting fifteen years from today to increase emissions reductions - and ten years after the 2020 agreement comes into force - could be very dangerous for the planet,” said Hare.“Governments must take every opportunity to check against the scientific imperatives they have agreed so INDCs need to be set for review in five years’ time.”
Not all governments in G7 + EU taking similar action
“Our analysis also shows major differences between the policies the G7+EU governments have in place towards achieving their proposals,” said Kornelis Blok of Ecofys.“While the EU’s policies would bring it close to achieving its INDC in 2030, the US, Canada and Japan still have a lot of work to do. Noting we rate Canada’s INDC and Japan’s draft INDC as ‘inadequate.’”Effort sharing analysis shows wealthier countries must do more-The CAT has also looked at the G7+EU’s INDCs through an effort-sharing lens, and found them lacking.“The G7+EU, as the most powerful and wealthy group of governments in the world, can do more than other, less wealthy countries. If all countries were economically equal and had the same historical responsibility, the global least-cost emissions pathway for each country would be the appropriate level of action to take. But they’re not,” said Niklas Höhne of NewClimate Institute.“Under our effort-sharing analysis, the G7+EU’s least-cost pathways make up, at best, 50% of the way towards a fair effort sharing contribution, so there’s still a long way to go.”
JEFFREY D. SACHS-ADVISER TO THE POPE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE UN
is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development and the fight against poverty. He is a professor of economics, a leader in sustainable development and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Millennium Development Goals.Professor Sachs serves as the Director of The Earth Institute, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He has written a number of books, including The End of Poverty (2005), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), and The Price of Civilization (2011) and The Age of Sustainable Development (2015).
WHAT IS CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY?
Caritas Internationalis is the official humanitarian and development organisation of the Catholic Church. It’s a confederation of 164 national Catholic aid and development organisations. Member organisations come together every four years for the General Assembly, the highest governing body of the confederation. It’s a unique moment in the life of the confederation and the Catholic Church, bringing together a wealth of different cultures and experiences. The first was held in 1951 and the latest will be the 20th.
What are the aims of the meeting?
Representatives meet to review the previous years’ work and approve a strategic framework and a budget for the next four years. Delegates pray together and celebrate their faith and mission.
The General Assembly elects Caritas Internationalis’ president and treasurer and ratifies the election of the secretary general and two vice presidents. It ratifies the election of the Representative Council, one of the governing structures.
What is One Human Family, Caring for Creation?
One Human Family, Caring for Creation is the theme of the 20th General Assembly and the title for the confederation’s strategic framework for the next four years. Caritas organisations will be focusing on how we can work together better as one world in protecting both people and planet from the impact of climate change, rising inequality and a “globalisation of indifference”.http://www.caritas.org/ga2015/#news
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
16.1 significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
16.2 end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children.
16.3 promote the rule of law at the national and international levels, and ensure equal access to justice for all.
16.4 by 2030 significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen recovery and return of stolen assets, and combat all forms of organized crime.
16.5 substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all its forms.
16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
16.8 broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.(GLOBAL GOVERNMENT)
16.9 by 2030 provide legal identity for all including birth registration.
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
16.a strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacities at all levels, in particular in developing countries, for preventing violence and combating terrorism and crime.
16.b promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Finance
17.1 strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection.
17.2 developed countries to implement fully their ODA commitments, including to provide 0.7% of GNI in ODA to developing countries of which 0.15-0.20% to least-developed countries.
17.3 mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources.
17.4 assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) to reduce debt distress.
17.5 adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for LDCs
Technology
17.6 enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation, and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, particularly at UN level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism when agreed.
17.7 promote development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed.
17.8 fully operationalize the Technology Bank and STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) capacity building mechanism for LDCs by 2017, and enhance the use of enabling technologies in particular ICT
What is it? RFID.OR ICT
Is an abbreviation for Radio Frequency Identification.This is a term used to describe a type of wireless technology used to identify objects, animals (or people).
Low carbon ICT
green ICT, green data centres, sustainable ICT, low carbon ICT, low carbon data centres, green ICT infrastructure, sustainable communications infrastructure, sustainable ICT infrastructure, smart cooling systems, smart data centres, sustainable data centres.
POPE FRANCIS COMMENT
Some fifty young people, volunteers, grassroots communities and campaigners against hunger will also be present.“Inequality, migration, climate change, conflict, and the scandal of hunger are challenges facing Caritas and its mission to promote development and justice,” said Michel Roy, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis. “There are major opportunities coming up to work towards this goal, such as a new papal encyclical on human ecology, the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals and the COP 21 climate meeting in Paris”.
Capacity building
17.9 enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South, and triangular cooperation
Trade
17.10 promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the WTO including through the conclusion of negotiations within its Doha Development Agenda.
17.11 increase significantly the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the LDC share of global exports by 2020.
17.12 realize timely implementation of duty-free, quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries consistent with WTO decisions, including through ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from LDCs are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
Systemic issues
Policy and institutional coherence
17.13 enhance global macroeconomic stability including through policy coordination and policy coherence.
17.14 enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.
17.15 respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development.
Multi-stakeholder partnerships
17.16 enhance the global partnership for sustainable development complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technologies and financial resources to support the achievement of sustainable development goals in all countries, particularly developing countries.
17.17 encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
Data, monitoring and accountability
17.18 by 2020, enhance capacity building support to developing countries, including for LDCs and SIDS, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts.
17.19 by 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement GDP, and support statistical capacity building in developing countries.
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-306-47549-9_11#close
Carbon footprint comparisons from your smartphone-The Supply Chain Carbon Council is planning a global system of tracking the carbon footprint of electronic goods using RFID tags-In the near future it might be possible to read the carbon footprint on an electronic device by pointing your smartphone at it.Pete Foster for the Guardian Professional Network-Last modified on Tuesday 3 June 2014 17.00 BST-low carbon ICT
Measuring the carbon footprint of any product is a tricky process. Back in December researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Green Design Institute in the US released a paper on assessing the carbon footprint of an IBM rack-mounted server.The paper set out to demonstrate that measuring a carbon footprint is not as precise as might be thought (and often assumed in policy making and labelling). In the case of the IBM computer, the research found that there was least uncertainty in production, since relatively few components were involved. However, the report pointed out that delivery via air transport was an important factor and varied considerably between different final assembly sites and delivery locations.In the "use" phase for an electrical product there is also a very high degree of uncertainty around the carbon footprint. As Christopher Weber, assistant research professor, who wrote the paper, put it; "It is impossible to know with certainty how and for how long a product will be used. On top of this, variability in the electricity mixes of different markets lead to vastly different impacts of using the product similarly in different places".The report concluded that there is a 15% uncertainty in assessing the carbon footprint of the production phase, 25% uncertainty in the delivery phase and 50% uncertainty in the use phase.Electrical products are a difficult case because there is little or no prior knowledge as to where and how they will be used. But purchasers can at least opt for products that consume the least energy, for instance using the EU Energy Star certification for office products or the EU Energy Label for household appliances.There is now also the possibility of greater certainty of the carbon footprint in the production and delivery phases of a range of products, if a project by the European Supply Chain Institute, a membership body for supply chain/transport and logistics companies, bears fruit. Through its Supply Chain Carbon Council, the organisation is carrying out research into carbon lifecycle management and sees the application of technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) as the means to gather more accurate data. RFID is the technology included in many product labels and packaging to enable them to be tracked through the supply chain.The Supply Chain Carbon Council, with the help of its members, is looking into the possibility of a global system whereby each product is not only tracked, but its environmental data is constantly updated at each stage, from factory to shop floor, using an RFID-based carbon label.RFID is widely used, so the necessary infrastructure is in place. Item level tracking capabilities are also proven, so there is no reason why the technology cannot also be used for emissions-related data, including such things as mode of transport, refrigeration etc. The data will need to be stored within a central database for access and updating.The benefit to the consumer comes with the RFID carbon label attached to each product. The idea is that the labels are read by the consumer's smartphone, which then displays the carbon data from the database. Mobile phones using the necessary NFC (Near Field Communication) technology are already available, mostly used for payment systems in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia. There are already NFC-enabled smartphones from Samsung and Nokia and while it hasn't yet taken off in Europe, LG has just announced plans to launch an NFC payments system in Europe in 2012.So if the Supply Chain Carbon Council gets its members organised and Apple integrates NFC in its products (as it is rumoured to be doing), one day you may be able to accurately compare the carbon footprint of potential purchases by pointing at them with your iPhone.Pete Foster is a writer, researcher and consultant on sustainable ICT
12 Lessons Learned with ICTs for Monitoring and Accountability
Published on: Aug 17 2012 by Linda Raftree
New technologies are opening up all kinds of possibilities for improving monitoring and evaluation. From on-going feedback and crowd-sourced input to more structured digital data collection, to access to large data sets and improved data visualization, the field is changing quickly.On August 7, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Community Systems Foundation (CSF) joined up with the Technology Salon NYC for the first in a series of 3 Salons on the use of ICTs in monitoring and evaluating development outcomes. Our lead discussants were: Erica Kochi from UNICEF Innovations; Steven Davenport from Development Gateway and John Toner from CSF.This particular Salon focused on the use of ICTs for social monitoring (a.k.a. ‘beneficiary feedback loops’) and accountability. Below is a summary of the key points that emerged at the Salon. If you want to join the next Salon, sign up here.
1) Monitoring and evaluation is changing
M&E is not only about formal data collection and indicators anymore, one discussant commented, “It’s free form, it contains sentiment.” New ICT tools can help donors and governments plan better. SMS and other social monitoring tools provide an additional element to more formal information sources and can help capture the pulse of the population. Combinations of official data sets with SMS data provide new ways of looking at cross-sections of information. Visualizations and trend analysis can offer combinations of information for decision making. Social monitoring, however, can be a scary thing for large institutions. It can seem too uncontrolled or potentially conflictive. One way to ease into it is through “bounded” crowd-sourcing (eg., working with a defined and more ‘trusted’ subset of the public) until there is comfort with these kinds of feedback mechanisms.
2) People need to be motivated to participate in social monitoring efforts
Building a platform or establishing an SMS response tool is not enough. One key to a successful social monitoring effort is working with existing networks, groups and organizations and doing well-planned and executed outreach, for example, in the newspaper, on the radio and on television. Social monitoring can and should go beyond producing information for a particular project or program. It should create an ongoing dialogue between and among people and institutions, expanding on traditional monitoring efforts and becoming a catalyst for organizations or government to better communicate and engage with the community. SMS feedback loops need to be thought of in terms of a dialogue or a series of questions rather than a one-question survey. “People get really engaged when they are involved in back and forth conversation.” Offering prizes or other kinds of external motivation can spike participation rates, but they also create expectations that can affect or skew programs in the long run. Sustainable approaches need to be identified early on. Rewards can also lead to false reports and re-registering, and need to be carefully managed.
3) Responsiveness to citizen/participant feedback is critical
One way to help motivate individuals to participate in social monitoring is for governments or institutions to show that citizen/participant feedback elicits a response (eg., better delivery of public services). “Incentives are good,” said one discussant, “But at the core, if you get interactive with users, you will start to see the responses. Then you’ll have a targeted group that you can turn to.” Responsiveness can be an issue, however if there is limited government or institutional interest, resourcing or capacity, so it’s important to work on both sides of the equation so that demand does not outstrip response capacity. Monitoring the responsiveness to citizen/participant feedback is also important. “Was there a response promised? Did it happen? Has it been verified? What was the quality of it?”
http://www.ictworks.org/2012/08/17/12-lessons-learned-icts-monitoring-and-accountability/
World leaders set out agenda for G7-JUNE 7,15-YAHOONEWS
2 hours 14 minutes ago, euronews Videos
The leaders of the world’s top industrialised nations are gathered in Bavaria for the G7 summit where the Ukraine conflict has been high on the agenda. German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the elected heads of the United States, Canada, France, Britain, Italy and Japan along with the European Council and European Commission. US President Barack Obama said: “We’re going to discuss our shared future, the global economy that creates jobs and opportunity, maintaining a strong and prosperous European Union, forging new trade partnerships across the Atlantic, standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine, combating threats from violent extremism to climate change.” Russia has not been invited to the 41st annual summit as a result of its annexation of Crimea last year. The Japanese Prime Minister arrived fresh from a visit to Ukraine where he spearheaded the global efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem. British Prime Minister David Cameron said that all nations should hold firm on sanctions against Russia. He also called for a trade deal between the European Union and the United States to be agreed as soon as possible and urged the nations to take a leading role in combating corruption in the wake of the FIFA scandal. Why world leaders must show the same courage & determination that exposed FIFA to tackle corruption around the globe: http://t.co/IhZAt6tny8— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) June 6, 2015 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke of his opposition to Greece leaving the Eurozone. “I continue to rule out a ‘Grexit’. I would like to emphasise the fact that I rule it out because it is something I do not want because I cannot predict what the consequences would be,” he said. Angela Merkel has pushed for limiting global warming to below two degrees. The Chancellor wants countries to commit to the Green Climate Fund, which is aiming for 100 billion dollars (90 billion euros) by 2020. Read my full press statement ahead of the #G7 summit here http://t.co/osdW9V5A7l— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) June 7, 2015
UN leader meets Pope and addresses climate change conference-U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - ANSA-28/04/2015 10:59
(Vatican Radio) The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Tuesday before going on to address a conference exploring the moral issues connected to climate change. The one day international symposium has been organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and will include a video message to participants from Pope Francis about the Christian imperative of stewardship of creation. The UN leader said he had a “fruitful and wide ranging conversation with the Pope and he commended participants in the symposium for raising awareness of the urgent need to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development
Please see below the full text of Ban Ki-moon’s address-Your Eminence Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo,Your Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson,Your Eminences,Distinguished participants,
I thank the Pontifical Academy of Sciences for hosting this important symposium, and His Holiness Pope Francis for extending such a warm welcome.Pope Francis and I have just had a fruitful and wide ranging conversation.I commend His Holiness, and all faith and scientific leaders here, for raising awareness of the urgent need to promote sustainable development and address climate.Mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects are necessary to eradicate extreme poverty, reduce inequality and secure equitable, sustainable economic development.That is why I say climate change is the defining issue of our time.Responding to it effectively is essential for sustainable development.Climate change is intrinsically linked to public health, food and water security, migration, peace and security.It is a moral issue. It is an issue of social justice, human rights and fundamental ethics.We have a profound responsibility to the fragile web of life on this Earth, and to this generation and those that will follow.That is why it is so important that the world’s faith groups are clear on this issue – and in harmony with science.Science and religion are not at odds on climate change. Indeed, they are fully aligned.Together, we must clearly communicate that the science of climate change is deep, sound and not in doubt.Climate change is occurring – now -- and human activities are the principal cause.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The facts of climate change are upheld by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the major scientific bodies of every government in the world, including the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Our response has to be global, holistic and rooted in universal values.Climate change affects us all, but not equally.Those who suffer first and worst are those who did least to cause it: the poor and most vulnerable members of society.Around the world, I have seen how floods, droughts, rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms are causing terrible harm, and prompting families to migrate, often at great peril.As His Holiness Pope Francis has said, "We need to see, with the eyes of faith … the link between the natural environment and the dignity of the human person."The most vulnerable must be foremost in our thoughts this year as governments construct a global response to climate change and a new framework for sustainable development.The new Sustainable Development Goals, which will be adopted in September, will provide a holistic approach that puts social and environmental objectives on par with economic objectives.Eradicating extreme poverty, ending social exclusion of the weak and marginalized, and protecting the environment are values that are fully consistent with the teachings of the great religions.Pope Francis has been one of the world’s most impassioned moral voices on these issues, and I applaud his leadership.The United Nations, too, champions the disadvantaged and the vulnerable.We share a belief in the inherent dignity of all individuals and the sacred duty to care for and wisely manage our natural capital.And we believe that when people strive toward a common goal, transformational change is possible.That is why we work in partnership with governments, the private sector, civil society and faith-based groups.If ever there were an issue that requires unity of purpose, it is climate change.Science tells us we are far off track from reducing global emissions sufficient to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.We are currently on course for a rise of 4-5 degrees Celsius.This would alter life on Earth as we know it.This is morally indefensible.It contradicts our responsibility to be good stewards of creation.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen, People everywhere are realizing we must fundamentally change our ways.Some world leaders have called for the creation of an “ecological civilization,” others for “development without destruction”.Many countries are moving down a low-carbon pathway and investing in clean energy that can power truly sustainable development.To transform our economies, however, we must first transform our thinking, and our values.In this, the world’s religions can provide valuable leadership.As the Holy See has said, “there is a moral imperative to act, for we all bear the responsibility to protect and to value creation for the good of this and future generations”.I very much look forward to the upcoming encyclical by Pope Francis.It will convey to the world that protecting our environment is an urgent moral imperative and a sacred duty for all people of faith and people of conscience.It is critically important that people and their leaders hear your strong moral voice in the coming months.In July, leaders will gather in Addis Ababa, for the third International Conference on Finance for Development.In September, Pope Francis will address the United Nations Special Summit on Sustainable Development.And in Paris, in December governments will meet to forge a meaningful universal agreement on climate change.Paris is not the end point, but it must be a turning point in finding a common way forward in meeting the climate challenge.We need a global climate agreement that is universal, fair and ambitious.Industrialized countries must take the first steps forward.Reasons of equity and historical responsibility require no less.But all countries must do more and be part of the solution, in line with what the science requires.Citizens around the world are demanding an agreement and demanding action.I urge you to join them.Let the world know that there is no divide whatsoever between religion and science on the issue of climate change.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen,Your influence is enormous. You speak to the heart of humanity’s deepest hopes and needs.You can remind us all that we do not exist apart from nature, but are part of a wider creation.Together, the major faith groups have established, run, or contribute to over half of all schools world-wide.You are also the third largest category of investors in the world.I urge you to invest in the clean energy solutions that will benefit the poor and clear our air.Sustainable development requires sustainable energy for all.I also urge you to continue to reduce your carbon footprint and educate your followers to reduce thoughtless consumption.Your Eminences, Ladies and Gentlemen,We are the first generation that can end poverty, and the last generation that can avoid the worst impacts of climate change.Future generations will judge us harshly if we fail to uphold our moral and historical responsibilities.This year, with the upcoming encyclical, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September, and a global climate agreement, we have an unprecedented opportunity to articulate –and create – a more sustainable future and a life of dignity for all.This is a future in which we are good stewards of our common home and good neighbours to all.I am grateful for your moral leadership, and thank you for your commitment.Thank you.
Liberal Academic Says America’s Founding Document Outmoded-Cliff Kincaid — May 18, 2015
Top Vatican adviser Jeffrey Sachs says that when Pope Francis visits the United States in September, he will directly challenge the “American idea” of God-given rights embodied in the Declaration of Independence.Sachs, a special advisor to the United Nations and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a media superstar who can always be counted on to pontificate endlessly on such topics as income inequality and global health. This time, writing in a Catholic publication, he may have gone off his rocker, revealing the real global game plan.The United States, Sachs writes in the Jesuit publication, America, is “a society in thrall” to the idea of unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But the “urgent core of Francis’ message” will be to challenge this “American idea” by “proclaiming that the path to happiness lies not solely or mainly through the defense of rights but through the exercise of virtues, most notably justice and charity.”In these extraordinary comments, which constitute a frontal assault on the American idea of freedom and national sovereignty, Sachs has made it clear that he hopes to enlist the Vatican in a global campaign to increase the power of global or foreign-dominated organizations and movements.Sachs takes aim at the phrase, which comes from America’s founding document, the United States Declaration of Independence, that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”These rights sound good, Sachs writes, but they’re not enough to guarantee the outcome the global elites have devised for us. Global government, he suggests, must make us live our lives according to international standards of development.“In the United States,” Sachs writes, “we learn that the route to happiness lies in the rights of the individual. By throwing off the yoke of King George III, by unleashing the individual pursuit of happiness, early Americans believed they would achieve that happiness. Most important, they believed that they would find happiness as individuals, each endowed by the creator with individual rights.”While he says there is some “grandeur in this idea,” such rights “are only part of the story, only one facet of our humanity.”The Sachs view is that global organizations such as the U.N. must dictate the course of nations and individual rights must be sacrificed for the greater good. One aspect of this unfolding plan, as outlined in the Sachs book, The End of Poverty, involves extracting billions of dollars from the American people through global taxes.“We will need, in the end, to put real resources in support of our hopes,” he wrote. “A global tax on carbon-emitting fossil fuels might be the way to begin. Even a very small tax, less than that which is needed to correct humanity’s climate-deforming overuse of fossil fuels, would finance a greatly enhanced supply of global public goods.” Sachs has estimated the price tag for the U.S. at $845 billion.In preparation for this direct assault on our rights, the American nation-state, and our founding document, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon told a Catholic Caritas International conference in Rome on May 12 that climate change is “the defining challenge of our time,” and that the solution lies in recognizing that “ humankind is part of nature, not separate or above.”
The pope’s expected encyclical on climate change is supposed to help mobilize the governments of the world in this crusade.But a prestigious group of scholars, churchmen, scientists, economists and policy experts has issued a detailed rebuttal, entitled, “An Open Letter to Pope Francis on Climate Change,” pointing out that the Bible tells man to have dominion over the earth.“Good climate policy must recognize human exceptionalism, the God-given call for human persons to ‘have dominion’ in the natural world (Genesis 1:28), and the need to protect the poor from harm, including actions that hinder their ascent out of poverty,” the letter to Pope Francis states.Released by a group called the Cornwall Alliance, the letter urges the Vatican to consider the evidence that climate change is largely natural, that the human contribution is comparatively small and not dangerous, and that attempting to mitigate the human contribution by reducing CO2 emissions “would cause more harm than good, especially to the world’s poor.”The Heartland Institute held a news conference on April 27 at the Hotel Columbus in Rome, to warn the Vatican against embracing the globalist agenda of the climate change movement. The group is hosting the 10th International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, D.C. on June 11-12.However, it appears as if the Vatican has been captured by the globalist forces associated with Sachs and the United Nations.Voice of the Family, a group representing pro-life and pro-family Catholic organizations from around the world, has taken issue not only with the Vatican’s involvement with Sachs but with Ban Ki Moon, describing the two as “noted advocates of abortion who operate at the highest levels of the United Nations.” Sachs has been described as “arguably the world’s foremost proponent of population control,” including abortion.Voice of the Family charges that environmental issues such as climate change have become “an umbrella to cover a wide spectrum of attacks on human life and the family.”Although Sachs likes to claim he was an adviser to Pope John Paul II, the noted anti-communist and pro-life pontiff, Sachs simply served as a member of a group of economists invited to confer with the Pontifical Council on Justice and Peace in advance of the release of a papal document.In fact, Pope John Paul II had worked closely with the Reagan administration in opposition to communism and the global population control movement. He once complained that a U.N. conference on population issues was designed to “destroy the family” and was the “snare of the devil.”Pope Francis, however, seems to have embraced the very movements opposed by John Paul II.Sachs, who has emerged as a very influential Vatican adviser, recently tweeted that he was “thrilled” to be at the Vatican “discussing moral dimensions of climate change and sustainable development.” The occasion was a Vatican workshop on global warming on April 28, 2015, sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences of the Roman Catholic Church. Sachs was a featured speaker.The plan going forward involves the launching of what are called “Sustainable Development Goals,” as envisioned by a Sustainable Development Solutions Network run by none other than Jeffrey Sachs.“The Network has proposed draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which contain provisions that are radically antagonistic to the right to life from conception to natural death, to the rights and dignity of the family and to the rights of parents as the primary educators of their children,” states the group Voice of the Family.In July, a Financing for Development conference will be held, in order to develop various global tax proposals, followed by a conference in Paris in December to complete a new climate change agreement.Before that December conference, however, Sachs says the pope will call on the world at the United Nations to join the crusade for a New World Order.Sachs says, “Pope Francis will come to the United States and the United Nations in New York on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, and at the moment when the world’s 193 governments are resolved to take a step in solidarity toward a better world. On Sept. 25, Pope Francis will speak to the world leaders—most likely the largest number of assembled heads of state and government in history—as these leaders deliberate to adopt new Sustainable Development Goals for the coming generation. These goals will be a new worldwide commitment to build a world that aims to harmonize the pursuit of economic prosperity with the commitments to social inclusion and environmental sustainability.”Rather than emphasize the absolute need for safeguarding individual rights in the face of government overreach and power, Sachs writes that the Gospel teachings of humility, love and justice, “like the teachings of Aristotle, Buddha and Confucius,” can take us on a “path to happiness through compassion” and “become our guideposts back to safety.”Writing elsewhere in the new issue of America, Christiana Z. Peppard, an assistant professor of theology, science and ethics at Fordham University, writes about the “planetary pope,” saying, “What is really at stake in the collective response to the pope’s encyclical is not, ultimately, whether our treasured notions of theology, science, reality or development can accommodate moral imperatives. The real question is whether we are brave enough and willing to try.”The plan is quite simple: world government through global taxes, with a religious face to bring it about.
Father Hesburgh bio-http://hesburgh.nd.edu/
Father Hesburgh played an active and influential role in national and international affairs during and after his presidency.He held 16 presidential appointments over the years and they involved him in virtually all major social issues — civil rights, peaceful uses of atomic energy, campus unrest, treatment of Vietnam draft evaders, and Third World development and immigration reform, to name only a few.Justice was the focus of many of his outside involvements. He was a charter member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, created in 1957, and he chaired the commission from 1969 to 1972, when President Richard Nixon replaced him as chairman because of his criticism of the administration’s civil rights record. Father Hesburgh was a member of President Ford’s Presidential Clemency Board, charged with deciding the fate of various groups of Vietnam offenders. His work on these commissions led to the creation at Notre Dame Law School of the Center for Civil and Human Rights.In 1971 he joined the board of the Overseas Development Council, a private organization supporting interests of the underdeveloped world, and chaired it until 1982. During this time, he led fund-raising efforts that averted mass starvation in Cambodia in 1979-80. Between 1979 and 1981 he also chaired the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy, the recommendations of which became the basis of Congressional reform legislation five years later. He was involved during the 1980s in a private initiative which sought to unite internationally known scientists and world religious leaders in condemning nuclear weapons. He helped organize a 1982 meeting in Vatican City of 58 world class scientists, from East as well as West, who called for the elimination of nuclear weapons and subsequently brought together in Vienna leaders of six faith traditions who endorsed the view of these scientists. His global perspective was the impetus for the establishment at Notre Dame of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.Father Hesburgh also served four Popes, three as permanent Vatican City representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna from 1956 to 1970. At the request of Pope Paul VI, he built in 1972 the Ecumenical Institute at Tantur, Jerusalem, which Notre Dame continues to operate. Paul VI also appointed him head of the Vatican representatives attending the 20th anniversary of the United Nations’ human rights declaration in Teheran, Iran, in 1968, and six years later a member of the Holy See’s U.N. delegation. In 1983 Father Hesburgh was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for Culture, charged with finding ways in which the saving message of the Gospel could be preached effectively in the world’s variegated cultures.On more than one occasion, Father Hesburgh found himself the first Catholic priest to serve in a given position. Such was the case during the years he was a director of the Chase Manhattan Bank and a trustee (later, chairman) of the Rockefeller Foundation. Also, his appointment as ambassador to the 1979 U.N. Conference on Science and Technology for Development was the first time a priest had served in a formal diplomatic role for the U.S. government. Father Hesburgh also was a national leader in the field of education, serving on many commissions and study groups. Within the academy, he served as chairman of the International Federation of Catholic Universities from 1963 to 1970 and led a movement to redefine the nature and mission of the contemporary Catholic university, drawing heavily on the experience of Catholic institutions of higher learning in the United States. His stature as an elder statesman in American higher education is reflected in his 150 honorary degrees, which is believed to be the most ever awarded to one person. He was the first priest elected to the Board of Overseers at Harvard University and served two years (1994-95) as president of the board. Father Hesburgh also co-chaired from 1990 to 2003 the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, an influential advocate for reforms in college sports.
In addition to the honorary degrees, Father Hesburgh also was recognized at the nation’s highest levels for his many contributions to society. In July 2000, his public service career was honored when he became the first person from higher education to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives gathered in the rotunda of the Capitol as President Bill Clinton presented the medal.Father Hesburgh also received the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He also received numerous awards from education groups, among them the prestigious Meiklejohn Award of the American Association of University Professors in 1970. This award, which honors those who uphold academic freedom, recognized Father Hesburgh’s crucial role in blunting the attempt of the Nixon administration in 1969 to use federal troops to quell campus disturbances. When Father Hesburgh stepped down as Notre Dame’s leader June 1, 1987, it ended the longest tenure at that time among active presidents of American colleges and universities. After a yearlong sabbatical, he returned to a retirement office on the 13th floor of the newly named Hesburgh Library. One of his first projects was completion of an autobiography, “God, Country, Notre Dame,” which was published in November 1990 by Doubleday and became a national best seller.In addition to his biography, Father Hesburgh wrote three other books — “The Humane Imperative: A Challenge for the Year 2000,” published in 1974 by the Yale University Press; “The Hesburgh Papers: Higher Values in Higher Education,” published in 1979 by Andrews McMeel, Inc.; and "Travels with Ted and Ned," published in 1992 by Doubleday.A consistent theme in these and other writings is a vision of the contemporary Catholic university as touching the moral as well as the intellectual dimensions of scholarly inquiry.“The Catholic university should be a place,” he wrote, “where all the great questions are asked, where an exciting conversation is continually in progress, where the mind constantly grows as the values and powers of intelligence and wisdom are cherished and exercised in full freedom.”That the Notre Dame of today, in reflection of that vision, stands as one of the world’s great universities is the lasting legacy of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.
Vatican Nuncio to UN speaks on climate change-Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Agencies in Geneva, at an earlier conference. - RV-25/05/2015 17:18-vaticanradio
(Vatican Radio) At the “Climate and Health” 68th World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi c.s., gave an adress where he discussed, the respect and protection of nature, technology, and the role of various nations in health and environmental issues.The full text of the remarks by His Excellency Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, c.s. are reproduced below:Remarks by His Excellency Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, c.s., Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Agencies in Geneva at the Technical Briefing on “Climate and Health” 68th World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland.
Mme. Chairperson,
It is a great honour to address this distinguished panel and audience on a topic of such urgent importance, not only to the technical and scientific community but to all people now living on our planet and, most especially, to the future generations who will follow in our footsteps.The moral imperative to respect and protect nature is not a new topic for faith traditions. The Jewish and Christian Scriptures are replete with such exhortations, and most of the major religious traditions offer similar commandments. Man is not the owner of creation but its steward. In more recent times, the leadership of the Catholic Church has publicly and forcefully expressed concern about the damage to nature being caused by a privileged few, while the health and overall wellbeing of the vast majority of humans is being threatened through no fault of their own. Pope Benedict XVI, expressed such grave concern on this issue that he was popularly labelled as the “green Pope”. Pope Francis continued this tradition and has encouraged a more profound reflection on this global concern. I am sure you are well aware already of the ongoing preparation of a special teaching document on climate justice, about which United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said: “I very much look forward to the upcoming encyclical by Pope Francis. It will convey to the world that protecting our environment is an urgent moral imperative and a sacred duty for all people of faith and people of conscience. It is critically important that people and their leaders hear your strong moral voice in the coming months.”In this regard, on 28 April 2015, the Holy See exercised its convening capacity, to gather Religious Leaders, Political Leaders, Business Leaders, Scientists and Development Practitioners, at the Vatican, in a workshop on the theme: “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Humanity.” This historic event was organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and Religions for Peace.These religious leaders and technical experts left no further room for denial under the mistaken guise of so-called religious belief when they declared that human-induced climate change is a scientific reality. They acknowledged the “very vital role” played by religions through their affirmation of “the inherent dignity of every individual linked to the common good of all humanity” as well as “the beauty, wonder, and inherent goodness of the natural world.” They proclaimed as “our moral duty to respect rather than ravage the garden that is our home.” They noted the particular vulnerability experienced by poor and excluded people who are menaced by “dire threats from climate disruptions, including the increased frequency of droughts, extreme storms, heat waves, and rising sea levels.”The workshop participants expressed confidence that the world possesses the “technological grasp, financial means, and know-how to mitigate climate change while also ending extreme poverty, through the application of sustainable development solutions including the adoption of low-carbon energy systems supported by information and communications technologies.” They begged the world to “take note that the climate summit in Paris later this year (COP21) may be the last effective opportunity to negotiate arrangements that keep human- 2 induced warming below 2-degrees C, and aim to stay well below 2-degrees C for safety, yet the current trajectory may well reach a devastating 4-degrees C or higher.”Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot end this brief intervention without emphasizing the special responsibility that must be assumed by those living in high-income countries to join in solidarity with the global human family as we attempt to repair the damage already done to our environment, prevent further degradation, and preserve the integral link between health and development. The citizens of wealthier countries cannot ignore but concretely express their solidarity with the poor, both at home and overseas. They have a special obligation to help their fellow men in developing countries to cope with climate change by mitigating its effects and by assisting with adaptation. There much evidence that shows how climate change can be devastating for health, especially among the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. Healthcare is foundational to integral human development and human flourishing. Allow me to conclude with these words of Pope Francis , whose insight is shared by Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and most religions: “Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.”CF:Statement of the Joint PAS/PASS Workshop on Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Nature: Our Responsibility, 28 April 2015, Vatican City, http://www.pass.va/content/scienzesociali/en/events/2014-18/sustainable/statement.html
UN chief’s message for World Environment Day-A home atop a sea of garbage in Manila, the Philippines, on World Environment Day on June 5, 2015. - AFP-05/06/2015 16:00-vaticanradio
The United Nations chief is urging the world to be better stewards of the planet earth by making responsible choices in the consumption of natural resources in order to ensure a better future for our as well as the coming generation. “Humanity continues to consume far more natural resources than the planet can sustainably provide. Many of the Earth’s ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points. It is time for us to change,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged in his message for the June 5th World Environment Day, which this had as its theme, “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.” He noted that the goal of sustainable development is to increase the quality of life for all people without increasing environmental degradation and without compromising the resource needs of future generations. He said, “We can do this by shifting our consumption patterns towards goods that use less energy, water and other resources and by wasting less food. Ban urged all to become “more conscious of our ecological impact.” “Let us think about the environmental consequences of the choices we make. Let us become better stewards of our planet,” he added. (Source: UN)
Green Climate Fund seeks to help poor countries lower emissions-The 2014 Report on Climate Change issued by the IPCC - AFP-11/09/2014 11:32-vaticanradio
(Vatican Radio) The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday issued its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which says carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2013. The report also speaks about growing evidence the oceans and biosphere seem unable to soak up emissions as quickly as in the past.Ahead of a climate summit organized by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN Headquarters in New York set to take place on 23 September, the WMO has urged the international community to take a concentrated action against accelerating and potentially devastating climate change.One project initiated by the United Nations is the Green Climate Fund, established during the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, which seeks to help finance low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways for poorer countries, so they can limit their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.“If you look at what we call mitigation – the need for lower-emission development – this will include supporting solutions of cleaner energy,” said Héla Cheikhrouhou, the Fund's inaugural Executive Director.“For example, helping a country like Kenya, which has plenty of coal resources, but also plenty of geothermal - which comes…in the form of steam - to go with the steam solution, which has zero emissions of greenhouse gasses, but is more difficult to finance,” she explained. Cheikhrouhou told Vatican Radio the planet is already feeling the effects of continuing delays in combatting carbon emissions.“The science is there…the levels of emissions are [growing] exponentially,” she said. “What we are observing today in the atmosphere is past emissions, it doesn’t even factor in current emissions, [since] there is a time lag.”She warned that natural disasters are already getting worse, and “countries must start to act.”The German Government recently pledged up to US$ 1 billion for the Green Climate Fund, and the first formal Green Climate Fund Pledging Conference is scheduled to take place in November this year when contributors are to announce their initial contributions for the Fund.
Cardinal Turkson on climate change and its effects on human development-By Cecilia Agrinya|15 May 2015|Africa, Agriculture, Climate Change, Food, General Assembly 2015, Governance, Malnutrition
“God gave us the earth as a garden, we will not leave it as a wilderness” said Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Caritas Internationalis 2015 General Assembly.
Cardinal Turkson spoke about some of the most far-reaching changes facing the world today, looking at trends in climate change and its huge effect on human development, especially the poor who suffer the most from the consequences of climate change.“At a granular level, they are too many and too diverse to even enumerate,” said the cardinal. “ But at the highest level, we can take a lead from Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium, where he cites ‘the advances being made in so many fields [that] improve people’s welfare in areas such as health care, education and communications.’This is Sinteyo. She lives with her family in a remote village in Leparua in Kenya. CAFOD (Caritas member in England and Wales) has funded a greenhouse project in Sinteyo’s community, which uses a solar-powered pump to water tomato plants throughout the year. Photo by Annie Bungeroth/ CAFOD, May 2014-“Yet daily life for much of humanity is perilous. Diseases and other factors cause fear and desperation, lack of respect for others and violence are on the rise and inequality is increasingly evident.“This epochal change has been set in motion by the enormous qualitative, quantitative, rapid and cumulative advances occurring in the sciences and in technology and by their instant application in different areas of nature and of life.“The earth is both a legacy from our parents and a loan from our children, so we must care for it. Let the world know that there is no divide or whatsoever between religion and sciences on issues of climate change but there should be a collective effort and approach to it.”Cardinal Turkson said that the Church has been very concerned about issues of climate change and has taken certain steps to address some of these issues through the work of Caritas and other initiatives. One of these he said can be seen as reflected on the pope’s request for an encyclical that is focused on “Concern for the human person, concern for the environment”.
Africa has role
On Africa, Cardinal Turkson reiterated that, like the rest of the world, Africa is not left out in the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change. The concern for environment is rising day by day in Africa as well.“The significance of 2015 is brought out in the series of world meetings that are lined up to fashion international consensus facing humanity; the Financing for Development conference, United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda and climate change.“It is very significant for us Africans to recognise that all of these world events require preparations. If we are not out there in the preparations, we will miss out in contributing to the final documents that comes out because it is in the preparations that people try to get their interest formulated and if we are not there to promote our own interests, then going at the end of it will be too late to critique anything or push for interests.”He said it’s important to have advocacy groups in our countries to ensure that policies formulated are implemented to help reduce environmental degradation, climate change and to improve human development.
