Produced by: Office of Marketing and Communications
November 21, 2017
Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D., President of St. John’s University, recently joined efforts with the Catholic Climate Covenant and the leaders of more than 161 Catholic colleges and universities, religious congregations, national organizations, and health care providers in signing on to a letter to President Donald J. Trump and the United States Congress in regard to the global effort to address climate change.
In signing on to the letter, Dr. Gempesaw stated, “The earth is our common home, and we all have an obligation to act now to preserve and protect our planet for future generations.” Dr. Gempesaw continued, “At St. John’s University, environmental awareness and sustainability is an interdisciplinary mission and requires ongoing commitment and dedication from individuals from every corner of our campus and beyond.”
In the November 16 letter sent to President Trump and leaders in Congress, the Catholic Climate Covenant specifically asked that the United States reassert leadership in the global effort to address climate change. In particular, the Catholic Climate Covenant called for the Trump administration and Congress to
- Fund the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- Meaningfully participate in the deliberations of the UNFCCC
- Honor US commitments to the Green Climate Fund
Working with the approval and support of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Climate Covenant is a nonprofit organization working with a consortium of 16 national organizations to uplift the united body of US Catholic people and institutions to be better informed and to voice concerns and act on the global issue of climate change.
The Catholic Church has a long history in speaking out on the growing challenge of climate change and its implications for creation and for the poor and vulnerable around the globe. US bishops have emphasized the need to protect both “the human environment and the natural environment.”