By Clare Westwood
Jul 28 2021
THE Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (CBCMSB) is calling upon “all the faithful in all our dioceses to celebrate fully the Season of Creation and the PROTEC Campaign this year and in succeeding years.”
The theme for PROTEC Year 2 is “Cut down meat, dairy and food waste”.
The bishops said this in a letter issued June 3, signed by its President, Bishop Sebastian Francis and the President of the ECCJ-MSB, Bishop Joseph Hii.
The purpose of celebrating the Season of Creation and PROTEC Campaign, the bishops said, is pertinent “to love all creation and adopt an ecological way of being and living in oneness with all created beings so that all life may flourish in our common home.”
Clare Westwood, Regional Director for Creation Justice Commission – Malaysia – Singapore – Brunei, said in her letter dated Jul 1 to the Catholic media, “The Campaign calls upon parishes, church organizations, church offices, houses of formation, and all the faithful in Malaysia to adopt practices (that could practically contribute to the realization of the theme), starting now: (1) eat less meat, seafood and dairy, (2) eat more local plant-based food, (3) stop wasting food, and (4) pray for and with all creation daily.”
PROTEC Year 2 will be launched in a virtual Eucharistic celebration at 10.00 am on Aug 31 by the Malacca-Johore Diocese at this link: https://youtu.be/bwdVRpC9mN0 and all are welcomed to join.
Westwood elaborated, “Industrialised livestock, dairy and seafood operations are very ecologically destructive. Industrial livestock agriculture is one of the highest contributors to deforestation and accounts for 14.5% of global GHG emissions,, more than all the world’s transport combined. Factory farms are the problem, not small farmers and herders.
“A meta-analysis of 38,700 farms in 119 countries found that the meat and dairy industry uses 83% of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it provides just 18% of calories and 37% of protein.
“Even crustacean and fish farming were found to have a high carbon footprint because of all the excreta and unconsumed feed settling down at the bottom of the ponds, making them the perfect environment for methane production.
“Meanwhile, overfishing, plastic pollution and ocean acidification are harming and killing marine life. So, meat, dairy and seafood all come at high ecological costs,” she said.
Westwood said PROTEC also calls attention to the grave issue of food waste.
“One-third of the food produced globally for human consumption is wasted every year (approximately 1.3 billion tonnes) – this is enough to feed 2 billion people. Food waste produces 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Food loss and waste amount to a major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labour and capital and needlessly produce GHGs. Also, when food is thrown away and rots in landfills, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is released,” she said.
Westwood also spoke about greenhouse gases are driving spiralling global warming.
“2020 was one of the three hottest years ever recorded at about 1.2oC above pre-industrial levels. Dangerous climate change is already happening now. If humankind does not act fast enough to stop emissions, this will escalate to catastrophic climate change through even more extreme typhoons/hurricanes, floods, droughts, heat waves, forest fires and spread of diseases which in turn will exacerbate food and water insecurity, displacement of millions of people, suffering, sickness and death,” said Westwood.
Last year, the Catholic Bishops of Malaysia signed off on the PROTECT OUR EARTH, PROTECT OUR CHILDREN (PROTEC) CAMPAIGN for all Malaysian dioceses.
PROTEC is organized by the Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (ECCJ-MSB) and runs for five years from 1 Sep 2020 to 31 Aug 2025 with different themes each year. The theme for Year 1 was “Use less electricity”.
PROTEC’s themes each run for a full year, beginning with the Season of Creation which also starts on Sep 1 during the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation declared by Pope Francis in 2015, and runs through to Oct 4, the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi.
The theme of the 2021 Season of Creation (1 Sept to 4 Oct 2021) is: “A home for all? Renewing the oikos of God”.
Clare Westwood can be reached via her email at creationjustice.msb@gmail.com.
________________________________________
http://globalforestcoalition.org/whats-at-steak/
https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/livestock-climate-change-forgotten-sector-global-public-opinion-meat-and-dairy
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5639-grabbing-the-bull-by-the-horns-it-s-time-to-cut-industrial-meat-and-dairy-to-save-the-climate
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth and http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth and http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987
http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/en/
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2021/02/08_Chapter-5_3.pdf
