Environment

Carmelite nuns who prayed a novena during a nine-day protest march by Indigenous groups from the Philippines' Sierra Madre mountains are among the Catholics who have raised opposition to construction of the Kaliwa Dam.

Under a conservation easement with the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, the land surrounding the Loretto Sisters' motherhouse — farmland, forest, native grasses, lakes and creeks — will be protected and preserved permanently.

Nations are gathering in Canada for COP15, the U.N. biodiversity summit. Representatives of the world's religions will be there, where they hope to raise moral principles and policy priorities on preserving creation.

Catholic groups welcomed the historic deal reached at the United Nations climate summit to establish a "loss and damage" fund for vulnerable countries, even while negotiations fell short in other areas, they said.

Catholic sisters are among thousands of activists worried the slow progress of COP27's negotiations on a loss and damage fund risks the likelihood nations will deliver and build upon climate commitments.

After passage of a bill with historic investments in combating climate change, environmental advocates are now focusing on a proposed bill from Sen. Joe Manchin to streamline the permitting process for energy projects.

A growing number of Christian churches, dioceses, religious orders and organizations — including five Catholic dioceses in Ireland and two in Canada — are announcing they will divest from fossil fuels.

A Honduran court sentenced Roberto David Castillo for his role in the 2016 murder of Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres, who had led the opposition to construction of a hydroelectric project that threatened traditional Lenca territory along the Gualcarque River in western Honduras. Castillo was president of the company building the dam.