San Antonio – Out of Fuel

By Leo Dee

Texas is experiencing severe weather extremes. In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused a record $125 billion in damage! And 72% of San Antonio’s gas stations ran out of fuel as panic ensued. The April 2016 hailstorm caused $1.4 billion in damage, the costliest in the history of Texas.

Human caused climate change is behind this strange weather pattern as carbon dioxide released from fossil fuels insulates the earth and prevents natural cooling. The excessive heat also powers a much stronger water cycle, with more water evaporating from the oceans and being dropped on land. This means that some parts of the US are experiencing excessive heat, and some are experiencing record storms and rainfall and some are experiencing both!

So, what’s the solution?

Well, part of the solution is making people aware. And that’s just what San Antonio’s religious seminaries are doing. The Catholic Seminary is teaching future religious leaders in sustainability, whilst the Oblate School of Theology is teaching “Earth Insights: Towards a Nature Based Christian Spirituality”.

Training religious leaders who will inspire their communities, in the future, with the importance of living a life that respects the world and climate, is an important step towards solving the climate crisis.

We are grateful for their initiative!