“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15).

You have probably heard a lot of talk recently about COP26, seen it prevalently displayed across your social media feeds or watched it make news headlines. But what is it, and why does it matter?

COP stands for Conference of the Parties. It is the United Nations’ annual climate change conference, where governments get together to make crucial decisions about what they will do about the climate crisis. The first one took place in 1995, and the most recent (the 26th) was held in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12.

It is clear from the latest climate science that countries are still off track to meet the targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, a global treaty on climate change that outlines steps governments have agreed to take to reduce emissions and help people adapt to a warmer world, so we can build a sustainable future.

Why Should Catholics Care About Climate Change?

Some question why the faith community should be concerned about what happens in international climate negotiations. National Catholic Reporter’s “EarthBeat” shared “5 reasons why Catholics should care about the COP26 climate summit,” including these two compelling reasons:

1. We Have an Obligation to Enjoy Creation but a Greater Responsibility to Maintain and Preserve It

The goods of the earth are gifts from God and intended for the benefit of us all. We have a responsibility to care for resources as stewards and trustees, not as consumers and users. Through Scripture, we come to recognize and appreciate God’s vision for the awesome world he created. Throughout his ministry, Jesus wove creation into his teaching, parables, and prayers, often using it to illustrate how we are called to love one another. In doing so, he affirmed the goodness of God’s gift, for which we must care.

2. Pope Francis and Many Other Faith Leaders Care

The Vatican prepared for COP26 for more than two years, considering what contribution it could make to help ensure a successful summit. On October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis convened nearly 40 religious leaders at the Vatican to sign a joint appeal to participants at COP26. In the words of the appeal, “Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home. We have inherited a garden: We must not leave a desert to our children.”

From a Catholic point of view, therefore, if we care about God’s earth, about the poor, and about our children (including unborn children), we need to be engaged with this issue. We need to pray about it, be informed about it, and find simple yet effective ways to change our individual, corporate, and community behavior.

How Can I Make a Difference at Work? 

Given our obligation to all of creation that “is groaning in labor pains” (Romans 8:22), we can develop strategies to use in the workplace for positive action. Below are some examples:

1. Measure and Analyze Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

The first step for any business that wants to reduce its climate footprint is to measure its GHG emissions. There are many private agencies that are carbon footprint-certified and can help businesses measure their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Once you know your GHG emissions, you can analyze them to see which of your business’ activities are the highest pollutants and implement solutions accordingly.

2. Reduce Energy Consumption 

Turn off the lights in the evening, decrease your heating or air conditioning use, or unplug plugs when you aren’t using them.

3. Reduce Waste

Another way to reduce your business’ climate footprint is to reduce the amount of waste it generates. All workplaces produce waste, and the solutions depend on the core business. Practical examples are avoiding disposable cups and stirrers, reducing the number of pages you print, and correctly sorting recycling.

4. Optimize Employees’ Transportation

Transportation is one of the largest producers of GHG emissions. By encouraging employees to take public transit, encouraging them to carpool with colleagues who live close by, by giving them discounts on public transportation, your business can significantly reduce its indirect CO2 emissions.

5. Choose Sustainable Suppliers

Each business also has a responsibility regarding the partners it chooses to work with. Make the effort to choose suppliers that demonstrate good environmental practices.

6. Raise Awareness Among Employees, Clients, and Other Stakeholders

As an economic agent, businesses also play a role in raising awareness among their employees, consumers, media, and other stakeholders. Organizing in-house contests or campaigns to improve awareness of sustainability issues is a great idea. You can partner with outside organizations to do something original and powerful.

7. Promote Environmentally Friendly Work Practices

Some practices are more sustainable than others; telecommuting, for example, has many ecological advantages. You can also consider using video conferences to avoid the need for employees to travel for meetings with clients.

Understanding how to respond to the challenge of climate change can be overwhelming. The time is now to start the conversation on sustainability at home, at work, and in your community. Remember: What we invest our time, our talent, and our treasure in is what we will see grow throughout our life.

Shivonne Sant-Solomon is a wife and mother of two, blessed with the responsibility of raising them in this dynamic world! In all of her work, and in her most important roles as mother and wife, her relationship with God has been and continues to be central, as she is first and foremost a child of God. Over the past 19 years, Shivonne has had the opportunity to work in a variety of commercial roles within the energy industry, as well as assuming the role of a stay-at-home mother to her then-younger kids for three years—a transformational experience indeed, and one where the challenges and due respect are saluted and applauded. As Shivonne continues along her spiritual and professional growth and development paths, she seeks out opportunities to share her faith and contribute and support the achievement of the world’s energy transition goals in caring for God’s creation.