Record droughts, severe storms and changes in rainfall patterns are becoming common in many countries around the world as the effects of climate change accelerate year by year. 

Yet it’s the very countries producing the least carbon and greenhouse emissions that are well-known to be suffering the worst effects from extreme weather events. In 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report cited that as many as 3.6 billion people live in a context that is highly vulnerable to climate change. Under these conditions, there is considerable concern around the pressure the climate crisis will put on farming and access to food, further threatening food security, livelihoods and health for millions already living on the margins.

Pope Francis’s urgent messaging around climate change and its impact on the poor is at the centre of his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, urging ‘Care for our Common Home’. Our members are responding to the Pope’s entreaty to hear “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” through innovative project adaptations aimed at helping communities prepare for the environmental and economic damage from severe weather events. 

Misean Cara members are helping local communities become resilient to the effects of climate change by adopting climate resilient farming methods and efficient use of fuel for cooking. The security of household incomes is also strengthened through creating jobs that are less affected by the impact of climate change.

We launched the annual Misean Cara Climate Action Awards in 2020 to raise awareness of how missionary organisations and the communities they live amongst are taking action to address the climate crisis. These awards recognise the ingenuity and commitment of people and projects actively working to reduce the impact of climate change and increase the resilience of communities most at risk.