SAN ANTONIO • Care, climate and cash were the trio of themes discussed by an expert panel at the annual fundraising event of the Socially Responsible Investment Coalition (SRIC), held April 23 at Oblate Grotto Ministries Center.
The current crises were examined by a panel with varied expertise and moderated by Anne Dunkelberg, associate director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, where she focuses on policy and budget issues related to health care access, as well as general issues related to immigrants’ access to public benefits.
The “cash” portion of the gathering was reviewed by Father Seamus P. Finn, OMI, director of the Justice/Peace and Integrity of Creation Ministry of the Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate in Washington, D.C., since 1986.
“There is clearly a financial crisis,” said the Oblate priest. He said his native Ireland is “clearly in Depression,” and that the Gross Domestic Product of that country will shrink more than 10 percent in 2009.
“This crisis is clearly different. It didn’t start in emerging markets or developing countries. It took place here,” he explained.
He told the close to 200 attendees at the event that they approach this crisis as members and participants in equity markets. “We are leaving the poor in a very precarious situation,” said Father Finn. “There are 100 million more poor worldwide because of this crisis.”
The priest, who represents the Oblates on the Executive Committee of the International Interfaith Investment Group, discussed some of the responses prompted by the financial meltdown, including “countercyclical measures,” such as stimulus packages. One example he cited was the recent infusion of $1 trillion into the International Monetary Fund by 20 Western nations.
However, actions such as this are prompting some questions. “Are globalization and market-based economies the way to go?” Father Finn asked. “Are our politics suited to cope with a global economy?”
He made the case for the need for some regional and global networks, as the economy in one country and employment in another are dependent on one another. “An integrated system binds the entire global economy together,” said the cleric.
In this time of pain and suffering, Father Finn stressed the church’s preferential option for the poor, and the moral principles on the role of government, as stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
“What kinds of returns are we looking for in our investments?” he asked. The Oblate priest replied, “If it is to maximize profits, that runs the engine for part of the problem we are in.”
HEALING MINISTRY
Donna Meyer, senior system director for Community Health Services for CHRISTUS Health, addressed the “care” aspect of the evening.
Meyer began her presentation with a few chilling statistics. In the United States, eight out of 10 uninsured Americans are in working families, 18,000 to 22,000 people die each year because they have no insurance, the lost economic value to the economy is $65 to $130 billion annually, and 47 million Americans have no health coverage.
“Without insurance, people live sicker, die younger and are more likely to declare bankruptcy,” she said. “It is both mistaken and dangerous to assume that the prevalence of uninsured harms only those who are not insured. The higher the rate of uninsured in a community, the less likely it is that community members can obtain coverage.”
Meyer, who serves on the Boards of Directors of a number of local, state and international health related organizations, called health care “a moral imperative,” saying, “The faith community’s call for universal healthcare is strong. They remind us that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and that reforming our system is nothing less than a spiritual duty.”
She then offered some perspectives on domestic and global agendas and strategies regarding health care. Domestically, health care executives will continue to monitor progress on legislation, press companies to play an active role and develop strategies to respond to legislative proposals.
Around the world, more than 1 billion people — one-sixth of the earth’s population — suffer from neglected diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis. Those most affected are the poorest population, often living in remote, rural areas, urban slums or in conflict zones, with little access to medicines.
Meyer, a fellow with the American College of Health Care Executives, posed some challenging questions. “How do we balance the needs of the poor with the need to invest in research and development and make a profit?” she asked. “How do we develop a global fund and give a voice to developing countries and commit to global coordination?”
CRITICAL TIME
Calling his comments “the urgency of now,” Jere Locke, director of the Texas Climate Emergency Campaign, emphasized immediate action regarding two climate change bills now under discussion in Congress that he said are “grossly inadequate.”
“There can be no further delay; the scientific community is united in telling us that if we don’t stop the rise of emissions by 2015, future generations will be powerless to change the course of catastrophic climate change,” he said.
Locke quoted Dr. James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies and one of the primary leaders of the world’s scientific community, “telling us that the earth’s climate is nearing a crucial tipping point that, if passed, would lead to practically a different planet.”
We must take action or face the consequences, said Locke, who attended the December 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference. He described consequences for Texas that would be dire indeed — larger and more destructive earthquakes, sea-level rises that will cover barrier islands and flood coastal cities and ice melt proceeds, and relentless drought. “In time much of Texas would lose most of its farmland and end up resembling Arizona or Nevada,” he stated.
Locke, whose organization is working in 12 congressional districts on the national legislation, said the rest of the world is currently looking to the United States to provide leadership on the climate change issue.
“In Asia the melting of the Himalayan glaciers will deprive that part of the world of half their water within the next 40 years,” he said. “And in Africa, scientists say that half of current food production will disappear by 2020 due to just drought.”
According to Locke, who is also the founder of the Texas Fair Trade Coalition, the bill currently being drafted in Congress represents one of the last realistic opportunities to take action in time to mitigate damage and to guarantee that the next generations inherit a livable planet and a secure world.
“We must ensure that our politicians take action in accordance with the demands of nature and the advice of scientists,” he said.