{"id":59863,"date":"2015-06-22T12:00:07","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=59863"},"modified":"2015-06-22T12:51:31","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T11:51:31","slug":"pope-francis-encyclical-urges-swift-action-on-climate-change-ahead-of-paris-climate-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2015\/06\/pope-francis-encyclical-urges-swift-action-on-climate-change-ahead-of-paris-climate-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis\u2019 Encyclical Urges Swift Action on Climate Change Ahead of Paris Climate Talks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pope<\/a>

Pope Francis<\/p><\/div>\n

18 Jun 2015 – Today in Rome, Pope Francis released his long-anticipated encyclical on climate change<\/a>, fueling precisely the international conversation the Pope hoped to drive. The widespread media coverage of the 180-plus page document, Laudato Si, or Praised Be to You,\u00a0has undoubtedly increased public awareness of environmental issues dramatically.<\/em><\/p>\n

There were no big surprises in the encyclical, given its leak to the media<\/a> earlier this week and the Pope\u2019s ongoing speeches and remarks<\/a> about the climate. But the encyclical, a letter from the Pope to the church bishops, give the official endorsement of the Catholic Church to his concern for the climate.<\/p>\n

Writing that \u201cthe Earth, our home, is beginning to look like an immense pile of filth,\u201d the Pope emphasized the outsized impact failure to care for the environment has on the poor. He wrote:<\/p>\n

The deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet: both everyday experience and scientific research show that the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest. The impact of present imbalances is also seen in the premature death of many of the poor, in conflicts sparked by the shortage of resources and in any number of other problems which are insufficiently represented on global agendas.<\/em><\/p>\n

It needs to be said that, generally speaking, there is little in the way of clear awareness of problems which especially affect the excluded. Yet they are the majority of the planet\u2019s population, billions of people. These days, they are mentioned in international political and economic discussions, but one often has the impression that their problems are brought up as an afterthought, a question which gets added almost out of duty or in a tangential way, if not treated merely as collateral damage.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo credit: Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

He attributed this to the fact that \u201cmany professionals, opinion makers, communications media and centers of power\u201d have little contact with the poor and their problems. But he made it clear that the burden is on the wealthy\u2014both nations and individuals\u2014to act on behalf of the poor and to stop exploiting them to the detriment of people and the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe foreign debt of poor countries has become a way of controlling them, yet this is not the case where ecological debt is concerned,\u201d wrote the Pope. \u201cIn different ways, developing countries, where the most important reserves of the biosphere are found, continue to fuel the development of richer countries at the cost of their own present and future.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he said that other factors\u00a0play a role in global warming, \u201ca number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases released mainly as a result of human activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHumanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Our failure to care for the planet, he wrote, is connected to a throwaway culture of \u201ccompulsive consumerism\u201d that \u201cquickly reduces things to rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is hard for us to accept that the way natural ecosystems work is exemplary: plants synthesize nutrients which feed herbivores; these in turn become food for carnivores, which produce significant quantities of organic waste which give rise to new generations of plants,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

As expected, he called out those who will not act, whether by denying the problem or simply ignoring it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms, simply making efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts of climate change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And he fired a shot at those who have been saying that tackling climate change will prevent people and countries from climbing out of poverty, saying that the issues are linked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe same mindset which stands in the way of making radical decisions to reverse the trend of global warming also stands in the way of achieving the goal of eliminating poverty,\u201d he wrote. \u201cA more responsible overall approach is needed to deal with both problems: the reduction of pollution and the development of poorer countries and regions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ultimately, he expressed confidence that people could and would step up to address the twinned issues of climate and poverty.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start, despite their mental and social conditioning,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWe are able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep dissatisfaction and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom. No system can completely suppress our openness to what is good, true and beautiful, or our God-given ability to respond to his grace at work deep in our hearts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Environmental groups praised the Pope\u2019s action in stepping up to talk so forcefully about the need to take action on climate change, all of them finding things to like in it.<\/p>\n

Sierra Club<\/a> executive director Michael Brune<\/a> said,\u00a0\u201cPope Francis\u2019s guidance as a pastor and a teacher shines a light on the moral obligation we all share to address the climate crisis that transcends borders and politics. This encyclical underscores the need for climate action not just to protect our environment, but to protect humankind and the most vulnerable communities among us. The vision laid out in these teachings serves as inspiration to everyone across the world who seeks a more just, compassionate and healthy future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pope has shown impressive and inspiring leadership where many elected leaders have failed,\u201d said Friends of the Earth\u2019s head of campaigns Andrew Pendleton<\/a>. \u201cHe is both a friend of the Earth and of the millions of people in poorer, vulnerable nations whose lives are already being shattered by extreme weather.\u00a0The tragedy is that too many governments are currently in thrall to big vested interests and are failing their people.\u00a0The Pontiff\u2019s encyclical cuts across the murky politics of climate change and will inspire people way beyond his own church community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPope Francis is reiterating what scientists and advocates have been saying for years: we need to reduce carbon emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change,\u201d said Wenonah Hauter<\/a>, executive director of Food & Water Watch<\/a>. \u201cBut it\u2019s his bold and honest analysis of pollution trading that is most noteworthy. The Pope has cut through the distracting noise on a complex global issue. He\u2019s parted the Wall Street smoke screen and acknowledged that so-called market-based approaches to environmental problems like cap-and-trade aren\u2019t solutions at all.\u00a0This clear assessment puts him well ahead of the mainstream environmental movement on a critical issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the document is also already revealing a divide driven by ideology, given its emphasis on reigning in greed and consumption and caring for the world\u2019s poorest people. In the U.S., conservative politicians who have cheered the previous Popes\u2019 willingness to insert themselves in the politics of private sexual morality are now saying that he should mind his own business when it comes to saving the planet. Presidential candidate Rick Santorum<\/a> and Senator James Inhofe<\/a>, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment, both said recently that the Pope should not be talking about the climate.<\/p>\n

This week, another presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, added his voice to the chorus<\/a>, saying,\u00a0\u201cI hope I\u2019m not going to get castigated for saying this by my priest back home, but I don\u2019t get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinal or my Pope. I think religion ought to be about making us better as people and less about things that end up getting in the political realm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faith and environmental groups are planning a climate march<\/a> to St. Peter\u2019s Square in Rome on June 28 to thank Pope Francis for his encyclical and express their support for his climate activism. Faith communities around the globe are planning to join in by ringing bells, chimes, gongs or sounding their shofars at noon on that day.<\/p>\n

The Pope has made clear his goal of influencing the conversation around climate change to hopefully pressure strong action<\/a> at the UN Climate Summit in Paris in December.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pope\u2019s historic message comes at a critical moment,\u201d said Brune<\/a>. \u201cMomentum is building for significant action during international negotiations in Paris and beyond to transition the world from fossil fuels to a healthy and just clean energy economy. The Pope\u2019s encyclical will only help continue that momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n

__________________________________<\/p>\n

More:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pope Francis: \u2018If We Destroy Creation, Creation Will Destroy Us\u2019<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Pope Francis Blasts Climate Deniers in Leaked Draft of Encyclical<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Pope Francis\u2019s Encyclical Could Have Bigger Impact Than the Paris Climate Talks, Says NASA Scientist<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 ecowatch.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

18 Jun 2015 – Today in Rome, Pope Francis released his long-anticipated encyclical on climate change, fueling precisely the international conversation the Pope hoped to drive. The widespread media coverage of the 180-plus page document, Laudato Si, or Praised Be to You, has undoubtedly increased public awareness of environmental issues dramatically.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59863\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}