His Holiness Pope Francis has called
for a bold cultural revolution to correct what he described as
a ‘structurally perverse’ economic system where the rich exploit the poor,
turning Earth into an “immense pile of filth.”
He framed climate change as an urgent
moral issue to address in his eagerly anticipated encyclical, blaming global
warming on an unfair, fossil fuel-based industrial model that harms the poor
most.
Citing Scripture, his predecessors and
bishops from around the world, the pope urged people of every faith and even no
faith to undergo an awakening to save God’s creation for future generations.
Pope Francis is the latest and most high profile voice to
join a long list of people, from scientists, business leaders,
economists, labour leaders and youth, who understand that taking action on
climate change and empowering poorer countries to develop sustainably, is both
morally and economically right.
In a rare open letter that will shape
Catholic teaching, His Holiness Pope Francis laid out our moral
imperative to “care for our common home” and end the inequalities, which
are driving interlinked problems of climate change and poverty.
The document released last week was a
stinging indictment of big business and climate doubters alike, aimed at
spurring courageous changes at U.N. climate negotiations later this year, in
domestic politics and in everyday life.
“It is not enough to balance, in the
medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation
of the environment with progress,” he writes. “Halfway measures simply delay
the inevitable disaster.
Put simply, it is a matter of
redefining our notion of progress.” Environmental scientists said the
first-ever encyclical, or teaching document, on the environment could have a
dramatic effect on the climate debate, lending the moral authority of the
immensely popular Francis to an issue that has long been cast in purely
political, economic or scientific terms.
“This clarion call should guide the
world toward a strong and durable universal climate agreement in Paris at the
end of this year,” said Christiana Figures, the U.N.’s top climate official.
“Coupled with the economic imperative,
the moral imperative leaves no doubt that we must act on climate change now.”
U.N. Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment
Programme Achim Steiner in a statement said: “This encyclical is a clarion call
that resonates not only with Catholics, but with all of the Earth’s peoples.
Science and religion are aligned on
this matter: The time to act is now. “We share Pope Francis’ view that our
response to environmental degradation and climate change cannot only be defined
by science, technology or economics, but is also a moral imperative.
We must not overlook that the world’s
poorest and most vulnerable suffer most from the changes we are seeing.
Humanity’s environmental stewardship of the planet must recognise the interests
of both current and future generations. “With the adoption of the Sustainable
Development Goals in September and a climate agreement in December, we have the
opportunity to positively change the course of history, creating a better and
more equitable world for all.
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