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Pope Benedict: environmental crisis requires review of world's economic model Jeremy Hance mongabay.com December 15, 2009 Pope gives advice on how to move forward at Copenhagen. The message comes at a politically important time as environmental officials from rich and poor countries around the world struggle to come to agreement over how to combat climate change in Copenhagen. Entitled If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation, the Pope asks: "Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions? Can we disregard the growing phenomenon of 'environmental refugees', people who are forced by the degradation of their natural habitat to forsake it - and often their possessions as well - in order to face the dangers and uncertainties of forced displacement?"
One way to achieve this according to the Pope is "to move beyond a purely consumerist mentality in order to promote forms of agricultural and industrial production capable of respecting creation and satisfying the primary needs of all." "Natural resources should be used in such a way that immediate benefits do not have a negative impact on living creatures, human and not, present and future; that the protection of private property does not conflict with the universal destination of goods; that human activity does not compromise the fruitfulness of the earth, for the benefit of people now and in the future," the Pope writes. Touching on the current deadlock in Copenhagen over the responsibilities of wealthy countries versus developing countries, the Pope writes that "the present ecological crisis is the historical responsibility of the industrialized countries. Yet the less-developed countries, and emerging countries in particular, are not exempt from their own responsibilities with regard to creation, for the duty of gradually adopting effective environmental measures and policies is incumbent upon all." Nations must lessen their "self-interest" to move ahead together says the Pope. The Pope concludes by highlighting that not only policymakers have a responsibility towards environmental preservation, but the Catholic Church as well: the church must "protect earth, water and air as gifts of God the Creator meant for everyone, and above all to save mankind from the danger of self-destruction." Mankind, writes the Pope, must "renew and strengthen 'that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God'." Elected in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI has been increasingly outspoken on environmental issues. He had called the fight against climate change a "moral obligation". Among the Pope's new seven sins, announced last year, are destruction of the environment, excessive wealth, and the creation of poverty. Related articles The Pope: "creation is under threat" (08/26/2009) Pope Benedict XVI spoke today on environmental issues, singling out the importance of a September U.N. summit in New York to work on negotiations for an international framework to tackle global warming, preparing for the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December. Living up to the Pope's words: the Vatican turns to solar power (11/28/2008) In his three years since being inaugurated, Pope Benedict XVI has made the environment one of his central issues, proclaiming that "God entrusted man with the responsibility of creation". He has described the need to confront climate change as a “moral obligation” and spoken eloquently on the destruction of arable soil, forests and marine life. Pope Benedict XVI says environment has been undervalued by Catholics (08/07/2008) Pope Benedict XVI, who has arguably been the most vocal Pope on environmental concerns, told 400 priests in a closed meeting in Northern Italy that "God entrusted man with the responsibility of creation".
Tags: environmental politics politics environmental heroes economics finance environmental economics climate change climate change politics biodiversity Desertification poverty alleviation poverty green environment jeremy hance activism bold and dangerous ideas that may save the world carbon emissions corruption deforestation disasters drought energy environmental activism farming global warming mitigation governance human rights impact of climate change rainforest destruction sustainability Environmental news index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home Advertisements:
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