{"id":113669,"date":"2015-05-04T12:07:39","date_gmt":"2015-05-04T12:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=113669"},"modified":"2015-05-04T12:07:39","modified_gmt":"2015-05-04T12:07:39","slug":"pope-francis-makes-moral-case-on-global-warming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/pope-francis-makes-moral-case-on-global-warming\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis makes moral case on global warming"},"content":{"rendered":"

The buildup to Pope Francis’ planned encyclical on global climate change has begun, with the moral case for acting to combat man-made global warming taking center stage in a way it never has before.<\/p>\n

The encyclical, which is a papal letter sent to all bishops around the world, will likely come out next month, but Francis is already having an influence on the global debate about climate change.<\/p>\n

The pope’s involvement comes at a critical time for climate action, as global leaders work toward creating an entirely new framework for a bottom-up climate agreement that will involve every nation in the world committing to do their part to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.<\/p>\n

These gases, such as carbon dioxide, are causing temperatures to increase, sea levels to rise and polar ice sheets to melt.<\/p>\n

Negotiators are already trying to figure out the potential details of such an agreement, with the final critical summit taking place in Paris in December.<\/p>\n

Francis, who enjoys worldwide popularity unseen since the days of Pope John Paul II, is not waiting for Paris.<\/p>\n

Last week, he gathered scientists and religious leaders in Vatican City for a conference on climate change.<\/p>\n

The United Nations division that houses the climate talks sent out a statement via Twitter on Sunday from the meeting:<\/p>\n

\"2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The statement reads in part:<\/p>\n

In this core moral space, the world’s religions play a very vital role. These traditions all affirm the inherent dignity of every individual linked to the common good of all humanity. They affirm the beauty, wonder, and inherent goodness of the natural world, and appreciate that it is a precious gift entrusted to our common care, making it our moral duty to respect rather than ravage the garden that is our home.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a very different case for climate action compared to what world leaders, such as U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping \u2014 who head up the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas-emitting nations \u2014 have made to date.<\/p>\n

Instead, the case for curbing climate change has long been couched in economic terms or even national security.<\/p>\n

For example, in his first major climate address in 2013, Obama argued a mainly economic case for acting to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n

“A low-carbon, clean-energy economy can be an engine of growth for decades to come. And I want America to build that engine. I want America to build that future \u2014 right here in the United States of America. That\u2019s our task,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Capture\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Robert Orr, who serves as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s special advisor on climate change and leads University of Maryland’s public policy school, told Mashable<\/em> that the first time Ban and Francis met, the only topics the pope raised were global poverty and the possibility that climate change could undermine efforts to alleviate poverty worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is very significant that the pope is weighing in directly and not just with public statements, but coming out with a formal statement,” Orr said, adding that this mean Francis is putting as much emphasis on this “as any pope can address this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Francis and Ban both recognize that poverty alleviation and global warming “are profoundly linked,\u201d Orr said. “Climate change could undercut all development gains that have been made in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all about protecting God’s creation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orr added that the moral case for acting on climate change is also being made on college campuses, where students are pushing their schools to divest their endowments from fossil fuels.<\/p>\n

This perspective is important, Orr said. \u201cWe can\u2019t forget either that this is a moral issue for a large swath of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an op-ed for LinkedIn published last week, Ban explained why he agrees with Francis that climate change is a moral issue.<\/p>\n

“I stressed to Pope Francis that I very much look forward to his encyclical, which will act as moral voice on the issue, and comes at an unprecedented time for global action for a sustainable future for our planet and its people,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

“In one way or another, we are all experiencing the effects of climate change, and these impacts will only increase. Yet climate change does not affect us all equally. Those who suffer first and worst are those who did least to cause it: the poor and most vulnerable members of society who are the least equipped to mitigate and adapt to this changing situation.”<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n

\"Philippines<\/div>

The faithful stand on top of Typhoon Haiyan debris, as they listen to mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Tacloban, Philippines, Jan. 17, 2015.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The moral case for climate-change action may help breach the partisan divide that exists in several Western countries on climate change, particularly the U.S., Canada and Australia.<\/p>\n

In U.S. Congress, for example, House Republicans are seeking to gut NASA’s climate-research budget, and all of the party’s declared presidential candidates for 2016 have expressed doubts that manmade global warming even exists.<\/p>\n

This stands in stark contrast to the two declared Democratic candidates, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, both of whom favor aggressive emissions-reduction plans.<\/p>\n

Polling data suggests that framing climate change in moralistic terms could be beneficial for those who are in favor of enacting policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

A March poll from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University found that “Americans are nine times more likely to lean toward the view that it is people\u2019s responsibility to care for\u00a0the Earth and its resources (62%) than toward the belief that it is our right to use the Earth and its resources for our own benefit (7%). Three in 10 (30%) put themselves equally between the two positions.”<\/p>\n

At the same time, the majority of Americans said no when asked directly if climate change is a moral issue, suggesting that moral arguments may resonate, but direct moral appeals may fall flat.<\/p>\n

For climate activists, Francis’ appeal lies in his ability to reach past partisan politics and into the pews of churches, including faith communities that had not previously seen climate change as an issue for them to address.<\/p>\n

His popularity extends far beyond the Catholic Church and intoAmerican pop culture, where he has gained a reputation for being the cool pope \u2014 one who calls people directly to chat, and ordered a pizza to be delivered straight to the Popemobile.<\/p>\n

“Around the world, I have seen how floods, droughts, rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms are causing terrible harm, and prompting families to migrate, often at great peril,” Ban wrote. “As His Holiness Pope Francis has said, ‘We need to see, with the eyes of faith \u2026 the link between the natural environment and the dignity of the human person.'”<\/p>\n

“Climate change is a moral issue. It is an issue of social justice, human rights and fundamental ethics. If left unchecked, the current course of climate change will alter life on Earth as we know it. Whatever your religious beliefs, this is morally indefensible. We must not let it happen.”<\/p>\n

After Francis’ encyclical in June, he is expected to address a major summit on sustainable development at the U.N. in September, where many world leaders will be present.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0mashable.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The buildup to Pope Francis’ planned encyclical on global climate change has begun, with the moral case for acting to combat man-made global warming taking center stage in a way it never has before. The encyclical, which is a papal letter sent to all bishops around the world, will likely come out next month, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":113672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[14],"yoast_head":"\nPope Francis makes moral case on global warming - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. 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