Summary: In his May encyclical, Pope Francis called for swift global action on climate change. He linked science, morality and church doctrine to do so.  Now, citizens around the globe are taking action.

__________________________________________

By Ashton Roberts

On May 24, 2015 Pope Francis used his encyclical as a vehicle to call for a sweeping transformation of politics, economics, and lifestyles to tackle environmental degradation and climate change. He pleaded for swift global action through a critique of consumerism and wasteful development. The Pope’s 184-page encyclical highlights the looming crisis posed by climate change and places most of the blame on human activity and fossil fuels. He bravely linked church doctrine, personal morality, and the environment, something that scientists have avoided doing for decades. The Pope warned of “unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequence for all of us” if action is not taken swiftly. He chastised indifference, the pursuit of wealth; trust in technology and political thoughtlessness, saying that relentless exploitation and destruction of the environment are the result. Francis has outlined a three-pronged climate change fix: remove greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, restore ecosystems, and help the people who are most vulnerable to climate change with resources to adapt to our changing climate.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pope_Francis_Photo_1.jpg

The Pope states that climate change has grave implications, noting that it is one of the “principal challenges facing humanity today.” He goes on to point out that the most vulnerable victims are the poor, many of whom survive on subsistence lifestyles, and are almost wholly dependent on natural reserves and ecosystem services, without which they will have no means of recovery or adaptation. He holds developed countries responsible in particular saying, “the warming caused by huge consumption on the part of some rich countries has repercussions on the poorest areas of the world, especially Africa, where a rise in temperature, together with drought, has proved devastating for farmers.” The Pope further criticizes businesses that export waste and pollute in less developed countries “in ways they could never do at home, in the countries in which they raise their capital.” His critique of the developed world continues still, arguing against notions that current economics and technology will solve environmental problems stating that on the contrary ” technocratic domination leads to the destruction of nature and the exploitation of people.” Pope Francis champions the perspective of water as a basic and universal human right, because it is “essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights,” critiquing those who, despite its scarcity, seek to privatize water by turning it into a commodity laid at the alter of the market.

Moving to link morality to the climate change debate, the Pope entreats the international community to take action, saying “recent World Summits…have not lived up to expectations because…they were unable to reach truly meaningful and effective global agreements on the environment …. there is an urgent need for politics and economics to enter into a frank dialogue in the service of life, especially human life.” He highlights this need by writing, “what kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up …? [I]t is no longer enough…to state that we should be concerned for future generations. We need to see that what is at stake is our own dignity.”

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Earth#/media/File:The_Blue_Marble.jpg

So what is the take-away from all of this? Climate change is a very real threat. Religious and social leaders are taking steps to push governments around the world to take action and protect our atmosphere. In August, twenty-one young people, with the help of the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust , filed a landmark constitutional climate change lawsuit against the federal government, seeking a court order requiring the President to immediately implement a national plan to decrease atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide to a safe level: 350 ppm by the year 2100. In late July, a court in the Netherlands agreed with the citizens that “the severity and scope of the climate problem make it necessary for the Dutch government to reduce the Dutch greenhouse gas emissions at a much higher rate, imposing a 25% reduction by 2020.” This fall nations from around the globe will convene in Paris for COP21 with the aim to create a new international agreement on the climate, applicable to all countries, with the aim of keeping global warming below two degrees Celsius. But, if an agreement isn’t reached we may see more lawsuits on the horizon as citizens take their future on this planet into their own hands.

Ashton Roberts is a 3L at Vermont Law School, working towards her Juris Doctor, Masters of Environmental Law and Policy degree, General Practice Certificate, and Criminal Law Certificate. Prior to law school, she attended Virginia Tech where she earned a B.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning. She is a managing editor on the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law. Most recently, Ms. Roberts worked as a law clerk at Our Children’s Trust in Eugene, Oregon.

The post Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical: The Environmental Reader’s Digest Version appeared first on Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.