Pope Francis declares 'climate emergency' and urges action

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Pope Francis declares 'climate emergency' and urges action

Addressing energy leaders, pope warns of ‘catastrophic’ effects of global heating

Fiona Harvey and Jillian Ambrose
Fri 14 Jun 2019 19.53 BST Last modified on Fri 14 Jun 2019 20.31 BST

Pope Francis has declared a global “climate emergency”, warning of the dangers of global heating and that a failure to act urgently to reduce greenhouse gases would be “a brutal act of injustice toward the poor and future generations”.

He also endorsed the 1.5C limit on temperature rises that some countries are now aiming for, referring to warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of “catastrophic” effects if we crossed such a threshold. He said a “radical energy transition” would be needed to stay within that limit, and urged young people and businesses to take a leading role.

“Future generations stand to inherit a greatly spoiled world. Our children and grandchildren should not have to pay the cost of our generation’s irresponsibility,” he said, in his strongest and most direct intervention yet on the climate crisis. “Indeed, as is becoming increasingly clear, young people are calling for a change.”

The Pope’s impassioned plea came as he met the leaders of some of the world’s biggest multinational oil companies in the Vatican on Friday to impress upon them the urgency and scale of the challenge, and their central role in tackling the emissions crisis. It followed a similar meeting last year, but this time the Pope’s stance was tougher as he warned that time was running out and urged them to hear “the increasingly desperate cries of the earth and its poor”.

The chief executives or chairs of BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, ConocoPhilips, Chevron and several major investors including BlackRock and Hermes, responded by calling on governments to put in place carbon pricing to encourage low-carbon innovation, and called for greater financial transparency to aid investors.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/14/pope-francis-declares-climate-emergency-and-urges-action

[Cartoonist]

1. Hey Pope Asshat

How about taking action on overpopulation? You know, like ending your ban on contraceptives.

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. How quickly do you think that would solve the climate crisis?

Answer: Nowhere near fast enough.

[Cartoonist]

4. Without taking action on overpopulation

You won't be able to stop climate change. You have to take action on multiple fronts.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. I believe your logic is quite flawed

1) You assume that Roman Catholics mindlessly follow their church's teaching on contraception.
A recent survey showed that 65% of US Catholics believe employers who have a religious objection to the use of birth control should be required to provide it in health insurance policies for employees (comparable to 67% of all respondents):
https://www.pewforum.org/2016/09/28/where-the-public-stands-on-religious-liberty-vs-nondiscrimination/


2) You assume that the Roman Catholic teaching on birth control is responsible for population growth. If that was true then, countries like Poland, Italy and Spain should have high Total Fertility:


3) You assume that cutting the birth rate would have a dramatic effect as quickly as we need (i.e. in 10 years.)

[Cartoonist]

6. I made none of those assumptions

Overpopulation is why we have human caused climate change. This issue must be addressed. My post was to call out the Pope for being blind to that because his policies aren't helping.

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. I don't believe "Overpopulation is why we have human caused climate change."

The #1 culprit is the US, not because of overpopulation, but because of high per capita GHG emissions.



China has a much larger population, but, until recently had smaller net GHG emissions than the US.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS ...

https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2019/june/documents/papa-francesco_20190614_compagnie-petrolifere.html

…

Your meeting has focused on three interrelated points: first, a just transition; second, carbon pricing; and third, transparency in reporting climate risk. These are three immensely complex issues and I commend you for taking them up and at your level, a serious and scientific level.

A just transition, as you know, is called for in the Preamble to the Paris Agreement. Such a transition involves managing the social and employment impact of the move to a low-carbon society. If managed well, this transition can generate new jobs, reduce inequality and improve the quality of life for those affected by climate change.

Second, carbon pricing is essential if humanity is to use the resources of creation wisely. The failure to deal with carbon emissions has incurred a vast debt that will now have to be repaid with interest by those coming after us. Our use of the world’s natural resources can only be considered ethical when the economic and social costs of using them are transparently recognized and are fully borne by those who incur them, rather than by other people or future generations (cf. Laudato Si’, 195).

The third issue, transparency in reporting climate risk, is essential because economic resources must be deployed where they can do the most good. Open, transparent, science-based and standardized reporting is in the common interests of all, enabling financial capital to move to those areas that support “the fullest possibilities to human ingenuity to create and innovate, while at the same time protecting the environment and creating more sources of employment” (Laudato Si’, 192).

Dear friends, time is running out! Deliberations must go beyond mere exploration of what can be done, and concentrate on what needs to be done, starting today. We do not have the luxury of waiting for others to step forward, or of prioritizing short-term economic benefits. The climate crisis requires “our decisive action, here and now” (Laudato Si’, 161) and the Church is fully committed to playing her part.

…