NEW YORK, SEPT. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See affirms that protecting the environment is a grave responsibility shared by every person, but also warns that two extreme attitudes should be avoided.
Monsignor Pietro Parolin, undersecretary for relations with states in the Vatican Secretariat of State, said this Monday at a high-level event on climate change at the U.N. General Assembly.
"Climate change," he said, "is a serious concern and an inescapable responsibility for scientists and other experts, political and governmental leaders, local administrators and international organizations, as well as every sector of human society and each human person."
Monsignor Parolin affirmed that "my delegation wishes to stress the underlying moral imperative that all, without exception, have a grave responsibility to protect the environment."
Reckless
Then the Vatican official noted two extremes to be avoided.
In the first place, he stated, "it has been unsettling to note how some commentators have said that we should actually exploit our world to the full, with little or no heed to the consequences, using a worldview supposedly based on faith. We strongly believe that this is a fundamentally reckless approach."
Monsignor Parolin continued: "At the other extreme, there are those who hold up the earth as the only good, and would characterize humanity as an irredeemable threat to the earth, whose population and activity need to be controlled by various drastic means.
"We strongly believe that such assertions would place human beings and their needs at the service of an inhuman ecology."
Solution
Monsignor Parolin urged international cooperation in finding and implementing a solution to climate change.
"Since no country alone can solve the problems related to our common environment, we need to overcome self-interest through collective action," he said. "On the part of the international community, this presupposes the adoption of a coordinated, effective and prompt international political strategy capable of responding to such a complex question."
The Vatican official encouraged "ways and means of mitigation and adaptation that are economically accessible to most, enhance sustainable development and foster a healthy environment."
But, he noted that such ways and means are likely to meet obstacles, "not so much of a technological nature, but more so of a social nature, such as consumer behavior and preferences, and of a political nature, like government policies."
Education
To answer this problem, Monsignor Parolin encouraged education "especially among the young, to change inbred, selfish attitudes toward consumption and exploitation of natural resources."
He further recommended public support for environmentally friendly initiatives.
"Government policies giving economic incentives and financial breaks for more environmentally friendly technologies will give the private sector the positive signal they need to program their product development in such direction," he affirmed.
Finally, the Vatican official urged a rapid implementation of the accords reached.
States are free to adopt international conventions and treaties," he said, "but unless our words are matched with effective action and accountability, we would do little to avert a bleak future and may find ourselves gathering again not too long from now to lament another collective failure."
ZE07092508 - 2007-09-25