“Laudato Si” is an encyclical by Pope Francis capturing the interconnection of economic, social, and environmental justice in protecting the environment. Climate change is a result of human activities and excessive consumption by the developed economies as manifested through more green gas emissions, and waste. As a result, Pope criticizes irresponsible developments and consumerism as the causes of global warming and environmental degradation. The paper is a reaction paper to “Laudato Si,” by Pope Francis based on my reaction and references to the free market, U.N.‘s Report on Nature’s Dangerous Decline and the interdependency of human rights
Pope Francis released his encyclical, “Laudato Si,” on the 18th of June 2015 a few months before the Paris Climate Conference. This speech was crucial in creating a fundamental political climate to facilitate international adoption of strategies that contribute towards reduced emission of greenhouse gasses. The Pope incorporates theological elements like cosmology to distinguish the rest of the creation of humans who were created in the image of God. Although the speech beginning with a message of love, it deviates in the middle, and towards the end, I find it difficult to evaluate whether his analysis was guided by the conventional paradigm of stewardship or love language. In my opinion, Pope Francis is cautious about incorporating technology in his argument to avoid derailing the audience from his advice on environmental issues. He criticizes the levels of consumption by the developed economies. I agree with his argument because the consumptive lifestyle of the elite nation has contributed to detrimental effects like deforestation, climate change, high levels of environmental toxins, and a decline in marine life. Towards the end of the speech, the Pope earns the audience environmental degradation will result in catastrophic perils of on humans and life. I believe that he recognizes the gravity of environmental degradation and the sounds of his warning with vigor. The encyclical letter by the pope incorporates theological elements in appealing to his audience to preserve the environment.
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The encyclical letter by Pope Francis asserts that environmental issues are a result of a lack of social justice due to the wanting operation of global economic systems. He is opposed to the ideologies and practices of free markets while advocating for socially responsible capitalism principles that improve unity and social equity (Lawrence, 2015). In my opinion, Pope Francis uses to appeal to policies, as he does not oppose free markets but advocates for regulations to ensure social justice to all people to eradicate poverty and hunger around the world while controlling the consumption of natural resources to secure a sustainable future. On many occasions, the Pope has appealed to businesses, organizations, and individuals to unite in eradicating hunger and poverty in society. The impact of environmental conservation can be achieved through transparency and free economies devoid of political pressure.
The UN report on “Dangerous Decline” revealed that millions of plants and animals are threatened with extinction due to human activities around the world. However, it is not late to make a difference by making transformative changes across social and economic paradigms (UN, 2019). Similarly, Pope Francis appeals to policy goals by exploring the root of the contemporary ecological crisis while asserting for responsible leadership. He asserts that integral ecology can be achieved through the interconnection of economic, environment, and social ecologies. The speech appeals to all people to unite in addressing issues affecting God's creation. Just like the UN report, the Pope appeals for transformative change on conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of the environment through social and economic factors.
The present social injustices like hunger, poverty, and pollution deprive most people of basic human rights. Pope Francis advocates for behavioral change as a means of attaining human relationships and ecological balance when he states, “The majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers. This should spur religions to dialogue among themselves for the sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building networks of respect and fraternity”(Pope Francis, 2015). The lifestyle change of the rich seeking to increase their wealth should not undermine the interdependency of human rights. Equitable distribution of wealth is a major environmental concern that will benefit the rights of future generations (Pope Francis, 2015). He advocates for humanity to bring changes in various fields and facilitate social justice and respect for basic human rights. The absence of sound principles and objective truth leads to the human desire to satisfy immediate needs and desires through the trade of drugs, human trafficking, and trade in black diamond, organized crime, and poaching. The force of law and political efforts are not sufficient in preventing activities that harm the environment. Instead, a culture of objective truth and principles is likely to facilitate the interdependency of human rights.
The encyclical letter of Pope Francis integrates economical, ecological, and social school of thought in asserting for policy changes towards sustaining the environment. Humans have continued to destroy the ecology through industrial and government policies. The Pope calls for an awakening in interpreting the significance of preserving the ecology through secular and religious points of view. The focus of Pope Francis on environmental conservation and policy change aligns with the U.N.‘s Report on Nature’s Dangerous Decline. The Pope further appeals to policy goals especially in capital markets by regulating the economy to benefit nature and society.
References
Lawrence, B (2015). The economics of Laudato Si’: No surprises here. Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations . https://www.accer.asn.au/index.php/papers/134-the-economics-of-laudato-si-no-surprises-here/file
Pope Francis (2015). Laudato si [Encyclical letter). http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
UN (2019, May 6 ). UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating.’ United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/
