Justice Matters: 

Climate emergency – NOW, NOW is the time to act.

This week has seen the publication of a remarkable work of scientific collaboration.  195 countries approved a report authored by 284 scientists from 66 countries, including the assimilation of 78,007 comments from experts. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. (Click on the picture for a short video)This week it published its 6th assessment of climate science.  It was set up in 1988  out of concern that humans might be changing the climate.  The subsequent assessments have tracked the progress of the science as the understanding and certainty of human-caused changes were confirmed. It has been a sceptical process – science is sceptical. Theories are tested – and in the case of climate change alternatives were found wanting. It is human activity that has caused a crisis. 

The basic science was proposed by Arrhenius in 1896: more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will lead to a disrupted, warmer climate. The oil industry knew that clearly, in the 1980s but preferred short-term profit to sustainability of life on the Earth. The insurance industry, not noted as a refuge for the eco-warrior, was also preparing for the risks of climate change since some 20+ years ago. 

See Not long ago we would hear some politicians and media say they have had enough of experts – ignorant prejudice and self-interest was preferred, and challenging questions dismissed as “project fear”.

Perhaps COVID has raised appreciation of the expertise of scientists, and also made us more attuned  to the language and management of risk.

You might like to read these from the IPCC:  press release ; report for European region. 

Reflect It seems preposterous that little humans can affect the climate of the big, wide Earth with consequences for whole ecosystems and for ourselves…. but it is unarguably the case that we have done so, since industrialisation. COVID and the climate emergency have subverted our own expectations of what life will be like. Even those who lauded the free market have made huge interventions to deal with the reality of COVID – yet many contend neither politicians nor commerce have yet done anything like enough to respond to the climate emergency, although some green shoots can be seen.

Act Perhaps consider how your own decisions have changed since you became aware of the climate emergency – reducing CO2 emissions; making choices of investment and purchases that are sustainable.  Together we make only a small difference – but by doing what we can we are responding to the Sprit, and bringing our 5 loaves and 2 fishes to the Lord.  We can then with integrity start to engage with politics and commercial powers, and stop being passive consumers. 

From the Laudato Si' Movement, you are invited to  Sign the “Healthy Planet, Healthy People” petition and tell world leaders how to protect our common home. 

Mike Mineter