EDITORIAL Global warming statement a lesson in prudence
U.S. Catholic bishops warmed last
week to the overheated topic of the earth running a temperature: global
warming.
They spoke to Americans not as doctors with a prescription, but as
ethicists. They provided all Americans with a phrase that cuts through both the
scientific debate and the political and advocacy group posturing and
maneuvering. The essentials in all ecological discussion, they said, are
the virtue of prudence, the pursuit of the common good and a concern for
the poor.
Well said. Now lets look at what they meant.
They meant it is best to err on the side of caution, that the
world should take steps now to mitigate possible negative effects in the
future. They spoke on their own accord, they said, and at the urging of
church leaders in other parts of the world who fear powerful interests
will mute their voices.
And indeed that will happen.
Global climate change at its core is not about economic
theory or political platforms or partisan advantage or interest group
pressures. It is about the future of Gods creation and the one human
family, the bishops wrote in the statement they titled Global
Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good.
And while some uncertainty remains, most experts agree
something significant is happening to the atmosphere, the bishops
wrote.
Therefore wed better stop doing some of the things we
think may be creating the problem while the world community investigates
further the consequences of what in fact we are doing. Thats prudent.
Will anyone listen? This plea for dialogue, prudence and the
common good both is and is not just one more voice crying in the wilderness.
The world religions have found common ethical ground for ecological common
good. The bishops statement joins a body of statements from leaders of
all the worlds religions who have spoken on the ethics of dealing with
creation.
The 1986 Assisi Declarations by Bahaii, Buddhist, Christian,
Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh leaders, for example, are bolstered by
this plea from the U.S. Catholic church, even though the other declarations
covered broader ground.
Here is an excerpt from the Muslim declaration at Assisi: We
often say that Islam is a complete way of life, by which it is meant that our
ethical systems provide the bearings for all our actions. Yet our actions often
undermine the very values we cherish.
Thats what all the religions are saying: that we are already
causing recognizable environmental havoc, that we are dealing with ecological
consequences beyond our knowledge, that the risk of irreparable harm is real,
that prudence is called for.
Indeed, Catholic teaching, said the bishops, calls for bold
and generous action on behalf of the common good.
Generosity of spirit and action, concern for the global common
good, and prudence in the face of unknown risks are not contained in the
intentions of a U.S. administration that takes our own nations
self-interests as a starting point for global ecological action -- or
inaction.
National Catholic Reporter, June 29,
2001
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