The environment, a question of “heart”

The battle to reverse the dangerous course of global warming on the planet is won together, with the commitment of everyone: heads of state or government, business leaders, religious leaders, believers and non-believers alike. Indeed, the environmental crisis is first and foremost a “crisis in meaning” and its resolution requires a political mobilization, as well as a “change of heart”. French President François Hollande did the honors in Paris, at the headquarters of the EESC (Conseil Economique, Social et environnemental) where on July 21 was held the “summit of consciences” for climate. The meeting brought together some forty personalities from the political and religious realms in the city that in December will host the International Conference “Cop 21” on climate change. The stakes are high for world States and governments. We have already reached a point of non-return – is the ensuing alarm – and unless crucial decisions are taken climate change will rapidly lead to dramatic, devastating phenomena, bound to threaten the very existence of human life: disappearance of the Amazon rainforest; melting ice caps; rising oceans. Hollande and the encyclical. The situation is such that it “requires the mobilization and commitment of everyone”. Hollande appealed to the “moral and religious leaders” to help the States trace a path of development compatible with nature. In Paris was often quoted Pope Francis, and the reference to the encyclical “Praised be You ” is constant and overarching. Hollande admitted himself that, having praised the French system based on secularism, he personally read the encyclical appreciating “the precious reflections” on the theme of ecology contained therein. “This summit of consciences – he added – acknowledges this contribution. It starts from the consideration that the climate crisis, and more extensively the ecological crisis, cannot be reduced to a dimension of science and technology, economic or political, but that is involves a crisis in meaning. “And the crisis in meaning is won with the heart”. Radical change. President Hollande again referred to the experience of the ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I. In the first months of the year he asked him to be a member of a French delegation to the Philippines, in the region devastated by the typhoon. The Patriarch’s commitment for environmental protection is known. But there are growing concerns for the future of our planet. “Never in the past – he said taking the floor in Paris – have men and women reached the point of making possible the destruction of their environment and their species. Never before, in the long history of the planet, have our ecosystems had to face an irreversible damage of this magnitude. This is why it is our responsibility to address this unique challenge to fulfill our responsibilities towards the next generations”. Patriarch Bartholomew spoke of a “conversion of the heart”, responding with a change of direction also in spiritual terms to scientists who “tirelessly” highlight the need for “a radical change in our lifestyle”. A world to pass down to our offspring. “At stake is the future of the planet that is our common home”. “The main obstacle is in our hearts”, said Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and peace, in perfect harmony with the Patriarch. The representative of the Holy See pointed out that the most frequent expression used by the Pope in the encyclical is “care”, which means: “to have at heart the fate of our common home”, and “when man cares about something, he protects it with passion and commitment”. The pressing invitation of the Pope to world leaders is not to “settle” with “good ideas” but to transform them into reality. The “main question” that runs through the encyclical is: “What kind of world do we want to bequeath to our children?” And the world today is no longer a safe place for many. Global warming causes a series of natural disasters such as typhoons, floods and desertification that threaten the very life of its inhabitants, as was underlined by Andrea Riccardi, and by other speakers. The founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio denounced 22 million climate refugees in the world and millions of victims as a result of these devastating events. But religions can do a lot together to “teach and establish an ecological conversion”. “Nobody is an island”, Riccardi said, and if we want to be saved we must to so together. The cry of alarm launched by scientists in the words of the religious leaders gathered in Paris became a message of hope, based on the belief that although the situation is extremely fragile, “there is still room for action”.