~ by Daniel Horan, Earth Beat of National Catholic Reporter
Pope Francis, who played a significant spiritual and nongovernmental role in promoting the Paris Agreement in 2015, issued his influential encyclical letter “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home” the same year.
Here is an illustrative set of five key alignments with those of economist and journalist Nishan Degnarain in his article in Forbes Magazine.
Taking science seriously: Take seriously the scientific evidence for “what is happening to our common home”. Embrace expertise and scientific research in formulating policies and responding to crises
Environmental justice for poor and marginalized: Call for a paradigm shift in how we approach issues of society and the natural environment, recognizing their inherent relationship and interconnectedness. The Biden Plan explicitly acknowledges how climate change and pollution disproportionately affect poor and minoritized communities and the need to correct such injustices.
Intergenerational solidarity: Francis writes, “Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice since the world we have received also belongs to those who follow us.”
International collaboration: Returning America to the international stage will strengthen partnerships necessary to respond to the existential climate threat as well as other crises that will inevitably rise.
Economy in dialogue for human fulfillment: Francis in Laudato Si’ reemphasized the centrality of the common good as the foundational principle of governance and international cooperation. The Biden Administration has proposed a number of clean energy and economic initiatives aimed at sustaining dialogue between the economy and the environment, striving to connect our coordinated response to climate change with economic justice and growth. To read the entire article click here