Climate change and apartheid

At the time of writing, the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, was still in progress. Anyone reading it today does so with the privilege of hindsight as the conference would have already come to an end.

The conference brought together representatives from 200 governments, international organisations and civil society. It aimed to bring forward the positions registered in previous initiatives, mainly the Kyoto protocol, the Bali action plan and the Cancun agreements.

Last month the UN released three reports that clearly showed that time is running out. Every day that passes makes it more urgent for the world’s nations to take concrete and effective action to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that have led to rising sea levels. The very existence of some island states is under threat.

Moreover, climate change is increasing famine and worsening draughts, thereby affecting millions of people whose crops are failing. The future of the planet could be heavily affected by decisions world leaders could take to reduce this phenomenon which is negatively hitting millions of people.

I dare not predict what will happen by the concluding session of the conference. A few days ago the UN’s climate chief Christiana Figueres said she believed countries can snap the deadlock that has lasted for years and sign up to fresh and binding commitments to cut greenhouse gases. One hopes her wish would come true.

However, I will instead propose a Catholic perspective through the words of Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas Internationalis. In his Angelus message on November 28 the Pope described climate change as a worrisome and complex phenomenon which badly hits the needs of the poorest and future generations.

While addressing members of the Sister Nature Foundation, a project sponsored by the Franciscans of Assisi, the Pope reminded his audience that when man disregards his duties as steward of creation “then he can cause violence and damage to creation, which always have a negative impact on humans, as we have seen, unfortunately, on several occasions”. The Pope tied respect for the environment to the recognition of the value of the human person and its inviolability at every stage and in every condition of life.

Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga was in Durban leading a 20-strong delegation to press for a reduction of emissions by more than 40 per cent by 2020 and for an agreement on behalf of poor countries severely impacted by climate change.

During a panel entitled ‘What’s God got to do with it?’, the cardinal said the present economic system and its search for money above all, have dehumanised human beings. He said religious groups have a duty to humanise them again.

During the homily at the Mass of the Second Sunday in Advent celebrated at the Emmanuel Cathedral, he connected the Gospel’s message to the theme of the conference. He said that “just as South Africa’s apartheid era policies sought divisions along race lines, today the world’s environment and energy policies divide man from nature”.

Just like John the Baptist, the cardinal had a stern and urgent message: “Don’t we realise the climate is out of control? How long will countless people have to go on dying before adequate decisions are taken? “In the desert, John ‘cried out’ the need to prepare a way for the Lord. Today, in the desert of our planet Earth, and in the desert of our hearts, the same voice is ringing out. This conference of delegates from so many countries cannot remain a voice silenced by economic power.”

Once more, the Church is showing its interest in things that are Caesar’s insofar as they make a difference to men and women, who are at the centre of the Church’s mission.

joseph.borg@um.edu.mt