By Fr. Emmet Farrell
In 1988 Jim Hansen, a recognized scientist, said: “It’s time to stop waffling”. It is now an urgent necessity for the people of this democracy “of the people, by the people and for the people” to speak up. We cannot and should not allow the elected leadership of our country to waffle on climate change. Almost one hundred percent of scientists agree that climate change is real and the principle cause is human activity. This refers to the excessive carbon dioxide emissions caused by our burning of fossil fuels, particularly petroleum, gas, and coal.
The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, IPCC, and the Pontifical Academy of Science, PAS, have both stated, in essence, that we have one decade to lower fossil fuel emissions to avoid further and catastrophic weather conditions. We are already witnessing more frequent and severe hurricanes and flooding, melting of the polar ice cap causing rising sea levels, the hottest years on record in our air and ocean waters, plus the worst wildfires on record in California, due in part to drought and drying heat conditions. Is it time for people to speak up?
In December of 2015 at the Paris Accords one hundred and ninety-five nations signed a commitment to decrease the fossil fuel emissions. The present U. S. administration backed out of that accord. Our government is going the wrong direction and doing so against the thinking of the majority of our people and that of the great majority of nations of the world. Is it not time for the populace to speak up, to insist that our nation is headed in the wrong direction and to work together in greater solidarity to help us change directions.
Recently one observer told me that we have the technology, but what we do not have is the political will and the financial support to promote and develop it. Our government is joining the oil producing countries to become the world leader in oil production. Our governmental representatives proposed further coal and natural gas use at the COP 24 meeting taking place in Poland and were heckled. Historically, we saw big tobacco avoid the truth in order to continue their profitable business for years before the voice of doctors, scientists and people forced them to change their ways. We are now seeing the same denial by big oil. They have people paid to sow doubt about climate change and its harmful effects in order to continue to protect and promote their profitable sale of fossil fuels.
The one thing we should NOT do is to be indifferent. Pope Francis speaks of the “globalization of indifference”. Edmund burke said: “The only thing necessary for evil to thrive is for good people to do nothing”. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated: “Silence in the face of evil, is evil itself”. As a person of faith, I feel obliged to speak out and ask others if they too should not speak their minds also.