Pope Francis’ leaked encyclical: the good and the bad
In Chapter 1, and thematically throughout its 184 pages of main text, LS accepts as established fact that human activity is primarily responsible for, among other things:
a rise in atmospheric greenhouse gasses;
global warming;
the melting of the polar ice caps, glaciers and other masses of ice;
the release of methane gas from decomposing matter uncovered by the melting of ice packs;
a rise in ocean levels;
an increase in ocean acidity;
the decline of the barrier reefs and their life forms;
a threat to the existence of plankton;
species extinction and the destruction of biodiversity, including not only mammals, but fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles, “innumerable varieties of microorganisms” and mangrove trees (Cf. ¶¶ 20-50).
As Francis opines (¶ 24-25): “If the current tendency continues, this century could bear witness to unheard of climate changes and unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with grave consequences for all of us. … Climate changes are a global problem with grave environmental, social, economic, distributive and political consequences, and constitute one of the principal current challenges for humanity.”
