Pave Francis ind i klimakampen I
29. april 2015
Fra sin første tiltræden har Pave Francis helt klart og utvetydigt markeret, at forurening og overforbrug var at betragte som dødssynder, og at vi var nødt til at lægge kursen helt om og genfinde en respekt for skaberværket, vores omgivende natur. Og det har længe stået klart, at han forud for vedtagelsen af klimaaftalen i Paris sidst på året forberedte en massiv opbakningsindsats ikke bare overfor verdens katolikker, men for verdens trossamfund.
Dette er foreløbig kulmineret i denne uge med afholdelsen af et stort anlagt klimasymposium, hvor klimaforskere, NGO-repræsentanter og ledere fra verdens trossamfund har været samlet i Vatikanet i forbindelse med fremlæggelsen af en klimadeklaration. I Francis’ perspektiv er en samlet løsning af fattigdomsudfordringen og overforbruget centralt. Samtidig med at vi rigeste må skrue ganske radikalt ned og fralægge os en række ubæredygtige vaner, må vi sikre os, at alle har rammerne for værdige liv.
Herunder er i første omgang selve deklarationen gengivet sammen med en række artikler om Vatikanets klimaudspil, som ikke bare har vakt megen glæde, fordi der er tale om milliarder af mennesker, som ad denne vej italesættes i et sprog, som de indimellem meget teknisk-videnskabelige rationaler vanskeligt formår. Det har også vakt harme og frustration i kredse, som traditionelt påkalder sig et kristent-religiøst tilhørsforhold, at deres fossile interesser og klimafornægtelse på denne måde skammes ud og præsenteres som ude af trit med et kristent levned.
Fremtrædende engelske klimafornægtere har da også været draget til Vatikantet for at få paven på bedre tanker, men de fik ret direkte at vide, at de skulle holde mund med deres fejlbefængte tale, hvis ikke de ville smides på porten!
Deklarationsteksten lyder som følger:
Human-induced climate change is a scientific reality, and its decisive mitigation is a moral and religious imperative for humanity;
In this core moral space, the world’s religions play a very vital role. These traditions all affirm the inherent dignity of every individual linked to the common good of all humanity. They affirm the beauty, wonder, and inherent goodness of the natural world, and appreciate that it is a precious gift entrusted to our common care, making it our moral duty to respect rather than ravage the garden that is our home;
The poor and excluded face dire threats from climate disruptions, including the increased frequency of droughts, extreme storms, heat waves, and rising sea levels;
The world has within its technological grasp, financial means, and know-how the means to mitigate climate change while also ending extreme poverty, through the application of sustainable development solutions including the adoption of low-carbon energy systems supported by information and communications technologies;
The financing of sustainable development, including climate mitigation, should be bolstered through new incentives for the transition towards low-carbon energy, and through the relentless pursuit of peace, which also will enable the shift of public financing from military spending to urgent investments for sustainable development;
The world should take note that the climate summit in Paris later this year (COP21) may be the last effective opportunity to negotiate arrangements that keep human-induced warming below 2-degrees C, and aim to stay well below 2-degree C for safety, yet the current trajectory may well reach a devastating 4-degrees C or higher;
Political leaders of all UN member states have a special responsibility to agree at COP21 to a bold climate agreement that confines global warming to a limit safe for humanity, while protecting the poor and the vulnerable from ongoing climate change that gravely endangers their lives. The high-income countries should help to finance the costs of climate-change mitigation in low-income countries as the high-income countries have promised to do;
Climate-change mitigation will require a rapid world transformation to a world powered by renewable and other low-carbon energy and the sustainable management of ecosystems. These transformations should be carried out in the context of globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals, consistent with ending extreme poverty; ensuring universal access for healthcare, quality education, safe water, and sustainable energy; and cooperating to end human trafficking and all forms of modern slavery. All sectors and stakeholders must do their part, a pledge that we fully commit to in our individual capacities.
Se tidligere blog-indlæg: Vatikanet: Det er syndigt at forurene og Vatikanet som klimamodel.
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