Root causes of the climate crisis and political obstacles: a Catholic Social Teaching perspective

ABSTRACT

The objective of this article is to explore some of the main obstacles for earnest and successful political engagement with the climate crisis. Firstly, an account will be given on the place of the human person in creation from a Catholic Social Teaching perspective. This is followed by an analysis of ‘the technocratic paradigm’ that has as its aim gaining control over external objects to possess, master, and transform using rational procedures. It has been influential in particular for our dominating economic system and conceptions of ‘the good life’. The last part touches upon the role of politics and some very practical challenges. Overcoming the ‘technocratic paradigm’ seems necessary from a Catholic Social Teaching perspective to heal the disharmonious relation between the human person and nature that lies at the centre of our current crises.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate change
• Catholic Social Teaching
• theological anthropology
• European Union
• Pope Francis
• technocratic paradigm
• Laudato Si’

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Francis, ‘Address to the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28)’, December 2, 2023, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december/documents/20231202-dubai-cop28.html.

² St Augustine, ‘Sermon XVIII [LXVIII. Ben.].2’, in St. Augustine: Sermon on the Mount; Harmony of the Gospels; Homilies on the Gospels, NPNF1-06, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Rev. R. G. Macmullen, M.A., [Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. 6] (Grand Rapids, 1887), D.D. 664. https://www.ccel.org/ccel/s/schaff/npnf106/cache/npnf106.pdf.

³ Francis, ‘Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’’, May 24, 2015, 216: AAS 107 (2015), 932, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.

⁴ The author is well aware of the richness found in other Christian traditions, but as he is himself a Catholic, he does not dare to claim to have an understanding of these specific traditions.

⁵ Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, ‘290’, https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P19.HTM.

⁶ Cf. Edmund Waldstein, ‘The Lords of Nature’, in Plough Quarterly 28: Creatures – The Nature Issue, June 14, 2021, https://plough.com/en/topics/justice/culture-of-life/the-lords-of-nature.

⁷ Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, ‘Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World’, Gaudium et Spes, 12, https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html.

⁸ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 77: AAS 107 (2015), 877–8.

⁹ St Ambrose, ‘The Six Days of Creation. Book IV: The Fourth Day. The Sixth Homily’, Chapter 1 (2), in Saint Ambrose. Hexameron, Paradise, and Cain and Abel, ed. Roy Joseph Deferrari et al., trans. John J. Savage [The Fathers of the Church] (New York 1961), 127, https://archive.org/details/fathersofthechur027571mbp/page/n141/mode/2up.

¹⁰ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 67–9: AAS 107 (2015), 873–5.

¹¹ Cf. Francis, ‘General Audience’, September 16, 2020, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-09/pope-francis-become-guardians-of-life-and-earth-by-contemplatio.html.

¹² Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 116: AAS 107 (2015), 894.

¹³ Benedict XVI, ‘Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate’, June 29, 2009)’, 7: AAS 101 (2009), 645, https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate.html#_edn26.

¹⁴ Gaudium et Spes, 26.

¹⁵ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 156–62: AAS 107 (2015), 910–2.

¹⁶ Cf. Michaël Bauwens, ‘On the Ethics and Metaphysics of Fittingness, Affordances and Providence’, in Fittingness and Environmental Ethics. Philosophical, Theological and Applied Perspectives, eds. Michael S. Northcott, Steven C. van den Heuvel, (London, 2023), 59–61.

¹⁷ Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 106: AAS 107 (2015), 889.

¹⁸ Cf. Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’, 14: AAS 101 (2009), 650.

¹⁹ Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, March 26, 1967, 34: AAS 59 (1967), 274, https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_26031967_populorum.html.

²⁰ Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum, October 4, 2023, 21, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html.

²¹ See for this paragraph, Waldstein, ‘Lords of Nature’.

²² René Descartes, ‘Discourse on the Method’, Part 6, AT 6. 61–2, in The Philosophical Writings of Descartes 1, trans. John Cottingham et al. (Cambridge University Press, 1985), 142–3.

²³ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 106: AAS 107 (2015), 889.

²⁴ Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, ‘Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church’, 462, https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html.

²⁵ Cf. Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’, 21: AAS 101 (2009), 655–7.

²⁶ Cf. Ibid., 49: AAS 101 (2009), 685–6.

²⁷ Pope Benedict XVI, ‘Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy’, See January 8, 2007: AAS99 (2007), 73, https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2007/january/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20070108_diplomatic-corps.html.

²⁸ Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’, 21: AAS 101 (2009), 656.

²⁹ The climate too is a common good. Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 23: AAS 107 (2015), 856.

³⁰ To give only one example: ‘We stick to our Growth Strategy’. Von der Leyen, ‘The 2023 State of the Union Address’, September 13, 2023, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_23_4426.

³¹ Cf. Bryan P. Galligan and S.J., ‘A Just Transition for Africa: Mining for Climate Change Mitigation’, in The Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network – Africa (JENA) website, June 13, 2023, https://jenaafrica.org/a-just-transition-for-africa-mining-for-climate-change-mitigation-2/.

³² Cf. Francis, ‘Laudate Deum’, 22–3.

³³ For such a detailed treatment, see e.g. Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (Harvard University Press, 2007).

³⁴ Cf. Waldstein, ‘Lords of Nature’.

³⁵ Cf. Francis, ‘Angelus Catechesis on the first Beatitude’, January 29, 2023, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-01/pope-francis-angelus-catechesis-beatitudes-throwaway-culture.html.

³⁶ Francis, ‘Laudate Deum’, 72.

³⁷ Benedict XVI, ‘Message for the 2010 World Day of Peace’, January 1, 2010, 9: AAS 102 (2010), 46, https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091208_xliii-world-day-peace.html.

³⁸ Paul VI, ‘Populorum Progressio’, March 26, 1967, 16: AAS 59 (1967), 265.

³⁹ Benedict XVI, ‘Address to young people at Barangaroo’, July 17, 2008, https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2008/july/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20080717_barangaroo.html.

⁴⁰ Francis, ‘Greeting to the Asociación Agraria Jóvenes Agricultores’, May 13, 2023, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/may/documents/20230513-asaja.html.

⁴¹ Cf. Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’, 9: AAS 101 (2009), 646–7.

⁴² Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est, December 25, 2005, 28: AAS 98 (2006), 239.

⁴³ Cf. Ibid., 28: AAS 98 (2006), 238–40.

⁴⁴ Cf. Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’, 7: AAS 101 (2009), 645.

⁴⁵ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudate Deum’, 69.

⁴⁶ Cf. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Climate Change 2021, The Physical Science Basis (Cambridge and New York, 2021), B.2.2.

⁴⁷ Cf. Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’, 49–50: AAS 101 (2009), 685–7.

⁴⁸ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 106: AAS 175 (2015), 916–7.

⁴⁹ Francis, ‘Laudate Deum’, 53.

⁵⁰ Cf. Benedict XVI, ‘Caritas in Veritate’, 48: AAS 101 (2009), 684–5.

⁵¹ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 90: AAS 175 (2015), 883.

⁵² Cf. Francis, Adress to the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).

⁵³ Cf. Francis, ‘Laudato Si’’, 90: AAS 175 (2015), 883.

⁵⁴ Cf. Francis, Adress to the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).

⁵⁵ See e.g. Eurodiaconia, ‘Policy Paper on Energy Poverty in Europe’, January 2024, https://www.eurodiaconia.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Energy-poverty-final-MB-review.pdf.

⁵⁶ Cf. COMECE, ‘Statement on 2024 Farmers Protests. A Sustainable Future of Our Food System and a Secure and Flourishing Future for Farmers can Coexist’, January 30, 2024, https://www.comece.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Statement-30012024-Farmers-protests-across-the-EU.pdf.

⁵⁷ Cf. Francis, ‘Video message to the international conference, “A Politics Rooted in People”’, April 15, 2021, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-04/pope-francis-videomessage-international-conference-politics.html.

⁵⁸ Cf. Francis, ‘Greeting to the Asociación Agraria Jóvenes Agricultores’.

Additional information

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Johannes Moravitz

Johannes Moravitz is policy adviser on ecology, energy, and agriculture for the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) in Brussels. Originally a historian, he previously taught European History at the Hochschule Heiligenkreuz (Austria) with a focus on the history of political thought.