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I am not happy to identify the essential issue at the heart of Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation, Laudate Deum. It condemns the economic development brought about by the Industrial Revolution from the mid-19th century to the present. This progress has made life better for the people the Pope wants to help.
The Pope said the advent of the industrial revolution had led to a “significant acceleration” in greenhouse gas emissions and[m]More than 42% of all new emissions since 1850 have been generated since 1990. ”
With the entire world emerging from the poverty of existence since the emergence of humans, it stands to reason that with any progress, the impact on the environment will be felt to some extent. To put this situation into context, simply consider that during the same period, lifespans increased and human mortality rates decreased. Between 1800 and his 1950s, the proportion of the world’s population living in dire poverty was halved. From 1950 to 1980 it was halved again. What happened defines exactly what it means to be responsible.
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There is no doubt that some environmental effects may occur and that they will naturally coexist. These are called trade-offs. For example, increased energy use (e.g. tractors) due to increased productivity has led to increased greenhouse gas emissions. However, further technological advances (more fuel-efficient engines and alternative power sources) are mitigating these effects, and recent studies show that these positive trends are increasing. This is a repeating pattern.
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What frustrates me most about Laudate Deum is the missed opportunity it represents. There is an endless amount of research, books, papers, and articles produced by the scientific community on the challenges posed by economic growth and its impact on the environment. In fact, the Pope cites many of them in his exhortation. But what is sadly missing, and the unique contribution that Pope may have made, comes from his own ability, which economists call comparative advantage. The Pope’s ability is not climate change science. That is moral inspiration, but his letters lack it.
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This is ironic in that the solution the Pope seeks ultimately comes down to this very ability. It is about transforming the moral environment, be it that of the “technocratic paradigm” that the Pope denounces (i.e., a private market economy seeking solutions to social problems). Although he enumerates with great hope the political remedies found in a series of climate change conferences (problems of scarcity lacking an overall moral vision), he still finds that these efforts are largely He admits that he has failed.
Has extensive experience in human moral development and has built the most effective and ameliorative institutions (e.g. organized and international charities, universities, social welfare organizations, etc.) the world has ever seen. It is disconcerting to see the head of a 2,000-year-old organization that has done so. hospitals, etc.), and instead settled on the rhetoric of mid-level NGO white papers.
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