Malta, 24th May 2012

Rome, 2010

Contents of the document:

Human action(developmental paradigm)

Diminishing natural resources

Pollution

Climate change

Ecological crisis

A new ecological awareness:What will happen to future generations?

We need a DEVELOPMENT that can be SUSTAINABLEGlobalized injustice:

some cause the problem, others suffer the consequencesPoor people and indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable

FACTS AND CONSEQUENCES

of the ecological crisis

With DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

Rich countries have emitted 7 out of 10 tons of CO2 since the industrial revolution

With DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

With DIFFERENT CONSEQUENCES:

With DIFFERENT CONSEQUENCES:

It is expected an increase of rain in northern latitudes and a decrease in subtropical ones

Warming will probably be higher than the median in Sub-Saharan Africa and in East and Southeast Asia

This will cause significant loses in agriculture, leading to malnourishment. There will be differences between countries. In developed countries production might increase and diminish in developing countries

Ambiguous role of science ?

SCIENCE CAN CAUSE ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

Difficulty of controlling genetical experiments

Very polluting ways of extracting minerals…

The risk of nuclear plants and its radioactive waste

Toxicity of pesticides used to increase agricultural production

It may prevent risks and propose solutions

It is improving and looking for new and cleaner sources of energy

Recycling water is becoming an alternative for the future

Microorganisms can cause a controlled degradation of wastes

Ecological architecture can develop practical solutions

SCIENCE CAN OFFER SOLUTIONS FOR ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

Global trends:

1) A new ecological awareness2) New geopolitics: emerging countries (Brazil,

Russia, India, China, South Africa)3) Overlapping crisis: ecological crisis + economic crisis

4) Learning from big natural disasters:• Need of better ecological governance• Need of disasters protocols

That’s all

falks!

- Political failure:Enormous economic challenge of reducing greenhouse gases; very difficult consensus and commitments.

- SCIENTIFIC limits:The complexity of climate science, which makes difficult to evaluate human impact on it, as well as the speed and risks of global warming.

- Confusion at the MEDIA:Deliberate campaigns to confuse the public and discredit the science.

Several Failures :

How do we understand “ecology”?

Take care of creation Defend poor and

threatened communities and

future generations

New life styles, no consumerism

Gratitude

Justice

Spirituality

Contents of the document:

In the Bible:

AT: Creation, a beautiful gift given by God to humanity.

NT: Incarnation and Resurrection establish a new relation between God, human beings and creation:

Non utilitarian “Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and

will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God”, Romans 8.21

From FAITH perspective:In the Social Doctrine of the Church:

“The goods of creation belong to humanity as a whole”(Benedicto XVI, Message for the World Day of Peace, 2010. §7)

” Charity always manifests God's love in human relationships as well, it gives theological and salvific value to all commitment for justice in the world.” (Benedict XVI, Encyclical letter Caritas in veritate, 2009 §6)

“economy cannot be measured according to the maxim of profit but rather according to the common good of all, that it implies responsibility for others and only really functions well if it functions humanly.” (Benedicto XVI, 18th August 2011)

” The environmental crisis and poverty are connected by a complex and dramatic set of causes that can be resolved by the principle of the universal destination of goods, which offers a fundamental moral and cultural orientation. The present environmental crisis affects those who are poorest in a particular way, whether they live in those lands subject to erosion and desertification, are involved in armed conflicts or subject to forced immigration, or because they do not have the economic and technological means to protect themselves from other calamities.” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 2004 §482)

In Jesuit General Congregations:

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

1983. GC 33. First references to ecology.

1999. Document: We live in a broken world: reflections on ecology. It includes references to the links between ecological crisis and social marginalisation.

2008. GC 35 (D.3, n.18). Reconciliation with creation.

1980

1995. GC 34 (D.20)

2010. Document: Healing a broken world. Secretariado para la Justicia Social y la Ecología.

From FAITH perspective:- The ecological crisis is seen as a way of:

- We are invited to:

• Destroying God’s gift

• Making people suffer

1) - Acknowledge the suffer we have caused2) - Change our attitudes (metanoia)3) - Become agents of change in the world

A “new covenant” between human beings and creation, which is a gift FOR ALL people (from the past, the presentand the future), a gift that needs our care.

From JUSTICE perspective:Towards a restaurative ecological justice:• Reconciliation with creation

• Establishing a “new covenant”:• Based on Justice

• Promoting new life styles:• Not fostering consumerism• More humane• More beautiful

From the perspective of DIALOGUE WITH CULTURES AND RELIGIONS

Cultures express the values of the people.

- The “green movement” has promoted:

• The protection of numerous ecosystems as national parks….

• An ecological awareness in the societies

• The inclusion of ecological concerns in parties’ programs .

From the perspective of DIALOGUE WITH CULTURES and RELIGIONS

We can learn from other traditions, because they may offer values for a new relation with the planet.

• AFRICAN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS show us the value of the ancestral land.

• In HINDUISM people are asked not to use violence (ahimsa) against criatures.

• BUDDHISM preaches universal compasion for all beings. • ISLAM invites us to take care of creation, because it is created by God. • TAOISM believes there exists a principle (tao) that nurtures, sustains

and transforms all beings..

• Many INDIGENOUS PEOPLES and traditional societies have a profound spirituality developed in contact to their land and their history.

Contents of the document:

5 Recommendations:

Institutions and families are invited to discern and develop

more ecologically sustainable management practices and lifestyles

1

5 Recommendations: We are invited to address the effects of the environmental

crisis on the poor, marginalised and indigenous peoples.2• Promoting a conscious and active citizenship to pressurize

governments to adopt necessary bold political decisions.

5 Recommendations: Those in charge of communication and media are invited to

develop ways of increasing the awareness and motivation for action:3• Involve young people since they are likely to be more open to, and

more engaged in, this issue.

5 Recommendations: Higher education institutions, high and primary schools are

invited to engage students in transformative education and to explore new themes and areas of interdisciplinary research.

4

5 Recommendations: Centres of theological reflection, spirituality, social and

pastoral works are invited to develop the spiritual sources motivating our commitment and fostering our celebration of creation.

5

Concrete suggestions:

1 ( )Examine modes of travel and actively search for alternatives. For example, limiting the use of cars and favouring public transportation and the use of cycles

Concrete suggestions:

Apply the 3R: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

2

Concrete suggestions :

3Render more sustainable practices of buying food: promote organically grown, local and seasonal fairly traded foodHave some vegetarian (meat free) days

Concrete suggestions:

4If possible, do not use bottled water.Reduce food wastage as much as possible and compost organic kitchen waste

Concrete suggestions:

5Unplug your electronic devices. Don’t leave them in standby mode.

Concrete suggestions:

6Examine the tendency to accumulate gadgets; ask always the question: do I really need this item?

Concrete suggestions:

7Use biodegradable cleaning products, especially if there are problems with waste water treatment

Concrete suggestions:

8Use paper-based hygiene products made from recycled materials.Use cloth that can be washed rather than thrown away

References

Foto: BBC

Adaptación y montaje:

Juan V. Fernández de la Gala, usando Microsoft PowerPoint .

(N.B.: Esta presentación no constituye un documento oficial de la Compañía de Jesús, sino sólo una interpretación

personal del documento de Promotio Iustitiae “Sanar un mundo herido”, que consta de 74 páginas y puede consultarse

on line AQUÍ o descargarse como archivo pdf AQUÍ.)