Bergoglio offers pristine clarity on the question of human contributions to global warming. He clearly states:
Climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. At the global level, it is a complex system linked to many of the essential conditions for human life. A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot he assigned to each particular phenomenon.
Most scientific writing refrains from arguing a moral imperative. Bergoglio does not. He clearly states:
Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it.
He acknowledges that there are other natural forces that can cause global warming, but he clearly shows keen scientific insight in prioritizing where the responsibility lies. For example, he demonstrates a command of geophysics, chemistry and astrophysics, saying:
It is true that there are other factors (such as volcanic activity, variations in the earth's orbit and axis, and the solar cycle), yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity.
He continues:
Concentrated in the atmosphere, these gases do not allow the warmth of the sun's rays reflected by the earth to be dispersed in space." He does not hesitate to point the finger of blame stating, "The problem is aggravated by a model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the worldwide energy system.
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