Dear Jonathan:

The Catholic Church is a leader is the notion that we are to be good stewards of our planet. Afterall, this earth is God's creation, His garden, and we, His children, are caretakers of that garden.

At the same time, the Church warns against extremism on either side -- the view that what we do as humans on this planet does not matter, and the view that man is a parasite to the planet.

The Catechism states:

307 To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his providence by entrusting them with the responsibility of "subduing" the earth and having dominion over it. God thus enables men to be intelligent and free causes in order to complete the work of creation, to perfect its harmony for their own good and that of their neighbours. Though often unconscious collaborators with God's will, they can also enter deliberately into the divine plan by their actions, their prayers and their sufferings. They then fully become "God's fellow workers" and co-workers for his kingdom.

339 Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the "six days" it is said: "And God saw that it was good." "By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and laws." Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment.

340 God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.

341 The beauty of the universe: The order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.

342 The hierarchy of creatures is expressed by the order of the "six days", from the less perfect to the more perfect. God loves all his creatures and takes care of each one, even the sparrow. Nevertheless, Jesus said: "You are of more value than many sparrows", or again: "Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!"

Here are a view press releases from the Vatican on the issue:

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Scientists might not have human behavior to blame for global warming, according to the president of the World Federation of Scientists.

Antonio Zichichi, who is also a retired professor of advanced physics at the University of Bologna, made this assertion today in an address delivered to an international congress sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

The conference, which ends today, is examining "Climate Change and Development."

Zichichi pointed out that human activity has less than a 10% impact on the environment.

He also cited that models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are incoherent and invalid from a scientific point of view. The U.N. commission was founded in 1988 to evaluate the risk of climate change brought on by humans.

Zichichi, who is also member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, showed that the mathematical models used by the IPCC do not correspond to the criteria of the scientific method.

He said that the IPCC used "the method of 'forcing' to arrive at their conclusions that human activity produces meteorological variations."

The physicist affirmed that on the basis of actual scientific fact "it is not possible to exclude the idea that climate changes can be due to natural causes," and that it is plausible that "man is not to blame."

To that end, Zichichi explained how the motor of meteorology depends on natural phenomena. He gave as an example the "energy sent by the sun and volcanic activity that spits out lava and enormous quantities of substances in the atmosphere."

He also reminded those present that 500,000 years ago the Earth lost the North and South Poles four times. The poles disappeared and reformed four times, he said.

Zichichi said that in the end he is not convinced that global warming is caused by the increase of emissions of "greenhouse gases" produced through human activity.

Climate changes, he said, depend in a significant way on the fluctuation of cosmic rays.
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And...

Vatican's Address to U.N. on Climate Change
"Will Impact First and Foremost the Poorest and Weakest"

NEW YORK, MAY 11, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, delivered May 10 to the 15th session of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development of the Economic and Social Council on "Turning Political Commitments Into Action, Working Together in Partnership."

* * *

Mr. Chairman,

While my delegation congratulates you and your bureau on your appointment, it sincerely hopes that all delegations will work with the greatest flexibility to achieve as much as we can in this policy year.

The debate during this session and the work of the preparatory committee and last year's Commission on Sustainable Development have all demonstrated the strongly interconnected nature of the four themes chosen for this cycle, and how they may have ample repercussions both on national and international security and on the capacity of the international community to confront seriously the problems of poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

The interconnections become even stronger when we consider that, ultimately, the earth is our common heritage and we have a grave and far-reaching responsibility to ourselves and to future generations for the actions we are due to take here. It should be added that the need for joint action at the international level does not lessen the responsibility of individual states.

Mr. Chairman, the question of energy is rapidly becoming one of the key questions of the entire international agenda, as all of us struggle to assemble a common, global, long-term energy strategy, capable of satisfying legitimate short- and medium-term energy requirements, ensuring energy security, protecting human health and the environment, and establishing precise commitments to address the question of climate change.

The scientific evidence for global warming and for humanity's role in the increase of greenhouse gasses becomes ever more unimpeachable, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings are going to suggest; and such activity has a profound relevance, not just for the environment, but in ethical, economic, social and political terms as well. The consequences of climate change are being felt not only in the environment, but in the entire socioeconomic system and, as seen in the findings of numerous reports already available, they will impact first and foremost the poorest and weakest who, even if they are among the least responsible for global warming, are the most vulnerable because they have limited resources or live in areas at greater risk. We need only think of the small island developing states as one example among many. Many of the most vulnerable societies, already facing energy problems, rely upon agriculture -- the very sector most likely to suffer from climatic shifts.

Thus, in order to address the double challenge of climate change and the need for ever greater energy resources, we will have to change our present model from one of the heedless pursuit of economic growth in the name of development, toward a model which heeds the consequences of its actions and is more respectful toward the creation we hold in common, coupled with an integral human development for present and future generations.

The complexity of the promotion of sustainable development is evident to all; there are, however, certain underlying principles which can direct research toward adequate and lasting solutions. Humanity must become increasingly conscious of the links between natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology. Experience shows that disregard for the environment harms human coexistence, while at the same time it becomes clearer that there is a positive link to be made between peace with creation and peace among nations.

Not so long ago, the Security Council had a meeting to discuss the relationship between energy, security and climate. While not everyone agrees upon the discussion of such material in the Security Council, the sobering fact is that we are already witnessing struggles for the control of strategic resources such as oil and fresh water, both of which are becoming ever scarcer. If we refuse to build sustainable economies now, we will continue to drift toward more tensions and conflicts over resources, to say nothing of threatening the very existence of coastal peoples and small island states.

Recently, we have heard of economies that have managed to grow while actually reducing their consumption of energy. Surely this success holds out hope that our current economic model does not always oblige us to use more and more energy in order to grow. Economic growth does not have to mean greater consumption. From the standpoint of a sustainable economy, it does however mean that we will need technology, ingenuity, determined political will and common sense. Importantly, it will also demand technology transfer to developing countries, to the benefit of the entire global community.

But even technology, its transfer and political will to collaborate at the international level are not enough: to all that we must add national education schemes that will lead all of us without exception to approach our daily patterns of consumption and production in a very different way and to demand a similar change throughout construction, transport, businesses and other institutions.

Through such education, states can help their citizens grasp the urgency of what must be done, teaching them in turn to expect and demand a very different approach to their own consumption and that around them.

Worldwide, unprecedented ecological changes are already taking place and none of us can foresee fully the consequences of man's industrial activity over the recent centuries. Remedies are not beyond our ingenuity, but we should however be careful not to choose a path that will make things worse, especially for the poor. We cannot simply uninvent the modern world, but there is still time to use technology and education to promote universally sustainable development before it is too late.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[Original text: English; text adapted]
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And...

ROME, JUNE 7, 2007 (Zenit.org ).- Benedict XVI says that the international community needs to respect creation and promote a green culture characterized by ethical values.

The Pope said this Tuesday in a greeting sent to a World Environment Day presentation in Italy's Chamber of Deputies.

The presentation was organized by a parliamentary committee of the friends of the Italian foundation Sorella Natura (Sister Nature), led by the dean of the lower house of Parliament, Angelo Sanza.

The event aimed to promote an environmental culture inspired by Christian humanism.

In his greeting, the Holy Father invited the participants to "always respect creation and promote an environmental culture that is based on respect for ethical values, the protection of life, an economy of solidarity and sustainable development."

The Pontiff extended "a personal greeting, wishing complete success for this timely initiative."

Christian values

According to the president of Sorella Natura, Roberto Leoni, only with a new culture founded on Christian virtues "will the initiatives of legislators develop, free from the conditionings of a fatalist and Malthusian environmentalist culture."

He also emphasized that "it is not right to accept environmental impositions such as abortion, artificial insemination bereft of ethical regulations, the genetic manipulation of human beings, and the distortion of the ethical norms that govern human relationships beginning with the development of the family nucleus, which is oriented toward joy, life and love."

Manilo Sodi, theology professor of Pontifical Salesian University, spoke about the "need to counter the position of those who consider nature to be above or at the same level as the human person."

Sodi said that "man should not abuse nature," and added that "the transcendental nature of the human person and his relationship with the Creator and with other creatures, favors an ecological use of nature that does not dehumanize the person nor degrade the environment."

The professor also stated that the care of the environment presupposes the acceptance of the universal destiny of earth's goods.

He insisted "on the need for collaboration in the orderly development of the poorest regions, along with the imperative of respecting different lifestyles."

Sodi stated that a healthy ecology "encourages an examination of conscience; offers an opportunity for formation; looks at the person in all its greatness and integrity; calls for the formulation of laws and regulations that demonstrate the harmony between person and nature; respects the environment so that, as it was received, it can be passed on to others; lives with the awareness of its contribution to preparing a new heaven and a new earth where everything will recapture the original purpose intended by the Creator."

Human ecology

Ricardo Cascioli, president of Italy's European Center of Studies on Population, Environment and Development, and Antonio Gaspari, director of the master's degree in environmental sciences at the European University of Rome, also spoke at the event.

The two co-authored "Le Bugie degli Ambientalisti" ("The Lies of Environmentalists"), published in two volumes in Italian by Piemme.

Cascioli warned against the strong inhuman and anti-development character of the dominant ideology of "environmentalism" that sees man as the cancer of the planet.

Gaspari recalled the encyclical "Centesimus Annus" of Pope John Paul II in which an appeal was made for a "human ecology founded upon the primacy and spirituality of the human person ... a social ecology of work mindful of the quality of life and economic development for man, not against him ... and an ecology of the family that sees family as the first school of humanity and of the humanization in the world."
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In addition to these press releases is an interesting article called, “Global Warming: Man-Made or Natural?”  by S. Fred Singer, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary