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Article

18 Jun 2015

Author:
Francis X. Rocca, Wall Street Journal

Pope says powerful economic & political interests "mask" the problems & symptoms of climate change

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He writes that there is an “urgent and compelling” need for policies that reduce carbon emissions, among other ways, by “replacing fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy.”...[T]he pope writes that “numerous scientific studies indicate that the greater part of global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and others) emitted above all due to human activity.”...The pope’s encyclical also comes as oil companies are turning increasingly vocal on climate change amid rising scrutiny from investors and governments. Many are looking to influence the debate by proposing remedies, including the imposition of a carbon tax, that might have a lesser impact on their business than more wide-ranging changes being sought by some...Many of the industries’ largest players are advocating a shift away from coal to cleaner-burning gas—which they are producing in ever larger volumes—as a means to mitigate climate change while continuing to meet rising energy demand in the coming decades...The pope wrote that powerful economic and political interests seek to “mask the problems or hide the symptoms, seeking only to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.” But he warned that global warming could worsen “if we continue with the current models of production and consumption.”...Pope Francis emphasized the unequal social effects of environmental problems, which he said “strike in a special way the weakest on the planet.” Unequal access to natural resources has led to an “ecological deficit” between the northern and southern hemispheres, with the former exploiting the latter to the enrichment of its industrial economy, he wrote...Part of the solution lies in adopting “another style of life,” featuring more environmentally conscious behavior, such as reducing use of paper, plastic and water; separating trash; car-sharing and turning off unnecessary lights, the pope wrote...[Refers to ExxonMobil]