THY U3 L1: concern for nature

laudato si

• italian: praise be to you

• 2nd encyclical of Pope Francis

• on care for our common home

• addressed to "every person living on the planet”

• calls church / world to acknowledge environmental challenges

• concern for the includes to bring the whole human family together

Saint Pope Paul VI

referred to the ecological concern as a “tragic consequence of unchecked human activity

octogesima adveniens

• due to an ill considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming a victim of this degradation

• spoke on the potential for an ecological catastrophe under effective explosion of industrial civilization”

Saint John Paul II

• warned that humans frequently seem “to see no other meaning in their natural environment than what serves for immediate use and consumption”

• noted that little to no effort was made to safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic human ecology

every effort to protect / improve our world entails profound changes in:

• lifestyles

• models of production

• consumption

• structures of power that govern societies

3 reasons why laudato si is addressed to every person living in this planet

1. all of us are affected

2. we are the ones responsible / accountable to the present / future

3. we are capable of rising above ourselves

imago dei

• while humans are capable of the worse, they are capable of rising above themselves → choosing again what is good / making a new start

• created in the image and likeness of god

• to take an honest look at ourselves

• to acknowledge deep dissatisfaction

• to embark on new paths to authentic freedom

• to have the god-given ability to respond to his grace / work

• to not forget god’s dignity which is ours

vestigia dei

signs & traces of god’s presence in creation

caring stewardship

the need for ecological conversion → to embrace ecological citizen ship → to cultivate ecological virtues → leading to selfless ecological commitment

climate

a common good that belongs to all of us

climate change

• principal challenges / most pressing problem facing humanity

• primary cause: human activity (fossil fuels, deforestation)

• consequences of harmful actions which produces more damaging / irreparable impacts to communities / environment

the greenhouse effect

• process where gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun which keeps earth warm enough for life

• more greenhouse gases → more trapped heat → warmer Earth → global warming

PH exposure disaster risk

• PH is known as the second among the countries with the greatest exposure to disaster risks

• catastrophic super typhoons:

  • yolanda / haiyan (nov 2013)

  • ondoy / ketsana (2020)

• series of typhoons (2020)

  • quinta (oct 25)

  • rolly (nov 1)

  • siony (nov 7)

  • tonyo (nov 9)

  • ulysses (nov 11)

factors of loss of biodiversity

• short sighted economic practices: earth’s resources are being exploited to prioritize economy, commerce and production.

• harmful human interventions: some interventions meant to help are causing greater problems. ecosystems demand far sightedness / preemptive action.

• water problems: polluted, privatized, and wasted

importance of research

• better / more scientific research is needed to better understand ecosystems

• studying environmental changes help with significant modification in the environment

global inequality

• refers to unequal distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities

• deterioration of human and natural environments are connected → to fix environmental problems, we must also fix human and social degradation

• main issue: extreme / selective consumption

• effects entire country and an “ecological debt” exists where poor countries often provide natural resource to help richer countries to develop

• differentiated responsibilities: countries should not share equal responsibility → wealthier nations (which contribute to more pollution) should take responsibility in solving climate problems

2 extreme views on environmental problems

• new / advanced technology will solve everything (FALSE)

• population reduction is the solution to lessen pressure on earth’s resources (FALSE)

• main idea: We need a dialogue that finds “viable future scenarios” between these extremes

weak responses to ecological issues

• weak international political responses make environmental problems harder to solve.

• depletion of natural resources may lead to new wars, “albeit under the guise of noble claims.”

• some countries provide positive examples in dealing with environmental issues, but these efforts are still not sufficient.

theological criteria

offered by pope francis to judge the crisis of our home

ecological crisis → spiritual crisis

• the ecological crisis is not just the collapse of the planet, but it is also a theological issue / spiritual crisis

• the contemporary ecological crisis reflects to amnesia (humanity’s forgetfulness) of a deeper truth that the world is God’s creation

the beginning of sin

• to forget

• PCP II pointed out our tendency to forget the lessons of the past, thus we remain reactive

zechariah

“God has remembered”

3 reasons creation is good news

• very good in god’s own eyes: creation has intrinsic worth because it is created by god

• profound act of love on part of god: creation is created through god's loving plan → every creature has value / purpose

• god’s first revelation: creation reveals god’s presence, love & goodness

spirit of life

• each creature has its own purpose

• this dwells in every living creature and calls us to enter into a relationship with him

st. thomas

• explains that diversity and variety of creatures reveals the richness of nature of god

• “what was wanting to one in the representation of the divine goodness might be supplied by another.”

• basically, instead of creating just one perfect creature, God created many different kinds of beings. Each creature reflects only a small part of God’s goodness, wisdom, beauty, and

human life is grounded in 3 fundamental relationships

1. with god

2. with neighbor

3. with earth

dominion

• meaning supreme authority, sovereign rule, power to govern / control

• it is not an excuse for unbridled exploitation

paternal relationship

• the kind of relationship we have with God

• father’s loving tenderness / care

universal communion

• all creation is connected / united in god

• “all things have been created through him and for him”

• this, no reason for humans to tryrannically dominate each other

blessed trinity

the ultimate goal of creation is the perfect unity with god

technology

• an be good but also powerful enough to increase power. however, not every increase in power is progress

• culture & spirituality is needed to be capable of limits and clear minded self restraint

technocratic paradigm

happens when society relies too much on science and technology while ignoring its effects on people, ethics, and environment

epistemological paradigm

society treats science and technology as the main way of understanding and solving everything

reductionism

• focusing only on one field / problem

• ignores connection with other disciplines, knowledge, and consequences

• has narrow pespective

reese thomas

stated that if technology and greed are combined, disaster will occur

modern anthropocentrism

• places humans at the center and treats creation as a raw material for human use

• values technical thought over reality

• affects how society treats: poor people, human embryos, person with disabilities, nature itself

• fails to recognize worth of vulnerable human → becomes difficult to hear cry of nature

practical relativism

• occurs when people place themselves at the center and prioritize personal convenience above everything else

• misguided anthropocentirsm leads to a misguided lifestyle

integral ecology

• studies relationship between living organism and environment in which they develop

• relationship existing between nature and society.

• environmental and social problems cannot be seperated

economic ecology

the protection of the environment is an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it

social ecology

the heart of society’s institution has the consequences for the environment and the quality of human life

cultural ecology

• protecting cultural treasures of humanity not just the natural environment

• ex: indigenous communities and their cultural traditions

• the disappearance of a culture can lead to the extinction of a plant and animal species

the principle of the common good

• central principle of social ethics

• extends to the future generations

private property

not absolute / inviolable