Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation

I would like to reiterate the importance of man's responsibility toward the earth with which God has entrusted him. From the north to the south of your great island, I was able to admire the beauty, the rich variety of the earth and its fruits.

“Protecting the world's forests, stemming desertification and erosion, avoiding the spread of toxic substances harmful to people, animals and plants, protecting the atmosphere, all these can be accomplished only through active and wise cooperation, without borders or political power plays.”

In our day, there is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened.... by a lack of respect for nature, by the plundering of natural resources and by a progressive decline in the quality of life. The sense of precariousness and insecurity that such a situation engenders is a seedbed for collective selfishness, disregard for others and dishonesty.

Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, people are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the goods of the earth as we have in the past.... A new "ecological awareness" is beginning to emerge, which, rather than being downplayed, ought to be encouraged to develop into concrete programs and initiatives. /Peace with God, #1

In 1979 Pope John Paul II became the first Christian leader to address issues of ecology in the context of overconsumption. To an overflowing crowd at Yankee Stadium he called for a simpler way of life that reflected the ancient message of the Gospel.

Christians will want to be in the vanguard in favoring ways of life that decisively break with the exhausting and joyless frenzy of consumerism. This is not a question of slowing down progress, for there is no human progress when everything conspires to give full reign to self-interest, sex and power. We must find a simple way of living. For it is not right that the standard of living of the rich countries would seek to maintain itself by draining off a great part of the reserves of energy and raw materials that are meant to serve the whole of humanity.

Citizens of the United States, you have such a tradition of spiritual generosity, industry, simplicity and sacrifice that you cannot fail to heed this call for a new enthusiasm and a fresh determination. It is in the joyful simplicity of a life inspired by the Gospel and the Gospel's spirit of fraternal sharing that you will find the best remedy for the temptation to make money the principal means and indeed the very measure of human advancement.

The 1988 encyclical, "Sollicitudo Rei Socialis," focused upon issues of ecology and consumption. This statement emphasizes the seriousness of ecological problems which requires "the renouncing of personal selfishness" if "catastrophe for all is to be avoided."

Side by side with the miseries of underdevelopment..., we find ourselves up against a form of super- development.... [It] consists in an excessive availability of material goods for the benefit of certain social groups, [and] easily makes people slaves of "possession" and immediate gratification, with no other horizon than the multiplication or continual replacement of the things already owned with others still better. This is the civilization of consumption, or "consumerism," which involves so much throwing away and waste.

All of us experience firsthand the sad effects of blind submission to pure consumerism: it represents crass materialism, and at the same time it represents a radical dissatisfaction because one quickly learns... that the more one possesses, the more one wants, while deeper htmlirations remain unsatisfied and perhaps even stifled.

If there is to be substantial solution of this predicament, it can only come about through repentance and embracing of the moral goodness to which Christ and the Church point us.

It is not out of place to speak of "structures of sin" which... are rooted in personal sin and... linked to the concrete acts of individuals who introduce these structures, consolidate them and make them difficult to remove.... One cannot easily gain a profound understanding of the reality that confronts us unless we name the root of the evils which afflict us.

The "structures of sin" ... can be overcome only through the exercise of the human and Christian solidarity to which the Church calls us and which she tirelessly promotes.

I wish to appeal with simplicity and humility to everyone, to all men and women without exception. I wish to ask them to be convinced of the seriousness of the present moment and of each one's individual responsibility....

In this [predicament], the sons and daughters of the Church must serve as examples and guides, for they are called upon, in conformity with the program announced by Jesus himself to "preach good news to the poor..., release to the captives... to set at liberty the oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).

For my own part, I wish to insist once more on the seriousness and urgency of this teaching, and I ask the Lord to give all Christians strength to put it faithfully into practice.

In 1990, Pope John Paul II chose the first day of the new decade as an opportune time to emphasize the importance of ecological issues in a "World Day of Peace" message.

The seriousness of ecological degradation lays bare the depth of man's moral crisis. If an appreciation of the value of human life is lacking, we will also lose concern for others and for the earth itself. Simplicity, moderation and discipline, as well as the spirit of sacrifice, must become a part of everyday life.

Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, people are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the goods of the earth as we have in the past.

An adequate solution cannot be found merely in a better management or a more rationale use of the earth's resources, as important as these may be. Rather, we must go to the source of the problem and face... that profound moral crisis of which the destruction of the environment is only one troubling htmlect.

Certain elements of today's ecological crisis reveal its moral character. Among these is the "indiscriminate application" of advances in science and technology. Many recent discoveries have brought undeniable benefits to humanity.... Unfortunately, it is now clear that the application of these discoveries in industry and agriculture have produced harmful long-term effects. This has led to the painful realization that we "cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying due attention to the consequences of such interference... and to the well-being of future generations."

The most serious indication of the moral implications underlying the ecological problem is the lack of respect for life evident in many of the patterns of environmental pollution. Often, the interests of production prevail over concern for the dignity of workers, while economic interests take priority over the good of individuals and even entire peoples.

The existing mechanisms and bodies are clearly not adequate for the development of a comprehensive plan of action. Political obstacles... and economic interests impede international cooperation and effective action. The right to a safe environment is ever more insistently presented today as a right that must be included in an updated Charter of Human Rights.

No plan or organization, however, will be able to affect the necessary changes unless world leaders are truly convinced of the need for this new solidarity, which is demanded of them by the ecological crisis and which is essential for peace.

Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle. In many parts of the world society is given to instant gratification and consumerism while remaining indifferent to the damage which these attitudes cause. Simplicity, moderation and discipline, as well as a spirit of sacrifice, must become a part of everyday life, lest all suffer the negative consequences of the careless habits of a few.

The commitment of believers to a healthy environment stems directly from their belief in God as Creator, from their recognition of the effects of sin, and from the certainty of having been redeemed by Christ. Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join man in praising God (Psalm 148:96).