In this handout picture released by the Vatican press office, Pope Francis looks at a bike of the type used by the Italian postal service next to a member of the Participants in the meeting organized by the Foundation for Sustainable Development on Environmental Justice and Climate Change, during a private audience in the Clementina Hall, on Sept. 11. (Osservatore Romano, AFP/Getty Images)
Re: “Francis’ fact-free flamboyance,” Sept. 20 George F. Will column; and “Care for our common home,” Sept. 20 guest commentary by Catholic Deacon Jerry Kotas.
These two columns about the pope’s encyclical on climate change are miles apart. One states that forward movement on climate will be ruinous, the other states its necessity. One says sustainability is hostile to growth, the other that we have a responsibility to stewardship. Both seem skeptical that innovation is the way out.
Yet underlying the success of fossil fuels, cited by George F. Will, are a host of innovations for retrieving, refining, transporting and combusting those fuels, which the U.S. government subsidized heavily for more than a century in the national interest. The innovative spirit and national purpose that created these advances can spur sustainable energy as well, and changing our energy production and consumption patterns can encourage the personal and societal changes so desired by Deacon Jerry Kotas.
Americans stand ready to show that fossil fuels are not the pinnacle of innovation. Change the marketplace incentives for energy. Sustainable innovation will follow.
Phil Nelson, Golden
This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.George F. Will has rightly pointed out the indispensable contribution of fossil fuels to industrial growth and the reduction of poverty since the late 18th century. However, our pressing challenge today is how to continue to free people from poverty in a way that no longer relies primarily on energy sources that are heating up the planet.
Trained as a chemist, Pope Francis readily acknowledges the benefits of science and technology for humankind. However, he resists “the assault of the technocratic paradigm” that increasingly dominates our lives, thoughts and dreams for the future. He envisions a “civilization of love,” based upon an “integral ecology” that protects human dignity and environmental integrity. Is that so different from our national vision of “liberty and justice for all” that is recited daily in classrooms across America?
Here is common ground. But surely it will take compassion as well as intelligence to realize both visions.
David Carlson, Denver
This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.George F. Will’s attempt to rake Pope Francis over the coals for his position on conservation fails because Will uses his own prejudiced suppositions to support his arguments. Looking at the facts of Francis’ life, how can anyone even think to use the term “sanctimonious” about the man or his actions? If we all were as “sanctimonious” as Francis, the world would be a better place. If this article weren’t so insulting, it would be laughable.
Rosetta Rogers, Aurora
This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.On his U.S. visit, the pope has spoken about human values in the context of environmental and social responsibility. As more Americans accept the widespread scientific agreement on human-induced climate change, we must follow his lead. Who will suffer most from hazards like rising sea levels, extreme storms, crop failures, droughts, and heat waves? Poor countries without the resources to adapt. Will we act in their interest now, or wait until their people are forced onto our shores? Future generations will live in the world we create. Do we take meaningful climate action now, or roll the dice on their behalf? We cannot even be complacent about our own generation as near-term climate threats continue to emerge. How much danger will we tolerate? When will the risks outweigh our hesitancy to act? These are not scientific questions. They are questions about human values that we must ask.
Jarett Zuboy, Arvada
This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.
Submit a letter to the editor via this form or check out our guidelines for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
