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December 12, 2007 | 7:29 am

Pope attacks ‘climate change prophets of doom’

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Pope Benedict XVI has launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology.

The leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics suggested that fears over man-made emissions melting the ice caps and causing a wave of unprecedented disasters were nothing more than scare-mongering.

And I thought President Bush was a Methodist.

However, when the reporter for the Daily Mail got to the meat of the pope’s statement, which will be part of his message for World Peace Day in January, I had to agree.

“Humanity today is rightly concerned about the ecological balance of tomorrow,” he said in the message entitled “The Human Family, A Community of Peace”.

“It is important for assessments in this regard to be carried out prudently, in dialogue with experts and people of wisdom, uninhibited by ideological pressure to draw hasty conclusions, and above all with the aim of reaching agreement on a model of sustainable development capable of ensuring the well-being of all while respecting environmental balances.

“If the protection of the environment involves costs, they should be justly distributed, taking due account of the different levels of development of various countries and the need for solidarity with future generations.

“Prudence does not mean failing to accept responsibilities and postponing decisions; it means being committed to making joint decisions after pondering responsibly the road to be taken.”

 

In other papal news, the Vatican will issue Friday a doctrinal document on “some aspects of evangelisation.”

(Hat tip: Luke Ford)

2 Comments — Leave your comment

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Be a little more critical in your reading Brad.  In a real paper, that piece occupies the editorial page.  There is a great difference between their headline and his statements.  For example:

“It is important for assessments in this regard to be carried out prudently, in dialogue with experts and people of wisdom, uninhibited by ideological pressure to draw hasty conclusions, and above all with the aim of reaching agreement on a model of sustainable development capable of ensuring the well-being of all while respecting environmental balances.

The US Catholic Council of Bishops suggests that parishioners take person and political action and encourage leaders at all levels to promote the growth of sustainable energy.  They also recommend avoiding politicizing the issue and seeking guidance from the IPCC and UN organizations.  (which of course is exactly what Arnold does and George doesn’t)  BTW, the UCLA Dept of Atmospheric Sciences was one of the first schools to do climate modeling.  A man by the name of Yale Mintz. 

A model of sustainable development.  GWB would dirt his drawers over that idea. 

“If the protection of the environment involves costs, they should be justly distributed, taking due account of the different levels of development of various countries and the need for solidarity with future generations.

The pontiff supports the Kyoto protocol philosophy of ‘common aims but differentiated responsibilities.’ The corporate horizon of next quarter’s profit must be expanded to include our responsibilities to the next generation.

etc etc. 

More from the Pope -
http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=13338

Comment by Jay on 12/12/07 at 12:08 pm

Thanks for the comment, Jay. As I said, I agree with what the pope actually said. But the way the reporter couched his opinion in the lede was, well, misleading.

Comment by Brad A. Greenberg on 12/12/07 at 12:22 pm

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