18 CHAPTER FIVE LINES OF APPROACH AND ACTION In this chapter Pope Francis outlines the major paths of dialogue which can help us escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us (163). I Dialogue on the Environment in the International Community The common good must be placed over all other interests when dialogue occurs While the conviction that our planet is a homeland and that humanity is one people living in a common home (164) is slowly growing, solutions to our environmental and social problems still elude us. A global consensus is essential for confronting deeper problems (164). For example, until greater progress is made in developing widely accessible sources of renewable energy (165), a global transition is unlikely to take place. While some governments and businesses have been slow to respond to global challenges, there have been a variety of committed and generous civic responses (165), however, effective global agreements on the environment (166) are yet to be established, despite World Summits that are intended to do this. Pope Francis cites several of these gatherings, reminding us that while such meetings are a real step forward (167), the praiseworthy principles they proclaim still await an efficient and flexible means of practical implementation (167). He states that reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most (169), and that neglecting to confront our current crisis is a failure of conscience and responsibility (169). We are reminded again in this section of the encyclical that it is the poor who will end up paying the price (170). It is radical change that is called for, not strategies such as buying and selling “carbon credits” which simply permit the continuing scandal of maintaining the excessive consumption of some countries and sectors (171). It is sadly There is reason to hope that humanity at the dawn of the twenty-first century will be remembered for having generously shouldered its grave responsibilities (165) The same mindset which stands in the way of making radical decisions to reverse the trend of global warming also stands in the way of achieving the goal of eliminating poverty (175)
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