When reciting facts, as opposed to making judgments, the pope [in his recent encyclical] aligns himself squarely with mainstream scientific thinking. Indeed, those sections of the document could serve as a syllabus for Environmental Science 101 in just about any college classroom. The pope offers elementary descriptions of a litany of ecological problems, global warming chief among them, that include air and water pollution, the wanton destruction of forests, the wasteful use of resources and many more.
Pope Francis is the spiritual leader of over a billion people, and his approval ratings are high, comparable to John Paul II's. The fact that he has weighed in on the subject of global warming—and been judicious in his data gathering—is a positive development. The importance of the topic cannot be overstated. It should also be kept in mind that the pontiff's warnings are virtually no different than the ones the Pentagon is planning for. In the Defense Department's words, climate change is "an immediate factor in a wide range of operational and budgeting decisions."
More encouraging news is that American opinion is becoming increasingly aligned with the scientific consensus. Currently, according to Pew, 69 percent deem climate change a serious problem, up six points from 2010—though still down ten points from 2006.
As for the unconcerned, theirs is a descending star. According to the New York Times, "Skepticism about climate change remains high among nearly any demographic group that leans Republican, including men, whites, evangelicals and people over age 50, according to the Pew data."
Over the last few decades, the global Catholic population has shifted significantly to the southern hemisphere and to Asia. Likewise, the United States is undergoing a demographic change and is becoming a population of minorities. And given the politics and concerns of Latinos, African-Americans, and others, the lives of future generations might rest on this trend.
[See also May 16 and Oct. 20, 2014, blog posts.]
