9 Oct 2023
Running out of time
A highly respected world leader, Pope Francis, has warned that we are running out of time to save ourselves from the climate changes we are creating. In a blunt message he said, “the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.” He said a number modern of technologies have destroyed what used to be a healthy and harmonious relationship between humans and nature. “We have not realized that at the same time we have turned into highly dangerous beings, capable of threatening the lives of many beings and our own survival.” His statement comes eight years after his powerful statement on sustainability that accused the rich and powerful of turning a blind eye to environmental destruction while continuing with excessive and wasteful consumption.
The pope’s latest critique of the modern world was released after a summer of record heat, drought, wildfires and floods as the global temperature continues to rise because of greenhouse gases released by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels.