Check, check, yo, I know something you don't know
And I've got something to tell ya
You won't believe how many people straight doubted the flow.
* * *Oh why must I feel this way, (Hey, must be the money) . . ..*
In his 2015 Encyclical Letter, “Laudato
Si,”
Pope Francis noted that, “Climate change is a global problem with grave
implications,” and that:
[A] number of scientific
studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great
concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and
others) released mainly as a result of human activity.
Eight years later, in October 2023 Pope Francis issued
another environmentally focused Letter, titled, “Laudate
Deum.”
In that letter, Francis states:
Despite all attempts to
deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change
are here and increasingly evident.
Furthermore, he concludes, “It is no longer possible
to doubt the human – ‘anthropic’ – origin of climate change.” While he has hope
that climate change can be addressed by international dialogue, Francis notes
that “Despite the many negotiations and agreements, global emissions continue
to increase.” He worries that, “the necessary transition towards clean energy
sources such as wind and solar energy, and the abandonment of fossil fuels, is
not progressing at the necessary speed.”
COP28 took place shortly after the release of Laudate
Deum. Despite the Pope’s concern that the conference was being hosted by the
United Arab Emirates, “a great exporter of fossil fuels,” he hoped it could
“represent a change in direction.” Otherwise, Francis feared, “it will be a
great disappointment and jeopardize whatever good has been achieved thus far.”
COP28
was a disappointment to those who want countries to take immediate steps to
prevent the continued buildup of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Language
proposing a full phase-out of fossil fuels by participating nations was
rejected in favor of a non-binding commitment to transition away from fossil
fuels. But at least for the first time, there was agreement that the burning of
fossil fuels is the primary contributor to climate change. However, the deaf
ears of Republican Party leaders in the United States failed to hear this
conclusion.
At his campaign rallies Donald Trump, the likely Republican
nominee for President, trots out the 2008 campaign slogan, “Drill, baby, drill.”
If Trump is elected, he will likely follow the strategic plan concocted by Conservative
think tanks titled, “Project 2025.” According to Lisa Friedman’s August
2023 article for the New York Times:
The plan calls for
shredding regulations to curb greenhouse gas pollution from cars, oil and gas
wells and power plants, dismantling almost every clean energy program in the
federal government and boosting the production of fossil fuels — the burning of
which is the chief cause of planetary warming.
One may wonder why Republican leaders fight so hard
against efforts to address climate change. The Open
Secrets website lists top recipients of campaign
contributions from the fossil fuels industry. Not surprisingly, the top ten
recipients are Republican politicians and include Donald Trump and Nikki Haley.
Hey, must be the money!
* “Ride Wit Me,” 2001, Cornell Haynes (Nelly), Jason
Epperson, William DeBarge, Eldra DeBarge, Lavell Webb (City Spud), Etterlene
Jordan
