Tuesday, November 4, 2008

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: REVIEW LIFESTYLE, CONSUMPTION


VATICAN CITY, 4 NOV 2008 (VIS) - On 28 October Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, participated in the second committee of the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly, which is examining the theme: "Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind".

  Speaking English, the archbishop affirmed that "not only is there no opposition between the human being and the environment, but there is an established and inseparable alliance, in which the environment essentially conditions the human being's existence and development, while the latter perfects and ennobles the environment by his creative activity".

  "The responsibility to protect the climate requires us to further deepen the interactions between food security and climate change, focusing on the centrality of the human person, in particular on the most vulnerable populations, often located in rural areas of developing countries".

  Moreover, "the responsibility to protect the climate should be based on the alliance between the principles of subsidiarity and global solidarity. In a world as interconnected as today, we are witnessing the rapid expansion of a series of challenges in many areas of human life, from food crisis to financial turmoil".

  The permanent observer went on to indicate that "it should be borne in mind that the environmental question cannot be considered separately from other issues, like energy and economy, peace and justice, national interests and international solidarity".

  "Today's society cannot respond adequately to the duty connected with the responsibility to protect the environment if it does not seriously review its lifestyle, its patterns of consumption and production. There is, therefore, an urgent need to educate in ecological responsibility, based on the fact that many ethical values, fundamental for developing a peaceful society, have a direct relationship to the environmental question".
DELSS/ENVIRONMENT/U.N.:MIGLIORE            VIS 20081104 (310)


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