"Neither Tyrant Nor Tree Hugger"

The ZENIT news service has a helpful (if weirdly titled) discussion of the new Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which "dedicates an entire chapter to environmental issues, in recognition of the subject's increasing importance. The opening numbers urge Christians to view the environment with a positive attitude, to avoid a gloom-and-doom mentality, and to recognize God's presence in nature."  Invoking Genesis, the new Compendium observes that "[t]he relationship of man with the world is a constitutive part of his human identity. This relationship is in turn the result of another still deeper relationship with God" (No. 452).  Also:

If we need to avoid the error of reducing nature to purely utilitarian terms, in which it is only something to be exploited, we also need to avoid going to the other extreme of making it an absolute value. An ecocentric or biocentric vision of the environment falls into the error of putting all living beings on the same level, ignoring the qualitative difference between humans, based on the dignity of the human person, and other creatures.

The key to avoiding such mistakes is to maintain a transcendent vision. Acting responsibly toward the environment is more likely when we remember God's role in creation, explains the Compendium. Christian culture considers creatures as a gift from God, to be nurtured and safeguarded. Caring for the environment also falls within a responsibility for ensuring the common good, in which creation is destined for all. The Compendium also notes that we have a responsibility toward future generations.

And:

A section of the chapter is also devoted to the question of sharing the earth's resources. God created the goods of the earth to be used by all, notes the Compendium, and "They must be shared equitably, in accordance with justice and charity" (No. 481). In fact, international cooperation on ecological issues is necessary, as they are often problems on a global scale.

Ecological problems are also often connected with poverty, with poor people unable to cope with problems such as the erosion of farming land because of economic and technological limitations. And many poor people live in urban slums, afflicted by pollution. "In such cases hunger and poverty make it virtually impossible to avoid an intense and excessive exploitation of the environment" (No. 482).

The answer to these problems is not, however, the policies of population control that do not respect the dignity of the human person. The Compendium argues that demographic growth is "fully compatible with an integral and shared development" (No. 483). Development should also be integral, continues the text, ensuring the true good of people.

Rick