Let’s listen to the words of Pope Francis on climate change. Then let’s act. | Opinion
Catholics and all people should read Pope Francis’s environmental message of October 4, “Laudate Deum,” which was covered in the Lexington Herald Leader. Pope Francis is honest and clear, stating that the planet is suffering, but that “our responses have not been adequate . . .”
Pope Francis disputes climate change deniers and minimizers. “It is no longer possible to doubt the human — “anthropic” — origin of climate change.” He also challenges the mistaken notion that reducing carbon pollution will be too expensive. He states what should be obvious — prevention costs less than cure. “Although the measures that we can take now are costly, the cost will be all the more burdensome the longer we wait.”
Pope Francis emphasizes that millions will lose their jobs due to the effects of climate change if we fail to act, but that countless green energy jobs will be gained if we do act. I am proud that Kentucky has the second fastest growing clean energy sector in the US, bringing good quality jobs. Pope Francis admonishes politicians who speak “irresponsible derision” to those concerned by climate change. We have all heard derisive comments from the political arena.
Some of my friends repeat the political talking point that we cannot do anything until China acts, because China is the world’s biggest emitter. Pope Francis directly addresses that misleading point: “ . . . emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China . . .”
The Pope decries the fact that rich people pollute the most and everyone else suffers. Within the United States, the lifestyles and investments of the richest 10% account for 40% of total US emissions. Astoundingly, just 15 days of investment by the richest 0.1% of the US population creates as much carbon pollution as lifetime incomes earned by the poorest 10% of people. Not only do the rich and the super-rich generate more carbon pollution, the poor and middle class suffer the greatest effects. Recall the terrible 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods, which hit needy and middle income people the hardest. In the August 2023 heat wave, rich people cranked up their air conditioning, while poor folks cooked. Middle class people struggled to pay their high electrical bills.
Basing his recommendations on solid science, Pope Francis warns that “we barely have time to prevent even more tragic damage.” He stresses that effective solutions “will not come from individual efforts alone, but above all from major political decisions on the national and international level.” Pope Francis encourages us to ask, “What is the meaning of my time on this earth?” Put in another way, “what can I do, starting today?” Regarding climate change, we can make better personal choices. Most important, we must demand that our political leaders make better decisions.
The Citizen’s Climate Lobby recognizes an important problem. We need to transmit electricity generated on the Great Plains to places where wind is less constant and sunlight is less reliable. Electrical transmission is stymied by a complex tangle of local, state, tribal, and national regulations. For example, a Kansas project known as Grain Belt Express was proposed in 2010, but has not even fully started because of the many agencies that regulate the project. To combat this problem, the Citizen’s Climate Lobby supports the BIG WIRES Act, which will accelerate American’s transition to cleaner energy while strengthening the strained electrical grid. When severe heat or cold slams a region and threatens blackouts, local power companies must get backup electricity from other regions. However, some regions have only a 2% transfer capacity between them. The Act would require a 30% peak transfer capacity between regions. Please join us by contacting Rep. Andy Barr and asking him to support the BIG WIRES Act (H.5551).
Dr. Lutz is a clinical pathologist and research scientist at the University of Kentucky.