From the documents, we can summarize five major themes that bring out the spiritual-moral context for our discussion on climate change in the Philippine setting.
1) “The environment is God’s gift to everyone.” (CV, 48)
• In nature the believer recognizes the creative activity of God. “Nature expresses a design of love and truth,” given to us by the Creator as the setting for our life. A beautiful landscape can fill us with awe and wonder – a mirror of God’s presence in the world that He has created.
• The biblical message situates the first man and woman in a garden for them to keep and till. And with regard to every created reality, “God saw that it was good.”(cf. Gen. 1:4 f.) Man’s original innocence is best expressed in his vocation to be master of all other created beings in the universe.
2) The environment is a collective good, destined for all. (cf. CSDC, 466)
• All beings are interconnected in an ordered ecosystem that we call the “cosmos.” We are all part of a web of life that reaches out from the smallest creatures to the most complex.
• The environmental value of biodiversity must be adequately protected. Our forests, in particular, help preserve the natural balance among diverse forms of life, including our own.
• The climate itself is a good that must be protected. “One considers relations between human activity and climate change which, given their extreme complexity, must be opportunely and constantly monitored at the scientific, political and juridical, national and international levels.” (CSDC, 470)
• “Care for the environment… is a common and universal duty, that of respecting a common good.” (CSDC, 466)
3) “Human beings… exercise a responsible stewardship over nature.” (CV, 50)
• As stewards, human beings are entrusted by the Creator to conserve the environment, enjoy its fruits and cultivate it in new ways to make it more productive to accommodate and feed the world’s population.
• The covenant between Yahweh and Noah and his descendants after the flood, symbolized by the rainbow (Gen. 9), also connotes a covenant between human beings and the environment – i.e., no longer to destroy God’s creation.
• “One of the greatest challenges facing the economy is to achieve the most efficient use – not abuse – of natural resources, based on a realization that the notion of ‘efficiency’ is not value-free.” (CV, 50)
• Environmental protection at the macro level cannot be assured solely on the basis of financial calculations of costs and returns at the micro level. “The environment is one of those goods that cannot be adequately safeguarded or promoted by market forces.” (CSDC, 470)
• The adverse effects of climate change that we have experienced from recent calamities in Ormoc, Infanta, Marikina, etc. are warning signs and a call for responsible stewardship − particularly with regard to our watershed and river basin areas.
4) “Projects for integral human development cannot ignore coming generations, but need to be marked by solidarity and inter-generational justice.” (CV, 48)
• The adverse effects of environmental degradation often take place in a gradual, cumulative manner that are not immediately noticed until sudden calamities occur. Only then do communities come to realize that the effects are irreversible, affecting future generations.
• Such are the consequences of the loss of bio-diversity and the extinction of various species of wild-life. Likewise, soil erosion from the uplands and the resultant siltation of river beds and destruction of coral reefs are oftentimes irreversible and permanently damage the environment.
• Hence, “the right to a safe and healthy natural environment” is gradually receiving juridical recognition. (CSDC, 468) Likewise, the right of the children of our present generation to inherit and enjoy the blessings of an unspoiled environment has been upheld by the Philippine Supreme Court, a landmark decision that has caught the attention of other countries.
• “Intergenerational solidarity” is thus a moral value we need to uphold – for instance with regard to the search for alternative sources of energy that do not produce a greenhouse effect or global warming altering climate patterns.
5) The Church has a responsibility towards creation and integral human development. (cf. CV, 51)
• “When ‘human ecology’ is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits.” (CV, 51)
• Human ecology refers to our understanding and appreciation for the dignity of the human person and the inter-personal value of human society. Respect for the person as the subject and goal of development also flows into respect for the environment. “The decisive issue is the overall moral tenor of society.” (CV, 51)
• “The book of nature is one and indivisible: it takes in not only the environment but also life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations: in a word, integral human development.” (CV, 51)
• “The way humanity treats the environment influences the way it treats itself, and vice versa.” (CV, 51) Care for the environment invites modern society to adopt new life – styles away from the prevailing spirit of hedonism and consumerism. Culture and nature are thus closely linked. A wholesome human ecology leads to a wholesome natural ecology.
In summary, our concern over the adverse consequences of climate change stems from our appreciation that:
(1) The environment is God’s gift;
(2) It is a collective good that we share with others;
(3) As human beings, we are called to be responsible stewards of God’s creation;
(4) Solidarity and inter-generational justice are key moral principles for our protection and conservation of the environment; and
(5) The Church espouses integral human development that encompasses a wholesome environmental ecology.
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