SIERRA CLUB: “You may say I’m dreamer but I’m not the only o

[Oscar]

SIERRA CLUB CANADA: “You may say I’m dreamer but I’m not the only one”

June 18, 2015

The other day I put on my blue blazer to talk about the Pope’s Encyclical on the Environment on Global TV.
[ http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/ ... to-si.html ] The encyclical is a big deal. Media around the world is paying attention. 1.254 billion Catholics are being told earth is filling up with “filth” and we must stop using fossil fuels. It’s a pretty revolutionary document. Wow.

The blazer and talk of popes put me back in Father Redman’s Grade 11 religion class listening to him explain that church law is unlike criminal law. He told us the church’s laws are ideals, we strive to live up to while criminal laws are limits on what we can get away with. At least that’s how I heard it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think that class had a major impact on my life and work.

I’ve been seeking the idea all my life. I’ve never had much time for those interested in what they can get away with.

What is special about the Pope speaking out on climate change on behalf of a major institution that usually allies with the status quo? It is a 200 page paper but it comes down to one piece of advice for individuals and world leaders alike. ‘Do the right thing!’
[ http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/ ... to-si.html ]

We are not accustomed to our leaders talking about right and wrong. I, for one, am glad to see the pope stepping up. It’s a refreshing break from the partisan babble we are subjected to everyday.

The Pope talks about climate change and environmental degradation, as the result of an exploitive economic system that pushes the poor for the sins of wealthy. It is a pretty sweeping indictment.

When I started this piece I wanted to talk about how we talk about climate change and how the way we talk about it affects our success in mobilizing. I’ve put 25 years into this fight only to hear a prime minister say “it would be crazy to regulate the oil industry.”
[ http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/regulati ... -1.2139987 ]

So we haven’t rolled the boulder too far up the hill. A billion Catholics might get it rolling if we can change the frame from a narrative of techno-babble to one of right and wrong. We have been grappling with this for years – nine years.

Climate change is the first world crisis since 1917 that Canada has failed. We have a century stepping up and pitching in when we are needed. Is it because people like me have failed to clearly explain details and complexities of the causes, impacts and solutions or because have?

Back in 1999 Pope John Paul said, "The violent history of this century is due in no small part to the closure of reason to the existence of ultimate and objective truth. The result has been a pervasive skepticism and relativism, which have not led to a more 'mature' humanity but to much despair and irrationality".

He is saying humans can justify any atrocity when we ignore the fundamental truth that there is a right and wrong. The climate debate like the ideologies of the 1930s is filled with theories, scientific jargon and fear mongering that allows many to justify the unjustifiable. So it is not surprising, the climate change debate comes down to a battle of words between those who see the earth as an ideal and those trying to get away with as much as they can. I’ve been seduced by it. I can rattle off 100s of facts. I keep taking the bait as I did on Global TV.

Science and politics are very important but everything comes down to right and wrong. “Have we lost sight of the ultimate and objective truth?” Will the Pope get us back on track?

As John Lennon said, “You may say I’m dreamer but I’m not the only one”.
[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8 ]

John Bennett
Sierra Club Canada Foundation
1510-1 Nicholas St
Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7
Canada