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The essential problem at the heart of Pope Francis’s recent Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum, is its condemnation of the economic progress brought about by the Industrial Revolution from the mid-19th century until now. However, this progress has significantly improved the lives of the very people the Holy Father aims to help.
According to the Holy Father, the Industrial Revolution led to a significant acceleration in greenhouse gas emissions, with over 42% of total new emissions since 1850 being produced after 1990.
The reality is that as the world emerged from subsistence poverty, which had persisted since the beginning of humanity, it was only natural for some environmental impacts to be felt due to progress. It’s important to consider that during the same period, life expectancies increased and human mortality rates dropped. Between 1800 and 1950, the proportion of the global population living in extreme poverty was halved, and it halved again from 1950 to 1980. This demonstrates responsible progress.
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Undoubtedly, there were tradeoffs and mixed environmental impacts. For instance, increased energy use resulting from improved productivity, such as tractors, did contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. However, further technological advancements, such as more fuel-efficient engines and alternative power sources, mitigated these effects. Recent studies indicate that these positive trends are continuing, following a recurring pattern.
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What frustrates me the most about Laudate Deum is the missed opportunity it represents. There is an abundance of studies, books, papers, and articles by the scientific community addressing the challenges posed by economic growth and its impact on the environment. The pope references many of them in his exhortation. However, what is lacking, and where the pope could have made a unique contribution, is in his own area of expertise – his comparative advantage as an economist. The pope’s true competency lies in moral inspiration, which his letter lacks.
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Ironically, the solution sought by the pope ultimately relies on this very competency – transforming the moral environment. Whether it’s addressing the “technocratic paradigm” he condemns (the private market economy working to solve scarcity without a moral vision of the whole) or the political efforts seen in the series of climate conferences he discusses, the pope acknowledges that these endeavors have largely failed.
It is bewildering to witness the leader of a 2,000-year-old institution, one with extensive experience in human moral development, which has established highly effective and ameliorative institutions like organized international charity, universities, and hospitals, settling for the discourse typically found in a mid-level NGO white paper.
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