教宗呼籲大家進行一場「為我們共有的家園與所有人對話。」

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今年夏天吹起了一陣改變的颶風。一場超級颱風橫掃、毀壞了亞太地區。另一股巨變的風則是來自全球最具影響力的宗教之一的領袖，呼籲我們針對當下最嚴苛的考驗有所行動：天氣變遷的問題。

六月，教宗發表一份極具意義的通諭，標題為「照顧我們共同的家園」，文內呼籲我們徹底改變全球的經濟體系與能源系統，希望能夠延緩這個溫度逐漸攀升的星球可能帶來的嚴重衝擊。
七月，科學家們宣布這個月是史上最炎熱的一個月。
八月，回教領袖發表「伊斯蘭全球氣候變遷宣言」。

除此之外，猶太教教士也針對氣候危機發表了猶太教書信。
其他宗教也加入這全球性的運動，紛紛減少了在石化燃料產業中的持股比例。
這些都是極為重要的宣言，因為這是很清楚的道德諭令，呼籲社會、政治、經濟體系有所改變。

「照顧我們共有的家園」

教宗發表一份極具意義的通諭，標題為「 照顧我們共有的家園」，教宗修正了過去經常引用聖經為他們攝取大地資源、導致天然資源無法延續的做法來背書的論述，特別是採礦與漁業方面，更是經常如此引用，也在這篇公開信中證實，聖經教導人們的教義是要「耕耘且維護」世界這座花園，而「耕耘」代表的是孕育，「維護」則是要照料、保護、督導與保存。

教宗的主要論述是「整合的生態」，將照顧環境與經濟發展、道德與正義做連結，並考慮到人們對於自由、教育、有意義的工作等社會正義的需求。

這份通諭的對象是「所有居住於這個星球上的人」，懇請政治人物能夠改革、影響能源與經濟政策、並促進一場全球性的運動。要這樣做的原因，是因為有迫切的需要，因為「天氣變化是一個全球性的問題，在環境、社會、經濟、政治與物品的分布等面向都有嚴重的後果。它是當下人們面臨最嚴峻的問題之一，」教宗如此說明。

針對「天氣變化」的對話其實已經進行了超過三十年，早在1985年科學家們客觀地承認全球暖化的現實狀態就已經啟動對話。至今，全球各地的人口都感受到氣溫越漸極端，以及越來越多的超級颱風出現，人們慢慢發現我們這個世代所面臨的這個問題的真實性、嚴重性、迫切性。

這場對話也持續在政治與外交的領域上進行，全球對此議題的關注也越來越強。今年十二月，聯合國將在巴黎舉行會議，引導194個國家，希望能促使大家將排放量降低到足夠的劑量，可以避免使全球共有物受到嚴重災害。

如果要達到全球性的解決方案，每一個國家都必須能夠對話，要超越194個國家彼此競爭的國家利益的考量。

但是教宗也表示：「還是有希望。人們雖然能夠行惡，但也能夠超越自己，再度選擇向善，重新開始。」希望在這個星球上的每一個人都能從個人、全球的面向來關心這塊土地，讓每一個世代都能長久永續。

同樣的，伊斯蘭宣言也呼應越來越多宗教團體與學者呼籲大家針對天氣變化提出大膽作風的聲浪，顯示出，要在國際間取得共識，有一種重要的方法就是讓各種文化團結起來。當一位簽署者被問及，回教徒教派之間的分歧在天氣變化的議題上會不會有問題時，答覆是：「雖然我們有很多的分歧，還是必須解決這個議題，畢竟這是影響所有人類的重要議題。」

聯合國對於各方發表的宣言表示歡迎，回應表示「讓大家都擁有乾淨的能源、可永續發展的未來的基礎，的確需要針對我們如何珍惜環境、如何珍惜彼此的理解，從本質予以改變。」

天氣變化催化了一股團結的精神，為我們獨一無二的地球這個共同的理念而團結一致。如果要徹底改變我們珍惜環境、珍惜彼此的價值觀，我們必須針對氣候變遷 – 這個世代最重要的挑戰與契機持續進行對話，並大膽有所作為。

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Religious leaders call for a “dialogue with all people about caring for our common home"

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This summer has brought enormous winds of change, both in the form of super typhoons which continue to wreak destruction across the Asia Pacific region, and in the form of leaders of the world’s biggest religions calling for bold action on the biggest issue of our time: climate change.

In June the Pope released a significant papal text, an encyclical, titled ‘On Care for Our Common Home’, in which he calls for a drastic transformation of the world’s economic and energy systems in order to stave off the worst impacts of an increasingly hotter planet.

In July scientists announced that this was the hottest month in recorded history.

In August, Islamic leaders released the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change.

In addition, Jewish rabbis have released a Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis.

Other faith leaders have joined the global movement to divest their financial holdings from the fossil fuel industry.

These declarations are significant because they give an explicit moral imperative for social, political and economic change. 

Care for Our Common Home

The Pope’s key concept is “integral ecology,” which links care for the environment with economic development, being morally good and just, and taking into account people’s need for social justice like freedom, education and meaningful work.

The encyclical aims “to address every person living on this planet” to press politicians for change, to influence energy and economic policy and to stir a global movement.  The reason for this urgency is that “climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and the distribution of goods.  It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day”, says the Pope.

This dialogue about climate change has in fact been going on for over 30 years.  It commenced with scientists acknowledging in 1985 the factual reality of global warming. Since then, the global population has been increasingly feeling the growing extremes in temperatures and super typhoons, and gradually realizing the reality, enormity and urgency of the task of our generation.  

The dialogue continues to play out today in the political and diplomatic sphere with growing global attention.  This December the United Nations will meet in Paris to facilitate 194 nation states to reach consensus on reducing each nation’s emissions enough to avoid an approaching tragedy of our global commons.  

To achieve such a global solution, the individual nation states must be able to really dialogue, in other words, to transcend our competitive pursuit of 194 national interests.

But “all is not lost,” says the Pope. “Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”  

The Islamic Declaration likewise celebrates the growing call among faith communities and religious scholars for bold climate action and reveals the important ways in which international consensus is solidifying across cultures. When one of the declaration’s signatories was asked if religious divisions between Muslims is a bigger issue at present than climate change, the reply was: “In spite of our differences we have to take this on, as the major issue affecting the whole of the human world."

The UN welcomed these declarations, indicating that “a clean energy, sustainable future for everyone ultimately rests on a fundamental shift in the understanding of how we value the environment and each other.”  

The upside of climate change is that it is catalyzing a renewal of spirit and solidarity in caring for our common home.  To achieve this fundamental shift, in our understanding of how we value the environment and each other, we must continue to dialogue about climate change as the biggest challenge and opportunity of our time and then to take bold action.