Congress: Listen to Pope Francis and Lead on Climate!
- by: GreenFaith
- recipient: Steve Scalise, Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives
Pope Francis has issued an historic call-to-action on climate change, calling our political inability to respond thus far a failure for the world's poor and our shared planet.
His encyclical, strongly warns us "The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth."
"There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced, for example, substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy."
He warns us, "Politics and business have been slow to react in a way commensurate with the urgency of the challenges facing our world."
"Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most."
Let's listen to Pope Francis, and urge the Catholic Speaker of the House and Majority Whip to act on the profound message their faith leader has issued, and stop being barriers to action on climate.
Please reflect on the prophetic words of the beloved leader of your faith, and act courageously to implement his call-to-action.
As he has written:
We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels – especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas – needs to be progressively replaced without delay. Politics and business have been slow to react in a way commensurate with the urgency of the challenges facing our world. Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most.
Please heed his call, reverse your course, and begin to lead on climate change.
