November, 11, 2009

In a recent speech in Florida POTUS said that the only people who could oppose his climate plan are “those who are afraid of the future”. That would be me. Not that I fear the future per se but I fear the future that radical environmentalists want to force upon us. Their basic premise is that humanity is a scourge upon the earth and that only serious reductions in population (human) will save the planet. They also are pushing for radical behavioral changes, legislating morality in other words. Funny how they accuse us of ‘imposing our values” and they turn around and do the same thing! They also insist that we embrace some very shaky and unsettled science without being allowed any critical analysis. What is it they want us to do? Here is a sampling:

*When it comes to greenhouse-gas emissions, Energy Secretary Steven Chu sees Americans as unruly teenagers and the Administration as the parent that will have to teach us a few lessons. “The American public…just like your teenage kids, aren’t acting in a way that they should act,” Dr. Chu said. “The American public has to really understand in their core how important this issue is.” Sounds like we are all being sent to the principal’s office.

*The Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon has insisted that the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is a make or break situation for the planet. According to Ki-moon it is now or never, if the world fails to act then it’s curtains for the planet. If we fail to act, climate change will intensify droughts, floods and other natural disasters. Water shortages will affect hundreds of millions of people. Malnutrition will engulf large parts of the developing world. Tensions will worsen. Social unrest – even violence – could follow. The damage to national economies will be enormous. The human suffering will be incalculable. He is also insisting on an “equitable global governance structure” that will be empowered to control behaviors and economies to stop global warming. We only have till December to “secure the planet” says Ki-moon.

*Population Control is a centerpiece to climate changer’s needs. Reduce population by implementing a one child policy such as China has, force sterilizations, including putting contraception in the water supply. Obviously euthanasia should be generously utilized. A study by statisticians at Oregon State University concluded that in the United States, the carbon legacy and greenhouse gas impact of one less child is almost 20 times more important than some of the other environment-friendly practices people might employ during their entire lives – things like driving a high mileage car, recycling, or using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs…(This is the All Children Left Behind Act).

*Reduce carbon emissions: this includes no more use of air conditioning, limited heating, penalties against factories that fail to limit emissions, no more flying on jet planes (except Al Gore) plus some very expensive energy policies. Nippon Airlines now asks passengers to use the toilet before boarding the plane since empty bladders lower the weight of the plane and reduce emissions. Then of course we are supposed to squeeze a family of 5, including child car seats in a vehicle the size and safety of a tuna can.

*Raise the cost of foods especially meat to force people into a vegetarian diet since animal husbandry causes so much environmental degradation. However farming has also caused massive deforestation and hence global warming and scars the planet permanently. Less trees more CO2. No meat, no farms must mean we go back to the days of hunter-gatherers, cavemen in other words.

*Have pets that you can eat, such as rabbits, chickens, ducks. The family dog/cat leave a bigger ecological footprint than driving an SUV 6,000 miles. Ban or euthanize most house pets. See new book: “Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living”.

*Reduce marital intercourse to no more than once a month since all that heavy breathing raises CO2 levels. Taking cold showers would also reduce energy consumption.

*In Europe “climate change denial syndrome” is a treatable mental health issue. In the US the American Psychological Association set up a task force to examine why we aren’t too concerned about all this: “Numerous psychological barriers are to blame: uncertainty over climate change, mistrust of the messages about risk from scientists or government officials, denial that climate change is occurring or that it is related to human activity.”

What’s really disturbing about these proposals is that they are not the lunatic fringe but put forth by those with the power to make our lives miserable. But this is where Catholics can really shine. The Church has a long and deep theology of ecology that leads to human flourishing and does not undermine the sanctity of human life. In Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict states that we are to “exercise a responsible stewardship over nature, in order to protect it, to enjoy its fruits and to cultivate it in new ways, with the assistance of advanced technologies, so that it can worthily accommodate and feed the world’s population”. Each of us then has a personal stewardship responsibility to care for the environment but also to ensure that business practices and economic policies support “the principle of the centrality of the human person” and that “it is contrary to authentic development to view nature as more important than the human person”.

Love,

Fr. John Bonavitacola