Pope Links Climate Action with Poverty Alleviation

Pope Francis issued yet another plea for action on climate change Tuesday, arguing environmental degradation is taking its toll on the poorest people of the world.

“The human environment and the natural environment are degrading together, and we can't adequately confront human and social degradation without paying attention to the (underlying) causes,” the Pope said.

He continued by stating the Bible calls for responsible care of the planet, arguing that care for the poor is inextricably linked with care for the environment.

“In today's world, among the most abandoned and abused poor, (we find) the most oppressed and damaged land,” he said.

The comments were made in a speech laden with calls for social responsibility, made in Quito during the Pope's historic visit to Ecuador.

The plea for environmental consciousness is the latest in a series of calls from the Pope for action on climate change.

Earlier this month Pope Francis issued a dire call for action on climate change, linking the crisis to economics and poverty.

“Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain. We may well be leaving to coming generations debris, desolation and filth,” the pope wrote in the first papal encyclical dedicated to the environment.

The pope described a relentless exploitation and destruction of the environment. He blamed this on apathy, the reckless pursuit of profits, excessive faith in technology and the lack of political vision.

The head of the Vatican said the most vulnerable victims of the destruction of the environment are the world’s poorest people, who are being displaced and disregarded.

Scientifically literate, impassioned and heavily critical of “throwaway” consumer culture, the encyclical demanded world leaders hear “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” warning against “an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems” looming within the coming decades.

“Once more, we need to reject a magical conception of the market, which would suggest that problems can be solved simply by an increase in the profits of companies or individuals,” the pope argued.

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