
The media and the secular left have a love-hate relationship with the
Such is the case with Pope Francis' encyclical on "climate change." The
Pope Francis accepts as a matter of scientific doctrine that the Earth is warming and that humans are responsible for it. Yet near the end of the encyclical, he confesses that "the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics." Which is it?
Francis also admonishes the world's wealthier nations to open their wallets and give to the poor. The problem with that admonition is unless the political, economic, religious and cultural conditions in poor countries change, people on the receiving end of the money (if indeed there is any money left after their corrupt governments siphon it off for themselves) will be just as poor when the money is spent.
Is it worth radically altering our economies and lifestyles and giving government even more power over us for a climate change faith that has not been fully debated and is problematic at best and wrong at worst?
Before rushing ahead with legal mandates, it would be useful to consider "scientific" predictions from the past that have proven wrong. The government now wants to ban trans fats from our food, but 50 years ago people were told to switch from butter to margarine because it was thought the trans fats in margarine lowered cholesterol levels. Foods such as coffee and chocolate have either been good or bad for us, depending on the "scientific" study of the moment.
Francis turns spiritual and political lobbyist when he declares, "We believers cannot fail to ask God for a positive outcome to the present (UN) discussions (on climate change), so that future generations will not have to suffer the effects of our ill-advised delays."
The UN claimed in 1982 and 1989 we had reached environmental tipping points.
Most of these Chicken Little fantasies are based on computer models, not actual temperature readings.
Let's not forget some of the many embarrassingly wrong predictions that have been made about global warming. An
In his encyclical, Francis calls for "an honest and open debate so that particular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good."
I'm for that, but Francis has already reached his conclusion without debate. In doing so, he has joined disciples of the environmental cult.
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Cal Thomas, America's most-syndicated columnist, is the author of 10 books.
