Professor Lin Publishes Op-Ed on Pope Francis and Climate Change
Professor Albert Lin published an op-ed in the June 26 Sacramento Bee on Pope Francis' recent encyclical, Laudato Si, in which the pontiff emphasizes the ethical obligations involved in dealing with climate change and other environmental problems.
"The encyclical is remarkable in a number of ways," Lin writes. Rather than being directed to church leaders and laity, it is addressed to "every person living on this planet," he notes. Although the document calls for action on climate change, it underscores the connections between climate change and poverty, global inequity, and war. The document also calls for a transformation of "a global system of production and consumption that is straining the planet's waste-absorbing and resource-generating capacities," Lin writes.
"Here, the encyclical offers no easy answers. It urges cultivation of an ecological citizenship through education efforts. These efforts would aim not only to inform, but also to transform personal and social values. Ideally, they would foster a sense of sufficiency, gratitude and shared responsibility for others and the world."
Albert Lin is a professor at the UC Davis School of Law with special interests in environmental law, natural resources law, and evidence.