Dr. William Briggs, an honest-to-goodness climate scientist & Catholic, is trying to counter the nonsense of the Magisterium taking positions on ‘climate change’. He has drafted a Realist Catholic Climate Declaration and is looking for feedback. I never ask people to spread things around, but please spread this far and wide. Here’s Draft 2:
The Magisterium of the Catholic Church has no, and should not have, an official position on the earth’s optimal atmospheric mean temperature, nor on the best rate of change of this temperature. Neither optimum is known to anybody.
The earth’s climate has always changed, is changing now, and will never cease changing. There is no earthly force capable of stopping climate change.
Mankind influences the atmosphere, as does every creature and thing. The extent to which man is responsible for climate change is not known, only surmised.
Extreme caution, even skepticism, is warranted in any statement about global warming given the decades of failed and overreaching forecasts and hyperbole from official and interested sources. Beyond individual prudent stewardship, no Catholic is obligated to support any environmental measure.
There is no evidence any particular global temperature will cause fewer or more souls to descend into Hell. Pray to God and pray for your neighbor, not to the planet.
We should all support such efforts at clarity and charity. Please follow the link to check out the discussion and make suggestions. I’ve made a couple very nitpicky suggestions myself, perhaps you could do better?
Yard Sale of the Mind 