Vatican-Appointed Panel Warns Of Climate Change

VATICAN CITY -- A Vatican-appointed panel of scientists has reported what climate change experts have been warning for years: the Earth is getting warmer, glaciers are melting, and urgent measures are necessary to stem the damage.

The scientists called for urgent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and reductions in methane and other pollutants that warm the air, and for improved observation of mountain glaciers to better track their changes.

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a Vatican advisory panel, hosted a conference last month on the causes and consequences of retreating mountain glaciers. Its final report, dated May 5 and signed by independent glaciologists, climate scientists, meteorologists and chemists, was posted on the Vatican website Tuesday.

"We appeal to all nations to develop and implement, without delay, effective and fair policies to reduce the causes and impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems, including mountain glaciers and their watersheds, aware that we all live in the same home," the report said.

"We are committed to ensuring that all inhabitants of this planet receive their daily bread, fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink as we are aware that, if we want justice and peace, we must protect the habitat that sustains us."

The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the document was "important" but is not a piece of the church's key teachings and merely reflects the conclusions of the independent scientists involved.

That said, he noted that it was a "significant scientific contribution" to the concerns that Pope Benedict XVI has voiced in both his encyclicals and public statements.

Benedict has been dubbed the "green pope" for his environmental concerns: In 2008, the Vatican installed photovoltaic cells on the roof of its main auditorium. A year later it installed a solar cooling unit for its main cafeteria. The Vatican has also joined a reforestation project aimed at offsetting its CO2 emissions.

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Comments

[NJP1]

08:36 AM on 06/06/2011

It might be seen as laudable that the Vatican has at last acknowledged the fact of global warming, but the devil is in the detail so to speak. While the Vatican offers platitudes about ‘’what must be done’’ there is no mention of the real problem of global warming, just too many people! Constant breeding has always been a central tenet of holy dogma. No matter that babies are born into grinding poverty and die within days. The church must have more altar fodder, contraception is the ultimate sin. To admit that population must reduce would destroy the still medieval thinking of the church itself, which is based on control of a gullible people and a demand for blind obedience to 3000 year old myths.

[REMEMBER2050]

01:53 PM on 05/20/2011

So the Church is on board, and insurers are raising their rates because of global warming. I would say that if we have just a couple more decades of extreme weather events, Americans might actually start wondering if they've been played for rubes believing there's some sort of climate change "debate."

[eaarth2]

06:52 PM on 05/17/2011

The Vatican may see the writing on the wall. Italy by 2050 may see a climate closer to inland Tunisia then today.

St. Peter's Square dessicated by hot dry winds and sand would not be very inviting.

[POPE INNOCENT]

08:41 PM on 05/21/2011

What we really want is war with Protestants!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck02k6d-_nI

[AJH]

02:29 PM on 06/01/2011

The strength of catholicism today and into the predictable future for the church is the developing world. this free's them from the need to cow tow to the elite donors of the corporate west and come to findings reflective of the needy in their congregation and requires them to minister to the needs of those communities which accept climate change, are most vulnerable to it's negative aspects and darn well want the wealthy nations of the world to cease their carbon gluttony.

[eaarth2]

03:49 PM on 06/01/2011

yes, the poor are most vulnerable to climate change- and will be ravaged the most

but even within the USA- the same will be true.

[logicanada]

04:47 PM on 05/15/2011

Whew, this is a relief . . . 6 days before rapture and all.

[Phil Lunney]

12:56 PM on 05/15/2011

I have always been suspicious of the science behind Global Warming. I don't deny that the world is warming, I am just not convinced that man is responsible. The only choice is to manage the cards you are dealt. Now that the Vatican has chimed in, I ask what would Galileo do? Why don't we start with things we can all agree on: eliminate acid rain, keep waste out of our rivers, etc. Do the little things rather than argue about BIG solutions and nothing gets done, or worse, something gets done and the unintended consequenses are worse.

[Bob Wood]

01:15 PM on 05/15/2011

The best science today...by the best minds, has concluded that global warming is real and man made. Check out Michio Kaku's new book The Physics of the Future. He' polled the top scientists in the field to arrive at this determination...(sigh)

[Phil Lunney]

02:30 PM on 05/15/2011

Bob, even if this is true, we must manage what we have. If the science is correct, we can't reverse the effects, our only chance is limiting the "harm". Shouldn't we be adapting to the circumstance? I moved from Philly to the ATL, I love warm. And, "they have concluded..." equals what 99%, that means there is a chance in 100 that I am right. And if you take into consideration the Vatican's history with science, my odds are increasing.

[eaarth2]

07:24 PM on 05/17/2011

There have been two major warming events of the last 55 million years- one called the 'PETM' 55 million years ago, when global temperatures increased 5-6 degrees C - and the Eocene 'Optimum' from 40 million years ago-- global temperatures remained very warm for millions of years after. Ice began to glaciate in Antarctica 35 million years ago when C02 dropped to around 450ppm- and in the arctic around 15 million years ago.

The 2 warming events mentioned above where caused by carbon being released by tectonic forces- that happened over 10-20 thousand years that caused extinction of as much as 30-40% of planetary species.

Today that carbon that long ago caused that warming, and sunk into 'sinks' is being brought up again- this time by humans- and being brought into the atmosphere 10 thousand times faster.

I suggest you look at the science of climate change both present and past- and learn something. You obviously right now know nothing.

[tropicyachty]

11:00 AM on 05/15/2011

Perhaps the Vatican can stop it's followers from breeding so much!

[Katmandu01]

01:56 PM on 05/19/2011

It isn't just the Vatican that can't "stop it's followers from breeding so much". There are plenty of non-Catholics who don't see over population as a problem. http://www.quiverfull.com/

[Ernie Evil]

05:51 PM on 05/14/2011

Let's just stop the debate over whether it's man-made or natural, because neither side will concede on the argument.

Just consider what can we do to stop it. There are solutions. So let's just do it - Libs and Cons - stop the pissing contest and get to work.

[marshallwyattearp]

05:32 PM on 05/14/2011

So, what I'm hearing is... The Earth no longer goes through natural climate cycles?

http://www.scotese.com/climate.htm

ICE HOUSE or HOT HOUSE?

During the last 2 billion years the Earth's climate has alternated between a frigid "Ice House", like today's world, and a steaming "Hot House", like the world of the dinosaurs.



If that's the case... Why won't the Liberals allow us to stop forest fires?

Better yet... Why don't the Liberals fire up China? Everyone knows they polute more than any other country.

MAYBE... people should stop eating beans.

[maxben]

11:51 AM on 05/15/2011

No, what you are hearing is that the Earth goes through cycles AND there is human-made warming and cooling.
Seriously, what is so crazy about having both?

[Katmandu01]

05:35 PM on 05/19/2011

Nobody is disputing that the earth has and continues to go through variations in the climate including periods of cooling and warming. The problem is the RATE at which the climate is changing and never before in human experience has it warmed this quickly, not during the warming periods that ended the ice age and not even during the onset of the Medieval Warming Period. The last time the earth's climate changed more rapidly was after the Toba eruption about 70,000 years ago when volcanic ash brought about widespread cooling and the human population was probably reduced to about 10,000 breeding pairs. I don't think anyone would want to have been around then. Even though the climatic changes that ended the ice ages were probably pretty disruptive for humans, those that were affected simply had to take up their few simple belongings and move or rather, migrate. There were probably no more than a million of us then. Now there are more than six and a half billion of us and we don't do so well with just the few things that we might be able to carry with us.

[LJIESQ]

02:32 PM on 05/14/2011

Welcome to the party; it started years ago while you were busy covering up the sexual abuse of children.

[PopeAntichristo]

01:32 PM on 05/14/2011

Manmade Climate Change

Contrails or Chemtrails in Italy

Is this NORMAL Contrail behavior, or the result of chemical additives in aviation fuel, designed to BLOCK out SUNLIGHT ? Find out what a ...

by googlepolice | 4 years ago | 3,069 views

Thumbnail7:57
Chemtrails over Italy March 2010

Chemtrails over Italy , 24,26,27,28,29,30 march 2010 Tanker in action over north Italy

by FaberBarber | 1 year ago | 393 views

Thumbnail2:30
Contrails or Chemtrails in Italia

Is this NORMAL Contrail behavior, or the result of chemical additives in aviation fuel, designed to BLOCK out SUNLIGHT ? Find out what a ...

by googlepolice | 4 years ago | 3,866 views

[maxben]

11:51 AM on 05/15/2011

Whatever this is, flagged for crazy.

[PopeAntichristo]

12:03 AM on 05/14/2011

BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER THE NEW!!!!!

Fascist Roman Catholic List;

Bill O Reilly most watched most popular Catholic.
Karl Rove
Laura Ingraham
Nancy Pelosi
Antonin “Nino” Scalia
Anthony M. Kennedy
Sonia Sotomayor
Clarence Thomas
Samuel Alito
Rick Santorumn
Darryl Issa
Thaddeus McCotter
Donald Trump
John A. Boehner
Joe Biden
Tony Blair
Tom Coburn
John Ensign

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-weBSEQMv48

[tropicyachty]

11:02 AM on 05/15/2011

No wonder they are all FU!

[maxben]

11:52 AM on 05/15/2011

Again, flagged for crazy irrelevancy.

[Aaror]

11:04 PM on 05/12/2011

You know, if the Vatican can't convince at least some folks to take it seriously, it is just too late.
Here is the question, how much change can we tolerate?
In the past 25 years, the growing areas for plants have moved north a full zone in the US, plants that used to need to be in Virginia to grow can now thrive in Pennsylvania. WTF?!?!?!
Ships are now using the Northwest Passage to get around North America, that is the route that we couldn't use for all of recorded North American History because of the huge sheets of ice.
It isn't manmade? Um, is Venus getting warmer from your sunspots? How about Mercury? I ask about those two planets cause Mercury is closer to the SUN, but Venus is HOTTER!!! Cause? Greenhouse gasses!
It is later than you think. As the global icecaps melt, we lose white snow that reflects heat away, and get dark water that absorbs it (the albedo effect). Meanwhile, the permafrost is melting and dumping huge amounts of methane, another greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
It is later than you think, warmer air holds more moisture, meaning more tornadoes and other weather disasters. Warm mountains hold less snow and ice, meaning less constant flow in rivers. Ironically, while this leads to more drought, it also leads to more flooding.
It is later than you think, it may already be too late to fix anything, and Gen Y seems not to care.

[PopeAntichristo]

10:57 AM on 05/16/2011

The earth has have been getting hotter for 500 Years. A solar cycle now its going the other way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl4Pz1mwBao

[Forester]

06:42 PM on 05/12/2011

Wow, Al Gore even got to the guys inside the Vatican. He is one bad dude. No wonder the righties fear him.

[PopeAntichristo]

09:15 AM on 05/13/2011

Its not left or right it is you against the mark of the beast "DON'T TAKE IT!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck02k6d-_nI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vac2mucDdh0

[maxben]

11:52 AM on 05/15/2011

Flagged for absolute insanity/abusive religious pushing.

[agwscam]

05:21 PM on 05/12/2011

I guess it makes sense for two of the worlds largest religions to unite - Christians and Global Warmists! Both driven almost entirely by 'faith' in sacred documents, rituals and sacraments and led by anointed 'priests' who live a life of luxury while demanding poverty for their subjects and sacrifice$ for their gods. What a joke, global warming is a scam - move on to the next false crisis already.

[addisonsteele]

12:21 PM on 05/12/2011

This is not surprising. The Republican party is the only conservative party in the world --- and I am taking into consideration the various fascist parties in Europe and elsewhere --- that questions the human impact on climate change.