While not quite an ecosocialist tract, the recent statement by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Science and Social Science is worth a read. Coming out of a 7 day conference on climate change, the statement is another indictment of capitalism, tying “action which is not respectful of nature” to the “economy of exclusion” and unfair social structures. MSNBC’s Jane C. Timm’s reports on the Vatican’s statement here. Some quotes from the Vatican’s statement on climate change:
“Human action which is not respectful of nature becomes a boomerang for human beings that creates inequality and extends what Pope Francis has termed “the globalization of indifference” and the “economy of exclusion”… which themselves endanger solidarity with present and future generations.”
“The growth in GDP has been accompanied by unacceptable gaps between the rich and the poor, who still have no access to most of the advancement of the Era.”
“The massive fossil fuel use at the heart of the global energy system deeply disrupts the Earth’s climate and acidifies the world’s oceans.”
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) May 2, 2013
In an earlier video (May 13) below, the Pope’s comments on capitalism were the subject of comedian Stephen Colbert poking fun at Bill O’Reilly’s claims that there are people trying to appropriate Pope Francis for nefarious socialist aims. Indeed, one might ask how long “progressives” or liberals can talk about the disastrous and increasingly terrifying effects of capitalism on humans and nature, without explicitly demanding the obvious alternative – ecosocialist revolution!
(If the video below does not work, try here: http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/wn13ym/pope-francis-s-crusade-against-capitalism)
See more responses to the Pope’s stance on climate change and capitalism:
