MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS GOD’S CREATION AND OUR COMMON HERITAGE, THE ENVIRONMENT
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING 12-14 JANUARY 2018
Compiled by Sir Kt Bro. Dr Peter C. Acquah
- INTRODUCTION
Supreme Knight, Supreme Director, Past Supreme Knights, Worthy Brothers.
I wish to express my appreciation to the Supreme Knight for requesting me to speak on the Laudato Si and aspects of the country’s environment. The chosen topic therefore is: Man’s Responsibility Towards God’s Creation and Our Common Heritage, the Environment. The submission is in four parts: (i) Introduction; (ii) What is happening in our common home? (iii) The earth, a common responsibility, and (iv) Conclusions.
As we know, the Encyclical Letter “LAUDATO SI’ of the Holy Father Pope Francis: On Care for Our Common Home was launched in June 2015. The Laudato si’ is based on the Canticles of St. Francis of Assisi – Canticle of the Creatures: “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs.” (LS1)
Laudato si’ further states, the sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life… (LS2)
According to Cardinal Peter Kojo Appiah Turkson,[1] the goal of the Laudato si’ is to promote the well-being of all creation and to develop an integral ecology,[2] which in its diverse dimensions comprehends our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings.” Humankind confronts “not two separate crises – but one complex crisis that is both environmental and social.” Laudato si’ is “not just about the environment or treating it in isolation” but a call to “prayerful contemplation of the natural and human ecology.”
In the words of Pope Francis: “Whether believers or not, we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world for everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged.”
The topic under discussion is particularly important nowadays in view of the huge challenges facing mankind as a result of the serious environmental and social problems confronting us all. Since 1963, all the Popes have admonished human beings, particularly Catholics, about the unsustainable developmental trajectory that we are following. These concerns expressed by the Popes echo the reflections of numerous scientists, philosophers, theologians and civic groups, all of which have enriched the Church’s thinking on these questions. Outside the Catholic Church, other Churches and Christian communities – and other religions as well – have expressed deep concern and offered valuable reflections on issues which all of us find disturbing… (LS 7)
Three models/approaches of creation have been espoused by Fr. Dan P. Horan of the United States which are based on the Laudato si’. These include: (i) The “Dominion Model of Creation”; (ii) The “Stewardship Model of creation”; and (iii) The “Kinship Model” or “Community of Creation”
Dominion Model /Approach
Gen. Chapter 1 Verse 28 states:
“ And God blessed them , and God said to them ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth’ ”
According to Pope Francis “We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us…. The genesis account which grants man “dominion” over the earth, has encouraged the unbridled exploitation of nature by painting him (man) as domineering and destructive by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church… The biblical texts tell us to “till and keep” the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15). “Tilling” refers to cultivating, ploughing, or working, while “keeping” means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature…” (LS 67)
Referring to the Dominion Model, the Laudato si’ makes the following telling statement: “Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what He desired when He created it and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty and fullness… The establishment of a legal framework which can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems has become indispensable…”
According St. John Paul II, once the human being declares independence from reality and behaves with absolute dominion, the very foundations of our life begin to crumble, for “instead of carrying out his role as a cooperator with God in the work of creation, man sets himself up in place of God and thus ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature”.[3]
Stewardship Model/Approach (“On loan”)
God, the author and creator of the Universe, rules over all, and deserves our worship and adoration (Ps 103: 19-22). The earth and with it, all cosmos, reveals God’s wisdom and goodness (Ps. 19: 1-6) and is sustained and governed by his power, love, and kindness (Ps. 102:25-27; Ps. 104; Col 1: 17; ). Men and women were created in the image of God, given a privileged place among creatures, and commanded to exercise stewardship over the earth (Gen 1:26-28; Ps 8:5)… The human being therefore has a unique role as steward of creation… (Ref. Doc., 2017). [4] Our responsibility as God’s stewards implies that we are morally accountable to Him for treating creation in a manner that best serves the objectives of the reign of God… We have been granted freedom by God but in exercising this freedom and vocation, we are required to “act in the arena of considerable freedom and not unlimited license. This freedom should be exercised within the boundaries of God’s moral law revealed in the Scriptures and in human consciences “ (Exod. 20: 1-17; Deut. 5:6-21; Rom. 2: 14-15).
In summary, human beings still hold the centre but this “household” (i.e. the earth) has been given to human and all creatures (Gen 2:15). It is in this Garden/ Earth that God asks humankind to care for the earth and all… It is a call to responsibility and a call to action in caring.
The Kinship Model/Approach (“Aspirational”)
The Kinship model reinforces that we are all part of creation. We are made up of all the elements as other creatures. St Francis of Assisi is cited under this Model. At the heart of St Francis of Assisi’s nature mysticism, is the deep understanding of our interconnection with all creatures. Pope Francis Encyclical Letter, Laudato si’ is not about the Dominion Model. Laudato si’ falls within the Stewardship and Kinship Models. However it is more towards the Stewardship Model (Fr. Horan) [5]
Nevertheless, Pope Francis has stated in the Laudato si’ that we do not have to put all living beings on the same level nor to deprive human beings of their unique worth and the tremendous responsibility it entails. Nor does it imply a divinization of the earth which would prevent us from working on it and protecting it in its fragility. Such notions would end up creating new imbalances which would deflect us from the reality which challenges us. (LS 90)
Before proceeding any further, it is useful to draw the distinction between “CREATION” and “NATURE”. According to the Laudato si’, in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, the word “CREATION” has a broader meaning than “NATURE”, for it has to do with God’s loving plan in which every creature has its own value and significance. Nature is usually seen as a system which can be studied, understood and controlled, whereas creation can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all, and as a reality illuminated by the love which calls us together into universal communion. (LS 76)
- WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOME
The second National Environmental Policy (NEP2, 2014) lists environmental challenges in Ghana to include (i) land degradation including drought; (ii)desertification (iii) deforestation; (iv) loss of bio-diversity; (v) water pollution; (vi) soil erosion; (vii)marine and coastal degradation; (viii) air pollution; (ix)sand winning; (x) wildfires; (xi) climate change; (xii) invasive alien species; (xiii) illegal mining; and (xiv) illegal fishing. Our environment is degrading steadily. Topics to be discussed under this heading are broad in scope. To save time only a brief on pollution and climate change; water and minerals will be presented here.
- Pollution and Climate Change.
Some forms of pollution are part of people’s daily experience. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes millions of premature deaths. (e.g. outdoor and indoor air pollution)…. These problems are closely linked to a throwaway culture which affects the excluded just as it quickly reduces things to rubbish… (LS 22). Pollution levels in some parts of Ghana remain unacceptably high.
Climate as a common good
The climate is a common good*, belonging to all and meant for all…[6] A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are currently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climate system. (LS 23) Climate change is the defining environmental challenge facing mankind in the twenty-first century. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007), climate change and variability are considered to be major threats to sustainable development and can reverse the gains made in implementing the Millennium Development Goals. The major areas likely to feel the greatest impacts include the economy, water, ecosystems, food security, seas and coastal zones, health and the distribution of populations and settlements.
Climatic change effects are already being felt in many African countries, including Ghana. According to Ghana’s Second National Communications to the UNFCCC, the main concerns on the potential impacts of climate change in Ghana include those listed above and others. [7] These are: (i) increased pressure on water, reducing the potential for hydropower; (ii) adverse effect on agriculture, with reduced yields leading to increased poverty and food insecurity, and the loss of national revenue from cash crops such as cocoa; (iii) increased rural-urban migration, with increased pressure on urban services; (iv) deteriorating human health as a result of increased incidence of diseases and reduced access to water and food compounded by the disruption to the delivery of health services, e.g. flooding of health facilities, and the loss of transport infrastructure; (v) severe impacts on land use, leading to loss of biodiversity and soil fertility, land degradation and increased deforestation; and (vi) negative impact on women, who are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change, given their relatively higher levels of poverty and their responsibilities for household water, food and fuel.
Even though climate change and variability will pose unprecedented developmental challenges to the country, the implementation of some measures (adaptation and mitigation) will help to reduce, delay or avoid their impacts. Addressing these effects presents opportunities for business, alternative livelihoods and innovation; for example, enhancing the use of solar energy and wind power in the country, using climate – smart agriculture techniques, and increasing afforestation and reforestation measures. (Acquah, 2016)[8]
- Water
The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty… Water poverty especially affects Africa where large sectors of the population have no access to safe drinking water or experience droughts which impede agricultural production. … (LS 27, 29)Some countries have areas rich in water while others endure drastic scarcity… One particularly serious problem is the quality of water available to the poor. In Ghana many of our rivers and other water bodies are polluted. As we all know, this has worsened as a result of illicit gold mining – “Galamsey”.
- Mining
Ghana is relatively well endowed with mineral resources (including oil and gas) and has a comparatively well-established mining sector, an important sector in the country’s economy. According to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), the mining sector contributed more than 6% to GDP and accounted for more than 40% of export earnings, of which gold contributed about 95% in 2010. Other mineral exports included bauxite, manganese, and diamonds.
However, there is environmental cost to mining, particularly to the communities that are directly affected by the operations. Many disputes in the mining communities are driven by the health and environmental consequences of mining, compulsory resettlement and disputes over compensation, a lack of trust between communities and government and/or industry, tensions between locals and migrant workers, disputes over capture of payments from mining companies, and others… (World Bank, 2014).
“Galamsey”. Small-scale mining for gold in particular has been a major economic activity in the country for many centuries. Such mines were artisanal and therefore their impacts on the country’s environment were limited to the areas of the mining operations. However, in recent years, small-scale gold mining is largely mechanized and some have assumed industrial mining dimensions. The use of heavy machinery, toxic/hazardous chemicals, uncontrolled mining and beneficiation practices by illegal small- scale (‘Galamsey’) mines, in particular, has caused sharp degradation of the country’s natural environment. (Peter Acquah, June 2017)
- THE EARTH, A COMMON RESPONSIBILITY
The Earth, and all that is in it, is a gift and common responsibility. What is our role as stewards of God’s creation? This is the actual time for everybody, both as individual or corporate to make commitment to shape our environment. This is the time to inform and form ourselves in the areas of stewardship of the environment. The parishes, schools and communities have greater advantage to knowledge on the environmental issues because the corporate world is engaging all kinds of people to be aware of the devastating effects on the environment. It is therefore necessary that everybody and every group of people must rise to the task of protecting mother earth. (Ref. Doc, 2017) What are the concrete ways individuals, churches and other institutions can adopt in taking care of our environment?
(i) Everyone must carry out his role as a cooperator with God in the work of creation (refer to Social Teachings of the Catholic Church); (ii) We should work steadily towards achieving environmental justice[9] for all Ghanaians; (iii) We must advocate strongly for the enforcement of laws on the environment and natural resources; (iv) Everybody must have a change of attitude towards environmental issues and to learn to live in peaceful co-existence with nature and one another; (v) Everybody should play an active part in the management of the environment and help to make the environment a commonly shared value; (vi) We must put order and beauty around ourselves by keeping the environment clean and healthy; (vii) We should educate ourselves, especially young people, on ecological and environmental responsibility; (viii) We must plant trees especially in our towns; (ix) We need to enhance the use of renewable energy and advocate for energy efficiency measures; (x) We have to acquaint ourselves with the environment component of the National Long –Term Development Plan when it becomes available to the public.
- CONCLUSIONS
- The Laudato si’ calls on humanity, particularly Christians (ESPECIALLY CATHOLICS), to improved action in addressing the steadily increasing environmental and social issues. Many useful lessons can be learned from the Encyclical Letter and so we should all endeavour to read the document.
- The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home… (Pope Francis)
[1] Cardinal Peter Tukson. Presentation on ‘Green Encyclical’ at UN Conference. July 2, 2015
[2] Ecology studies the relationship between living organisms and the environment in which they develop
[3] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centisimus Annus (1May, 1991), 38: AAS 83 (1991),, 840. Cited in Laudato si’
[4] Ref. Document for the National Catechetical Week Celebration 2017
[5] Fr. Dan P. Horan Models of Creation EP01
[6] Principle of the common good is at the heart of Catholic Social Teaching (Fr. P. Horan)- intra &intergenerational
[7] Ghana’s second national communication to the UNFCCC, September 2011.
[8] Peter C. Acquah. A brief on Laudato si’ and some aspects of Ghana’s Natural Environment. Christ The King Catholic Church, Cantonments-Accra. Annual Harvest Brochure. November 2017
[9] The USEPA defines Environmental Justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of the colour, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.