To the editor:
Despite criticism from some politicians, the reason that it is appropriate for Pope Francis to call for action on climate change is because it is a moral issue.
In his book, A Perfect Moral Storm: The Ethical Tragedy of Climate Change, Stephen M. Gardiner writes that, although climate change is usually discussed in scientific and economic terms, “the deepest challenge is ethical.”
According to Gardiner: “What matters most is what we do to protect those vulnerable to our actions and unable to hold us accountable, especially the global poor, future generations, and nonhuman nature.”
When Pope Francis visited the United States, he called on us to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves. The pope also concurred with Gardiner when he asserted that climate change is a problem that should not be left to future generations.
Yet unless we act, we are in danger of leaving them a world that we wouldn’t want to live in.
Terry Hansen, Oak Creek