如何看待教皇介入气候辩论

Pope Francis’s forthcoming encyclical on climate change and nature looks set to be one of the defining statements of his pontificate. In the two years that he has occupied the throne of St Peter, the Argentine pontiff has charted a radical course, departing from his predecessors on key topics such as sexuality and marriage while pursuing reforms to the administration of the Church itself. Now, he is intervening in one of the most heated political and scientific debates of our age in a way that will delight many environmentalists and alarm conservatives among his flock.

教皇方济各(Pope Francis)即将发表的关于气候变化和自然的通谕，看来将成为其教皇任期内具有代表性的声明之一。在登上圣彼得宝座的两年里，这位阿根廷籍教皇为自己绘制了一条激进路线，他在性别与婚姻等关键议题上采取了与前几任教皇不同的态度，同时推动教会管理改革。如今，他正在介入我们这个时代最激烈的政治与科学争论之一。他的介入将使许多环保主义者感到欢欣鼓舞，也会让其信徒中的保守人士感到惊慌。

In “Laudato Si” (Be Praised), to be published tomorrow but some of whose contents have been leaked in advance, the Pope has thrown his weight behind the nostrums of climate science. He acknowledges the weight of scientific evidence that places the blame on “human action”. That may not seem an earth-shaking conclusion to some. The Vatican has long overcome its historic reticence about accepting scientific advance.

在周四即将发表的题为《赞美你》(Laudato Si)的通谕中（部分内容已被提前泄露），教皇方济各阐明自己支持气候科学解决方法的立场。他承认科学证据的价值，而科学把气候变化归因于“人类行为”。在有些人看来，这或许并不是一个惊天动地的结论。梵蒂冈在接受科学进步方面早就克服了其历史上的沉默。

What is striking and courageous, however, is the overt political content of the statement. Its timing is significant, given that the world is preparing for this December’s climate conference in Paris, widely seen as the last chance to secure a deal on global emissions.

然而，让人印象深刻且感到鼓舞的是这则声明显而易见的政治含义。它发表的时机意义重大，因为全世界正在筹备今年12月将在巴黎举行的气候变化会议，而此次会议被普遍视为达成全球减排协议的最后机会。

The document also offers something much more ambitious than a dry technical critique. Francis is seeking to redefine a secular topic — one that is generally pursued on the level of

这一文本还提供了比干巴巴的技术批判更有抱负的信息。教皇方济各正试图从宗教和信仰角度重新定义一项通常只在科学层面上探求的世俗议题。其核心是一项指责，即批评气候变化是发达国家沉湎于消费与便利生活的产物。除非人类的态度发生变化，否则这种状况将不会改变。

science — in terms of religion and faith. At its heart is the charge that climate change is the product of the developed world’s addiction to consumption

通谕的全文尚未发表，就已经引发了大量争论。一些人认为，教皇的立场存在矛盾。他是全球贫困人口的代言人，他们中很多人属于居住在拉丁美洲和非洲的10亿信仰天主教的居民。如果要让这些生活在发展中国家的人口摆脱贫困，他们将需要依靠工业发展获得更高的生活水平。

and convenience. This will not change, unless human attitudes change as

但教皇有一点无疑是正确的，他指出穷人是最容易遭受气候变化毁灭性影响的群体——无论是作物被沙漠化毁坏的非洲农民，还是生计受到海平面上升威胁的亚洲居民。

well.

但当教皇方济各谈到解决方案时，他的听众中将会产生分歧。他呼吁增加对可再生能源的投资，这是正确的。但他并不看好基于市场的全球变暖挑战解决方案（如碳排放信用交易），称这“可能导致一种新形式的投机”，这就回到了梵蒂冈对资本主义持有的传统怀疑态度。这将否定许多机制，这些机制可以帮助推动发达社会减少自身活动产生的排放和污染。

Even before the full text has been published, it is already attracting a great deal of debate. Some argue that there is a contradiction in the Pope’s position. He is the voice for the global poor, many of whom are found among the 1bn Catholic inhabitants of Latin America and Africa. If those living in developing countries are to come out of poverty, they will need to rely on industrial development to secure higher living standards.

教皇方济各的介入还表明，比起以前的许多教皇，他准备在紧迫的社会议题上从更广阔的视角进行更大胆的思考。他对气候辩论的贡献不应被忽视。

But the Pope is surely right to observe that it is the poor that are most at risk from the devastating effects of climate change, whether the African farmer whose crops are destroyed by desertification or the inhabitant of Asia whose livelihood is menaced by rising seas.

虽然控制碳排放和污染在很大程度上是一项技术挑战，但教皇方济各在人与环境的关系方面开启了更深层次的关于道德的讨论。如果资本主义要持续发展，就不能继续破坏这个地球并加深人与人之间的不平等。这是那些足够幸运生活在发达社会中的人们需要关心的问题，不论他们信教与否。