如何看待教皇介入氣候辯論

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.

教皇方濟各(Pope Francis)即將發表的關於氣候變化和自然的通諭，看來將成爲其教皇任期內具有代表性的聲明之一。在登上聖彼得寶座的兩年裏，這位阿根廷籍教皇爲自己繪製了一條激進路線，他在性別與婚姻等關鍵議題上採取了與前幾任教皇不同的態度，同時推動教會管理改革。如今，他正在介入我們這個時代最激烈的政治與科學爭論之一。他的介入將使許多環保主義者感到歡欣鼓舞，也會讓其信徒中的保守人士感到驚慌。

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.

在週四即將發表的題爲《讚美你》(Laudato Si)的通諭中（部分內容已被提前泄露），教皇方濟各闡明自己支持氣候科學解決方法的立場。他承認科學證據的價值，而科學把氣候變化歸因於“人類行爲”。在有些人看來，這或許並不是一個驚天動地的結論。梵蒂岡在接受科學進步方面早就克服了其歷史上的沉默。

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，讓人印象深刻且感到鼓舞的是這則聲明顯而易見的政治含義。它發表的時機意義重大，因爲全世界正在籌備今年12月將在巴黎舉行的氣候變化會議，而此次會議被普遍視爲達成全球減排協議的最後機會。

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

這一文本還提供了比干巴巴的技術批判更有抱負的信息。教皇方濟各正試圖從宗教和信仰角度重新定義一項通常只在科學層面上探求的世俗議題。其核心是一項指責，即批評氣候變化是發達國家沉湎於消費與便利生活的產物。除非人類的態度發生變化，否則這種狀況將不會改變。

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

通諭的全文尚未發表，就已經引發了大量爭論。一些人認爲，教皇的立場存在矛盾。他是全球貧困人口的代言人，他們中很多人屬於居住在拉丁美洲和非洲的10億信仰天主教的居民。如果要讓這些生活在發展中國家的人口擺脫貧困，他們將需要依靠工業發展獲得更高的生活水平。

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

但教皇有一點無疑是正確的，他指出窮人是最容易遭受氣候變化毀滅性影響的羣體——無論是作物被沙漠化毀壞的非洲農民，還是生計受到海平面上升威脅的亞洲居民。

well.

但當教皇方濟各談到解決方案時，他的聽衆中將會產生分歧。他呼籲增加對可再生能源的投資，這是正確的。但他並不看好基於市場的全球變暖挑戰解決方案（如碳排放信用交易），稱這“可能導致一種新形式的投機”，這就回到了梵蒂岡對資本主義持有的傳統懷疑態度。這將否定許多機制，這些機制可以幫助推動發達社會減少自身活動產生的排放和污染。

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.

教皇方濟各的介入還表明，比起以前的許多教皇，他準備在緊迫的社會議題上從更廣闊的視角進行更大膽的思考。他對氣候辯論的貢獻不應被忽視。

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.

雖然控制碳排放和污染在很大程度上是一項技術挑戰，但教皇方濟各在人與環境的關係方面開啓了更深層次的關於道德的討論。如果資本主義要持續發展，就不能繼續破壞這個地球並加深人與人之間的不平等。這是那些足夠幸運生活在發達社會中的人們需要關心的問題，不論他們信教與否。